Question VIII. Whether in this battle any of the Jews were slain? and of the enemy, who and how many?

First: Radak judges [that] some of the Jews fell in the battle and the flight (although a feigned [flight]), because in v. 15, in the Hebrew, in the passive niphal, it is yinnag’u, “they were struck.” On the contrary, Rashi will have none of the Israelites slain — and rightly. For if, on account of the 36 recently slain, there was such sadness, fear, [and] lamentation, how ill would they bear now some of their own to be laid low and butchered — after the author of that slaughter [was] punished, after the divine exhortation to battle, after such bright promises of victory? This would not have befitted the divine goodness sufficiently, nor [would it have befitted] such great counsels of ambush and flight. And to what end would it not have been indicated how many fell? But other Rabbis explain the Hebrew word by the usual community of that conjugation with the hithpael, [thus:] “they feigned to be struck and cut down.” But the 70, by [rendering] with ἀναχωρεῖν [anachōrein, “to withdraw”], and our [Vulgate] with “to give way from [their] place,” show [that] that Hebrew [word] means “they were moved from [their] place, [and] driven from the place to which they had come.” For that by that word is also signified “to arrive somewhere,” or “to touch [reach] some place,” the matter and usage teach (2 Chron. 28:9, Esther 9:1, Ps. 87:4, Gen. 28:12, Is. 25:12). Secondly: Of the enemy, Abulensis thinks no Bethelites fell before ch. 13. But this is rejected from what was said above. Thirdly: Twelve thousand fell, as many men as women (v. 25). Abulensis gathers one [thing]: that Ai was not a great city, of which the number — both of the men and of all the women — [was] so small.