TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
Complete Jewish Bible
The leaders of the assembly asked, "What are we to do for those who still don't have wives, inasmuch as all the women of Binyamin have been killed?"
Berean Standard Bible
Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
American Standard Version
Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
World English Bible Messianic
Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Therefore the Elders of the Congregation said, How shall we doe for wiues to the remnant? for the women of Beniamin are destroyed.
Young's Literal Translation
And the elders of the company say, `What do we do to the remnant for wives--for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?'
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In the KJVVerse 7,119 of 31,102
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Commentary on Judges 21 verses 16–25
16 ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.
23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
We have here the method that was taken to provide the 200 Benjamites that remained with wives. And, though the tribe was reduced to a small number, they were only in care to provide each man with one wife, not with more under pretence of multiplying them the faster. They may not bestow their daughters upon them, but to save their oath, and yet marry some of their daughters to them, they put them into a way of taking them by surprise, and marrying them, which should be ratified by their parents' consent, ex post facto - afterwards. The less consideration is used before the making of a vow, the more, commonly, there is need of afterwards for the keeping of it.
I. That which gave an opportunity for the doing of this was a public ball at Shiloh, in the fields, at which all the young ladies of that city and the parts adjacent that were so disposed met to dance, in honour of a feast of the Lord then observed, probably the feast of tabernacles (Jdg 21:19), for that feast (bishop Patrick says) was the only season wherein the Jewish virgins were allowed to dance, and that not so much for their own recreation as to express their holy joy, as David when he danced before the ark, otherwise the present melancholy posture of public affairs would have made dancing unseasonable, as Isa 22:12, Isa 22:13. The dancing was very modest and chaste. It was not mixed dancing; no men danced with these daughters of Shiloh, nor did any married women so far forget their gravity as to join with them. However their dancing thus in public made them an easy prey to those that had a design upon them, whence bishop Hall observes that the ambushes of evil spirits carry away many souls from dancing to a fearful desolation.
II. The elders of Israel gave authority to the Benjamites to do this, to lie in wait in the vineyards which surrounded the green they used to dance on, and, when they were in the midst of their sport, to come upon them, and catch every man a wife for himself, and carry them straight away to their own country, Jdg 21:20, Jdg 21:21. They knew that none of their own daughters would be there, so that the parents of these virgins could not be said to give them, for they knew nothing of the matter. A sorry salvo is better than none, to save the breaking of an oath: it were much better to be cautious in making vows, that there be not occasion afterwards, as there was here, to say before the angel that it was an error. Here was a very preposterous way of match-making, when both the mutual affection of the young people and the consent of the parents must be presumed to come after; the case was extraordinary, and may by no means be drawn into a precedent. Over hasty marriages often occasion a leisurely repentance; and what comfort can be expected from a match made either by force or fraud? The virgins of Jabesh-Gilead were taken out of the midst of blood and slaughter, but these of Shiloh out of the midst of mirth and joy; the former had reason to be thankful that they had their lives for a prey, and the latter, it is to be hoped, had no cause to complain, after a while, when they found themselves matched, not to men of broken and desperate fortunes, as they seemed to be, who were lately fetched out of a cave, but to men of the best and largest estates in the nation, as they must needs be when the lot of the whole tribe of Benjamin, which consisted of 45,600 men (Num 26:41), came to be divided again among 600, who had all by survivorship.
III. They undertook to pacify the fathers of these young women. As to the infringement of their paternal authority, they would easily forgive it when they considered to what fair estates their daughters were matched and what mothers in Israel they were likely to be; but the oath they were bound by, not to give their daughters to Benjamites, might perhaps stick with some of them, whose consciences were tender, yet, as to that, this might satisfy them: - 1. That the necessity was urgent (Jdg 21:22): We reserved not to each man his wife, owning now that they did ill to destroy all the women, and desiring to atone for their too rigorous construction of their vow to destroy them by the most favourable construction of their vow not to match with them. "And therefore for our sakes, who were too severe, let them keep what they have got." For, 2. In strictness it was not a breach of their vow; they had sworn not to give them their daughters, but they had not sworn to fetch them back if they were forcibly taken, so that if there was any fault the elders must be responsible, not the parents. And Quod fieri non debuit, factum valet - That which ought not to have been done is yet valid when it is done. The thing was done, and is ratified only by connivance, according to the law, Num 30:4.
