ויחלק עליהם לילה “the night was divided for them.” The plain meaning of the line is that it became dark. Nonetheless, Avram did not desist from pursuing these Kings and their armies until midnight. According to Tanchuma Lech Lecha 9 G’d told Avram: “you have killed My enemies from midnight until morning, I promise you that when the time is ripe I will kill those that hate your descendants from midnight until morning.” This is the deeper meaning of Exodus 11,4 כחצות הלילה אני יוצא בתוך מצרים, “around midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt.” From all this it appears that Avram carried on the battle from midnight until morning. According to the plain meaning of the text Avram did not sleep at all during that night. He spent the first half of the night in pursuit; the second half of the night he spent in battling his enemies. This is the meaning of the words ויחלק עליהם לילה הוא ועבדיו ויכם וירדפם, “the night was divided for him and his servants, he smote them in the second half of the night after having pursued them during the first half.” עד חובה אשר משמאל לדמשק, “as far as Chovah which is to the left of Damascus.” This means “until they admitted their guilt he called to them from the “left,” i.e. the seat of the attribute of Justice. They were falling to the left of Eliezer who originated in Damascus. [The word Damascus here is a simile for Eliezer who used to draw water and give others to drink from the Torah of his master Avraham, as will be explained later by our author. (Rabbi Chavel)] The word משמאל in our verse may be read as referring to Damascus or as referring to the previous word עד חובה אשר. In the latter case the translation would have to be “as far as Chovah which is on the left side.” You will find a similar construction of one word being able to be used in the latter half of a verse as well as in the first half in Psalms 50,2 מציון מכלל-יופי אלוקים הופיע “From Zion, perfect in beauty, G’d appeared.” [The word מציון may be understood as the end of verse one preceding it. Ed.]
τὸν δ᾽ αὖτε προσέειπε πολύτλας δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς:
‘Τυδεΐδη μήτ᾽ ἄρ με μάλ᾽ αἴνεε μήτέ τι νείκει:
εἰδόσι γάρ τοι ταῦτα μετ᾽ Ἀργείοις ἀγορεύεις.
ἀλλ᾽ ἴομεν: μάλα γὰρ νὺξ ἄνεται, ἐγγύθι δ᾽ ἠώς,
ἄστρα δὲ δὴ προβέβηκε, παροίχωκεν δὲ πλέων νὺξ
τῶν δύο μοιράων, τριτάτη δ᾽ ἔτι μοῖρα λέλειπται...
ὣς ἔφαν εὐχόμενοι, τῶν δ᾽ ἔκλυε Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.
οἳ δ᾽ ἐπεὶ ἠρήσαντο Διὸς κούρῃ μεγάλοιο,
βάν ῥ᾽ ἴμεν ὥς τε λέοντε δύω διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν
ἂμ φόνον, ἂν νέκυας, διά τ᾽ ἔντεα καὶ μέλαν αἷμα.
The Illiad, Book X, trans. Samuel Butler
"Son of Tydeus," replied Ulysses, "say neither good nor ill about me, for you are among Argives who know me well. Let us be going, for the night wanes and dawn is at hand. The stars have gone forward, two-thirds of the night are already spent, and the third is alone left us."...
Thus they prayed, and Pallas Minerva heard their prayer. When they had done praying to the daughter of great Jove, they went their way like two lions prowling by night amid the armour and blood-stained bodies of them that had fallen.