The Meaning of Judges 20:42 Explained

Judges 20:42

KJV: Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

YLT: and they turn before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, and the battle hath followed them; and those who are from the city are destroying them in their midst;

Darby: Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

ASV: Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and they that came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore they turned  [their backs] before  the men  of Israel  unto the way  of the wilderness;  but the battle  overtook  them; and them which [came] out of the cities  they destroyed  in the midst  of them. 

What does Judges 20:42 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Judges 20

1  The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8  The decree of the assembly
12  The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18  The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26  They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred

What do the individual words in Judges 20:42 mean?

Therefore they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel in the direction of the wilderness but the battle overtook them and whoever [came] out of the cities they destroyed - in their midst
וַיִּפְנ֞וּ לִפְנֵ֨י אִ֤ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־ דֶּ֣רֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְהַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה הִדְבִּיקָ֑תְהוּ וַאֲשֶׁר֙ מֵהֶ֣עָרִ֔ים מַשְׁחִיתִ֥ים אוֹת֖וֹ בְּתוֹכֽוֹ

וַיִּפְנ֞וּ  Therefore  they  turned  [their  backs] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: פֹּונֶה 
Sense: to turn.
לִפְנֵ֨י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אִ֤ישׁ  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
דֶּ֣רֶךְ  the  direction 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר  of  the  wilderness 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וְהַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה  but  the  battle 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
הִדְבִּיקָ֑תְהוּ  overtook  them 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person feminine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַק  
Sense: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch.
וַאֲשֶׁר֙  and  whoever  [came] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
מֵהֶ֣עָרִ֔ים  out  of  the  cities 
Parse: Preposition-m, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
מַשְׁחִיתִ֥ים  they  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
אוֹת֖וֹ  - 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בְּתוֹכֽוֹ  in  their  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 20:42?

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