31. Were drawn away. The Israelite army feigned retreat, thus causing the Benjamites to pursue them. In so doing, the rear and flanks of the army of Benjamin were exposed to the Israelite troops lying in ambush.
Highways. The route the Israelite army took in its feigned flight was along two highways, one running northward to Bethel and Shiloh, the other leading to a town named Gibeah. The latter, to distinguish it from the Gibeah where the Benjamites had their base, was called “Gibeah in the field.” Gibeah was a common name meaning “hill.” The latter village seems to have been situated not on a hill, as its name would suggest, but on a level field.