Aftermath of Civil War: Preservation of Benjamin
Judges 21:1-25
Jud.21.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשבע: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- במצפה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- בתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לבנימן: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאשה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:2-3 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the assembly’s oath at Mizpah (v.1) leads directly to grief over Benjamin’s survival and the problem of providing wives (vv.2–3).
- Genesis 31:49 (allusion): Uses Mizpah as an oath/covenant site—'Mizpah' functions elsewhere as a place-name associated with vows and mutual watchfulness, echoing the setting and legal/ritual character of the Israelite oath in Judg.21:1.
- Numbers 30:2 (thematic): General law about vows—'If a man vow a vow to the LORD...'—relevant for understanding the binding communal nature and consequences of the Israelites’ sworn prohibition in Judg.21:1.
- Judges 11:30–31 (verbal): Jephthah’s vow exemplifies the practice and dangers of rash vows before the LORD; thematically parallels the community’s solemn oath at Mizpah and the weight such vows carry in Judges.
- Deuteronomy 7:3 (thematic): Legal prohibition against intermarriage—'You shall not give your daughter to his son'—provides a legal/social parallel to the concern about marriage alliances reflected in the Israelite oath refusing to give daughters to Benjamin.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the people of Israel swore at Mizpah, saying, "No man of them shall give his daughter to Benjamin as wife."
- All the people of Israel swore at Mizpah, saying, “No one of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
Jud.21.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שם: ADV
- עד: PREP
- הערב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לפני: PREP
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- קולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,pl
- ויבכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.20:26 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same narrative — Israel 'stood before the LORD till evening' and 'lifted up their voices and wept' using almost the same language and ritual posture.
- 1 Sam.7:6 (thematic): At Mizpah the people assemble before the LORD, fast and cry out (lift up their voices) in penitential lament — a communal weeping before God tied to national crisis and petition for deliverance.
- Neh.9:1-3 (thematic): A national assembly that separates itself, fasts, stands to confess and worship; the passage depicts collective penitential worship and lament before God, similar form and function to the Bethel lament.
- Joel 2:17 (allusion): Prophetic call for priests and people to 'weep' between porch and altar — an explicit summons to communal lament before God that echoes the imagery of lifting voices and crying out in the sanctuary.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people went to Bethel and remained there until evening before the LORD; they lifted up their voices and wept with a great and bitter lamentation.
- The people came to Bethel and remained there until evening before the LORD; they raised their voices and wept with great lamentation.
Jud.21.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- למה: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להפקד: VERB,hiphil,inf
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מישראל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 21:1 (structural): Immediate context: the people mourn because the LORD has made a breach in Israel (the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin), leading directly to the question in v.3.
- Judges 20:28 (verbal): Earlier in the same cycle the assembly again appeals to 'the LORD God of Israel' over the civil war; the language and communal inquiry about divine purpose echo the wording of 21:3.
- 2 Samuel 21:1-2 (thematic): The nation experiences a severe crisis (famine) and inquires of the LORD to discover the cause and remedy—parallel motif of national calamity prompting an appeal to God for explanation and restoration.
- Psalm 74:1 (thematic): A communal lament that directly asks God 'why' He has rejected or afflicted His people; similar rhetorical question about divine action in the face of national disaster.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, "Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this come to pass in Israel—that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?"
- They said, “Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this come to pass in Israel, that one tribe should be lacking today in Israel?”
Jud.21.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ממחרת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וישכימו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויבנו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,pl
- שם: ADV
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עלות: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ושלמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Judges 20:26 (verbal): Same ritual language—Israel goes to the house of God and offers burnt offerings and peace offerings; closely mirrors the phrase and cultic action in 21:4.
- Genesis 8:20 (thematic): Noah builds an altar and offers burnt offerings after a national crisis; parallels the motif of altar‑building and sacrificial thanksgiving/atonement following upheaval.
- Joshua 8:30-31 (structural): Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal and offers burnt and peace offerings; similar pattern of erecting an altar and performing both burnt and peace sacrifices in a covenantal/communal context.
