Judges 20:36
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah. So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
The events in chapters 17–21 took place early in the history of the judges, even though the main narrative of the book ends with chapter 16. The verse stands within a record of backsliding and of the disgrace and punishment that resulted from it. More specifically, it belongs to the account of the crime at Gibeah, with which the tribe of Benjamin had identified itself.
It means that the Benjamites saw that they were smitten because the men of Israel deliberately gave ground, withdrawing in trust in the ambush they had set beside Gibeah in order to draw Benjamin toward it. This success followed apparent defeat, for Israel had been repulsed twice before finally prevailing over Benjamin. The smiting at Gibeah left Benjamin as the least tribe, nearly extinct. In divine wisdom God afterward chose the king from this weakened tribe so as to remove all grounds of jealousy among the other tribes. The change from early repulse to final victory shows that temporary oppression and shame do not mean the cause is lost, and that sincere turning to God can be followed by joy and success.