Lastly, In the close of all we have, 1. The settling of the tribe of Benjamin again. The few that remained returned to the inheritance of that tribe, Jdg 21:23. And soon after from among them sprang Ehud, who was famous in his generation, the second judge of Israel, Jdg 3:15. 2. The disbanding and dispersing of the army of Israel, Jdg 21:24. They did not set up for a standing army, nor pretend to make any alterations or establishments in the government; but when the affair was over for which they were called together, they quietly departed in God's peace, every man to his family. Public services must not make us think ourselves above our own private affairs and the duty of providing for our own house. 3. A repetition of the cause of these confusions, Jdg 21:25. Though God was their King, every man would be his own master, as if there was no king. Blessed be God for magistracy.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 16–25. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Judges 21:16 encapsulates the profound moral and existential crisis faced by the Israelite elders after the devastating civil war against the tribe of Benjamin. With the Benjaminite women almost entirely annihilated and the other tribes bound by a solemn, self-imposed oath not to intermarry with Benjamin, the elders are confronted with the desperate and seemingly insurmountable challenge of securing wives for the surviving men, highlighting the catastrophic consequences of unchecked sin, inter-tribal violence, and human-made covenants that inadvertently threaten the continuity of God's people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage employs profound Irony and pervasive Tragedy to underscore the moral crisis. The irony lies in the fact that the very tribes who nearly annihilated Benjamin, driven by a desire for justice, are now compelled to ensure its survival, directly contradicting their solemn oath. This highlights the self-inflicted wounds of a community acting without consistent divine guidance. The pervasive Tragedy is evident in the complete destruction of the Benjaminite women, a direct consequence of the unchecked violence and moral decay described throughout Judges. The elders' desperate question serves as a poignant Rhetorical Question, emphasizing the seemingly insurmountable nature of their problem and forcing the reader to confront the dire consequences of Israel's spiritual decline. The narrative also uses Foreshadowing, as this desperate attempt to preserve a tribe points to the need for a king and a more stable, divinely-guided order, which the book of Judges ultimately advocates as a solution to such chaos.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 21:16 presents a stark picture of a people grappling with the devastating fallout of sin and inter-communal violence, revealing the fragility of Israel's tribal structure when divine order is neglected. The elders' desperate search for wives for the remnant of Benjamin underscores the biblical emphasis on the importance of family, lineage, and the continuation of God's covenant people. Despite their own culpability in the near-annihilation of Benjamin, their concern for the tribe's survival reflects a deeper understanding of God's overarching plan for the twelve tribes of Israel. This passage serves as a grim reminder that human oaths, even when made with righteous intent, can lead to unforeseen and morally compromising situations when not tempered by wisdom and a holistic view of God's will. The narrative implicitly critiques the "doing what was right in one's own eyes" mentality, showing its catastrophic consequences and the desperate need for a just and righteous king.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Judges 21:16 confronts us with the profound and often unforeseen consequences of unchecked sin and internal strife within a community. It serves as a powerful cautionary tale for families, churches, and nations, reminding us that division and moral compromise can lead to catastrophic outcomes, even forcing leaders into morally ambiguous choices to rectify self-inflicted wounds. The elders' struggle to preserve the tribe of Benjamin, despite their solemn oath and their role in the tribe's near destruction, calls us to reflect on our own responsibilities in maintaining unity and seeking reconciliation within the body of Christ. It highlights the importance of wise, Spirit-led leadership that prioritizes the long-term health and continuity of the community, even when faced with seemingly impossible dilemmas. This passage challenges us to consider how our actions, individually and corporately, contribute to either the flourishing or the fracturing of the body of Christ, and the desperate need for divine wisdom when human solutions prove inadequate or lead to further compromise.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why were the women of Benjamin "destroyed"?
Answer: The women of Benjamin were "destroyed" (annihilated) as a direct consequence of the civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other eleven tribes of Israel. This war was ignited by the horrific crime committed by Benjaminites in Gibeah, which led the other tribes to wage war against Benjamin. In their zeal to punish the wickedness and in the brutality of ancient warfare, the Israelite confederation effectively wiped out the Benjaminite population, including women and children, with the exception of 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon. This extreme measure was part of the collective punishment for the egregious sin and Benjamin's refusal to surrender the perpetrators.
What was the "oath" that complicated the elders' search for wives?
Answer: The oath was a solemn vow made by the Israelites at Mizpah before the war against Benjamin, stating, "There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife." This oath was likely made in the heat of righteous indignation and grief over the atrocity in Gibeah and the subsequent Benjaminite defiance. While intended to prevent any future association or legitimization of the offending tribe, it created an unforeseen and profound dilemma once the war was over and the Israelites realized they had nearly extinguished an entire tribe of Israel, violating God's broader covenant plan for the twelve tribes. The elders were then faced with the impossible task of preserving Benjamin without breaking their sacred oath.
Does this passage condone the actions taken to secure wives for Benjamin?
Answer: The Book of Judges, particularly its concluding chapters, is a descriptive rather than prescriptive text. It vividly portrays the moral and spiritual decline of Israel when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). While the elders' concern for the preservation of a tribe of Israel was commendable, the methods employed (e.g., the slaughter of Jabesh-Gilead's inhabitants to secure wives, and the abduction of women from Shiloh) highlight the desperate and morally compromised state of the nation. The narrative does not condone these actions but rather exposes the tragic consequences of a society that has lost its moral compass and divine guidance, resorting to pragmatic and often violent solutions to self-inflicted problems. It serves as a stark warning about the dangers of operating outside God's revealed will.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The desperate situation in Judges 21:16, where the elders grapple with the near extinction of a tribe due to sin and human-made oaths, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate solution found in Christ. The inability of Israel to fully restore itself, even through desperate and morally ambiguous means, points to humanity's inherent need for divine intervention to reconcile and redeem. Just as the elders sought to preserve a remnant of Benjamin, God, in His ultimate wisdom and grace, preserved a remnant of Israel and, through Christ, established a new covenant that transcends tribal and national boundaries. Jesus, the true Israel, becomes the means by which all who believe, Jew and Gentile, are brought into a new spiritual family, the Church, His bride. He is the one who reconciles those who were "cut off" by sin, not through human schemes or violence, but through His perfect sacrifice on the cross, uniting all believers into one body. The desperate search for wives to ensure the continuity of a physical tribe finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who ensures the eternal continuity of His spiritual family, the Church, by making us co-heirs with Him and giving us new life that transcends earthly lineage and human failures. He is the ultimate solution to humanity's brokenness and division, bringing true peace and unity where human efforts only produced chaos.