- Exodus 20:24 (verbal): Divine regulation: command to make an altar and sacrifice burnt and peace offerings—provides the cultic framework echoed by the concrete action in Judges 21:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- On the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- On the next day the people rose early and built there an altar; they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Jud.21.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בקהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מכל: PREP
- שבטי: NOUN,m,pl,con
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- השבועה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הגדולה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאשר: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- המצפה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- יומת: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 20:2-11 (verbal): Same incident and setting (assembly at Mizpah to the LORD); repeats the language of ‘coming up to the LORD’ and the collective deliberation that led to the oath against giving daughters to Benjamin.
- Exodus 24:3-8 (thematic): Mass covenant-making language—‘all the people answered’ and the formal ratification of a solemn pledge before the LORD, paralleling the communal vow in Judges 21.
- Deuteronomy 29:10-13 (thematic): Appeals to the whole congregation being present to confirm covenant obligations—comparable motif of an all-Israel oath and its communal force.
- Judges 11:30-40 (thematic): Example of a solemn vow with unintended tragic consequences (Jephthah’s vow); parallels Judges 21 in showing how vows/oaths can bind the community or individuals and produce crisis.
- 1 Samuel 14:24-45 (thematic): Saul’s rash oath and its harmful effects on his people (and on Jonathan) echoes the theme of ill-considered communal vows in Judges 21 and their damaging social consequences.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Israelites said, "Who is the man among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" For the oath was very great: "Whoever did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah shall surely be put to death."
- And the Israelites said, “Who is the man of all the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?” For the great oath had been laid on those who had not come up to the LORD at Mizpah: “He shall surely be put to death.”
Jud.21.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וינחמו: VERB,piel,imperfect,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- נגדע: VERB,qal,cohortative,1,pl
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- מישראל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.20:48 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel describing the slaughter of Benjamin in the civil war that prompts the Israelites' resolution to 'cut off' a tribe — provides the military outcome to which 21:6 refers.
- Judg.21:1 (structural): Opening of the same chapter where the people assemble and mourn before the LORD; sets the communal and religious context for the decision recorded in 21:6.
- Judg.21:5 (structural): Nearby verse expressing the people's practical concern about providing wives for the surviving Benjamites; it explains the motive behind later actions that temper the decision in 21:6.
- 1 Sam.15:3 (thematic): Divine command to Saul to 'devote to destruction' the Amalekites — parallels the theme of collective decision or command to annihilate a people/tribe.
- Deut.29:20 (thematic): Uses covenantal language of being 'blotted out' or 'cut off' for covenant-breakers; thematically echoes the notion in 21:6 of removing a tribe from Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people were grieved on behalf of Benjamin their brother and said, "We have cut off one of the tribes of Israel."
- The Israelites felt remorse for their brother Benjamin and said, “We have this day cut off a tribe from Israel.
Jud.21.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לנותרים: PREP+ADJ,ptcp,pres,m,pl,abs
- לנשים: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- נשבענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- תת: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מבנותינו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- לנשים: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:1-6 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the assembly’s vow and the problem it creates (the oath not to give daughters to Benjamites) — verse 7 is part of this sequence.
- Judges 11:30-39 (thematic): Jephthah’s rash vow to the LORD with tragic consequences for a daughter — parallels the theme of binding communal or personal vows that bring distress, especially to women.
- Numbers 30:2–16 (structural): Legal stipulations about vows and their binding force (and provisions for annulment by fathers/husbands) — provides legal/theological background for the seriousness of the Israelites’ oath in Judges 21.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): Prohibition against intermarriage with certain peoples and not giving daughters to them — echoes concerns about controlling marriage alliances and protecting Israel’s identity, which underlie the vow in Judges 21.
- Ezra 10:2-12 (thematic): Post-exilic crisis over Israelites having given daughters to foreign husbands and the community’s corrective measures — another instance of communal responses regarding giving daughters in marriage to unacceptable partners.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, "What shall we do for the survivors for wives? We swore by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters for wives."
- What shall we do for the remaining ones for wives? For we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters as wives.”
