So all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword … is literally “And it was that all the fallen from Benjamin [were] 25,000 man who drew [the] sword that day….” This is a summary verse that combines many of the expressions from the previous verses. It begins with the Hebrew word wayehi (literally “And it was”), which often marks the beginning and end of literary units. In English the connector So is a good way to begin this summary. Once again the verb fell comes to the forefront and should be maintained if at all possible (see comments on verse 20.44). The phrase that day occurs at the end of this clause in Hebrew, but translators may place it anywhere for naturalness. Twenty-five thousand is 100 less than the number given in verse 20.35, but since this is a summary statement, the narrator may be rounding off that number. For men that drew the sword, see verse 20.2. This expression indicates that the twenty-five thousand men were all soldiers. There may have been other casualties. Good News Translation offers a good model, saying “In all, twenty-five thousand Benjaminites were killed that day….”

For all of them men of valor, see verse 20.44.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .