‘And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.'
Perhaps it was a temporary blindness brought on by an exceedingly bright light. We do not know. (The Hebrew word does not indicate permanent blindness but a problem with the sight. Compare 2 Kings 6:18-20). But it was sufficient to deter their efforts, and, it seems, to persuade them eventually to leave the vicinity, at least for the time being.