Jud.21.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- משבטי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- המצפה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מיביש: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הקהל: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Judges 20:1 (structural): Same assembly at Mizpah earlier in the narrative—sets the scene for the nationwide gathering that 21:8 refers back to.
- Judges 20:8 (verbal): Uses similar language about who will 'go up' and act on behalf of Israel—connects the inquiry and mobilization at Mizpah in ch.20 with the question in 21:8.
- Judges 21:10–11 (structural): Immediate narrative sequel: Israel sends men to Jabesh‑Gilead because it had not joined the assembly at Mizpah, directly explaining the consequence alluded to in 21:8.
- 1 Samuel 11:1–11 (thematic): Jabesh‑Gilead elsewhere seeks Israel’s help and is rescued by Saul—contrasts Jabesh’s earlier appeal and its later treatment here for failing to attend the national assembly.
- 1 Samuel 31:11–13 (thematic): Men of Jabesh‑Gilead later honor Saul by retrieving and burying his body—provides a later perspective on Jabesh’s relationship with Israel and highlights contrasting loyalties in the narratives.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said, "Is there not one of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" Behold, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the assembly.
- They asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?” And behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead had come to the assembly.
Jud.21.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתפקד: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- אין: PART,neg
- שם: ADV
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מיושבי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,construct
- יבש: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:8 (verbal): Immediate parallel wording and context: the assembly enquires who did not come up, and finds that none of the inhabitants of Jabesh‑Gilead were present (same episode, nearly identical phrasing).
- Judges 21:11 (structural): Direct narrative continuation: because no men of Jabesh‑Gilead were found, Israel attacks the city and slays the inhabitants—shows the consequence of the absence noted in 21:9.
- 1 Samuel 11:1‑11 (thematic): Same town (Jabesh‑Gilead) appears as the focus of national military response; contrast in outcomes—here Saul rescues the city, providing a thematic counterpoint to Judges’ destruction of Jabesh‑Gilead.
- Joshua 6:21 (verbal): Shares the language and theme of putting a city and its people 'to the sword'/'devoting to destruction,' paralleling the measure taken against Jabesh‑Gilead in Judges 21.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people counted, and behold, there was no one there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.
- The people mustered, and behold, there was not a man there from the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead.
Jud.21.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלחו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- שם: ADV
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבני: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- החיל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויצוו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- והכיתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יושבי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- יבש: PN,sg
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפי: PREP
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והנשים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,def
- והטף: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Judges 21:11-14 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the expedition against Jabesh‑Gilead described here carries out the command in v.10 and results in the capture/division of the women for Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 11:1-11 (thematic): Earlier narrative involving Jabesh‑Gilead: Nahash besieges Jabesh and Israel (under Saul) rescues it — an ironic counterpoint to Judges 21:10 where Israel now attacks that town for failing to join the assembly.
- Joshua 6:21 (verbal): Uses similar language of complete destruction ‘devoted to the sword’/‘men and women and children,’ paralleling the formulaic wartime slaughter in Judges 21:10.
- Deuteronomy 20:13 (verbal): Legal warfare instruction to put captured cities’ males to the sword echoes the procedural language of executing inhabitants in Judges 21:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the assembly sent twelve thousand of the valiant men and commanded them, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword—men and women and children."
- So the assembly sent twelve thousand of the valiant men and commanded them, “Go, strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword—men, women, and children.”
Jud.21.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וזה: CONJ+PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תעשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- כל: DET
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- משכב: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחרימו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Numbers 31:17-18 (verbal): Nearly identical wartime command after the Midianite raid: kill every male and every woman who has known a man, but keep the virgins alive — close verbal and thematic parallel.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (verbal): Law concerning female captives uses the language of a woman 'who has not known a man' (and by implication contrasts with those who have), providing the legal/ethical background for handling virgins versus non‑virgins.
- Joshua 6:21 (thematic): Account of herem at Jericho — 'utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman' — parallels the theme of communal slaughter and devotion/annihilation of populations in wartime narratives.
