This means he went back by a different route than he came, which would explain why he reached Succoth first. Aiming to enter the city by surprise, he approached it from an unexpected direction, namely, by the mountain road of Heres, which presumably lay south of Succoth and perhaps is identical to modern El-Heart.
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13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.