- Judges 21:10 (structural): Immediate narrative context: describes the attack on Jabesh‑gilead and the killing/sparing of inhabitants; 21:11 continues and specifies treatment of males and women who have known men.
Alternative generated candidates
- And this is what you shall do: put every male to the sword; and every woman who has known a man by lying with him you shall put under the ban.
- And this is the thing you shall do: every male and every woman who has known a man by lying with him you shall devote to destruction.
Jud.21.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מיושבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- יביש: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארבע: NUM,card,f
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בתולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למשכב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויביאו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- אל: NEG
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שלה: PRON,3,f,sg,gen
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:20-23 (structural): Narratively linked episode: the Benjamites later seize daughters at Shiloh during a festival to provide wives, a parallel solution to the same problem of supplying brides for the surviving men.
- Judges 19:25-30 (structural): Antecedent atrocity and national crisis: the gang‑rape of the Levite’s concubine leads to the assembly, war against Benjamin, and the subsequent need to find wives for the decimated tribe.
- Numbers 31:17-18 (verbal): Similar language and practice: after battle with Midian Moses permits keeping virgin women for Israelite men (’every female that hath not known man’), echoing the preservation/selection of virgins in Judges 21:12.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (thematic): Legal parallel concerning captive women taken in war and the regulations for marrying them, reflecting Israelite concerns about war captives, virginity, and integration as wives.
- Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (thematic): Law addressing sexual relations with a virgin not betrothed (obligation to marry and payment), thematically related to ancient Israel’s legal and social responses to virginity, sexual violation, and marriage.
Alternative generated candidates
- They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man by intercourse, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
- They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by intercourse, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
Jud.21.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלחו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וידברו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בסלע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:14 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same episode: describes the Benjaminites leaving Rimmon and the outcome of the envoy mission—shows the narrative result of calling them to peace.
- Judges 20:47–48 (structural): Earlier chapter in the same narrative cycle describing the battles with Benjamin and the survivors at Rimmon; provides the background that makes the later envoy and call for peace necessary.
- 2 Samuel 19:11 (thematic): David's appeal to the people to 'go in peace' and to return to their homes after civil strife—a comparable post-conflict effort to restore unity and end hostilities.
- 2 Samuel 14:21–33 (thematic): Joab's use of envoys and a crafted appeal to bring Absalom back into the king's presence—another instance of diplomacy and mediated reconciliation within Israel using messengers and peacemaking tactics.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the congregation sent and spoke to the Benjaminites who were at the Rock of Rimmon, and they called to them, "Peace!"
- All the assembly sent and spoke to the Benjaminites who were at the rock Rimmon, and called to them, “Make peace.”
Jud.21.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההיא: DEM,f,sg
- ויתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- הנשים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מנשי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- יבש: NOUN,prop,m,sg,construct
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- מצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
Parallels
- Judges 21:10-11 (structural): Immediate narrative context: these verses report the seizure of 400 virgins from Jabesh‑Gilead that were later given to the Benjaminites—directly linked to 21:14's mention of those women.
- Judges 21:20-23 (structural): Continuation of the same episode: the plan to seize wives at Shiloh provides additional women for Benjamin, resolving the shortage noted in 21:14.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (verbal): Legal provision for taking captive women as wives after war; provides a law‑text parallel to the practice described in Judges of giving captive women as wives.
- Numbers 31:17-18 (thematic): After warfare Israel is commanded to keep virgin girls for themselves—parallels the retention and distribution of captive women as wives in Judges 21.
- Judges 19:1-30 (thematic): The rape and murder of the Levite’s concubine in Gibeah precipitates the civil war with Benjamin; thematically connected as the underlying cause of the events that produce the marriage crisis in 21:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Benjaminites returned at that time and took for themselves the women who had survived of the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they were not enough for them.
- Then the Benjaminites returned at that time and took the women who had been spared of the women of Jabesh Gilead; yet they were not sufficient for them.
Jud.21.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והעם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- נחם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לבנימן: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- פרץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשבטי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.20:45-48 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: earlier account of the civil war in which Israel defeats Benjamin—explains the concrete events behind the statement that Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- Judg.19:30–20:11 (thematic): Preceding crisis that precipitates the civil conflict: the atrocity against the concubine and the national assembly/decision to punish Benjamin—provides the moral and communal background for the grief over Benjamin's losses.
- Judg.2:18-20 (thematic): Recurring Deuteronomistic theme: Israel's apostasy leads to Yahweh ‘giving’ them over or allowing calamity among the tribes; parallels the theological idea that God effected the breach among Israel's tribes as judgment.
- Deut.32:30 (verbal): Similar theological motif about divine determination of military outcomes—'How should one chase a thousand...' (v.30) echoes the idea that victory or rout in battle is ultimately ascribed to God's action, like the 'breach' Yahweh made among the tribes.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people were grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- The people were moved to pity for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Jud.21.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- זקני: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- העדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מה: PRON,int
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- לנותרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לנשים: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נשמדה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- מבנימן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 19:30 (structural): The crime in Judges 19 (the rape and murder of the Levite’s concubine) is the immediate catalyst for the civil war that creates the crisis about the surviving women.
- Judges 20:48 (structural): Reports the near extermination of the tribe of Benjamin in the war—direct background for the elders’ question about what to do for the remaining women.
- Judges 21:21-23 (structural): Describes the solution the Israelites enact (seizing wives for the Benjaminites at Shiloh), directly resolving the dilemma posed in 21:16.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (thematic): Lawmaker’s regulation for taking a captive woman as a wife after war; thematically parallels Israel’s concern and actions regarding women captured or remaining after conflict.
- Numbers 31:15-18 (thematic): Moses’ commands about the treatment and distribution of women taken in the Midianite campaign (including taking virgins), raising similar ethical and practical issues about women after wartime.
Alternative generated candidates
- The elders of the assembly said, "What shall be done for the survivors for wives, since a tribe has been wiped out from Israel?"
- The elders of the assembly said, “What shall we do for those who remain, for wives, since a tribe has been destroyed from Israel?”
Jud.21.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- ירשת: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- פליטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבנימן: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ימחה: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מישראל: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.20:48 (structural): Immediate narrative context: describes the near-destruction of the Benjaminites in the civil war, which sets up the decision in 21:17 to preserve a remnant for Benjamin.
- Judg.21:14–16 (structural): Directly connected verses in the same chapter that record the community's actions to provide wives and thus ensure that a surviving Benjaminite remnant would continue.
- Rom.11:5 (thematic): Paul’s reflection on a faithful remnant in Israel echoes the theme that a portion of the people is preserved (here by divine election) rather than wholly destroyed.
- Isa.10:20–22 (thematic): Prophetic assurance that only a remnant of Israel will return and survive judgment—paralleling the idea that a portion (not the whole) endures.
- Deut.4:29–31 (thematic): Promises that in distress the people will seek the LORD and be gathered/relented to—relates to the motif of survival and preservation of a people or remnant rather than total annihilation.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, "A remnant shall be left for Benjamin; a tribe shall not be destroyed from Israel."
- They said, “There must be a remnant for Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel may not be blotted out.
Jud.21.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- נוכל: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מבנותינו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr+PRON,1,pl
- כי: CONJ
- נשבעו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- ארור: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבנימן: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:1–5 (structural): Immediate context of the same episode: the assembly of Israel and the oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin — the source of the prohibition mentioned in 21:18.
- Judges 21:25 (thematic): Summarizing comment on the period ('there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes') that frames the extreme collective oath and its social consequences.
- Judges 11:30–40 (thematic): Jephthah's rash vow illustrates the danger and serious consequences of vows sworn before the LORD — a parallel concern with binding oaths that harm individuals or groups.
- Numbers 30:3–9 (verbal): Legal material on vows (including the binding force of vows and a father's ability to confirm or annul a daughter's vow) — relevant to understanding how communal vows affect women's marital status.
- Ezra 10:2–4 (thematic): Community action to regulate marriage for covenant fidelity (demanding dissolution of foreign marriages) — a later instance of collective measures governing who may marry whom for perceived communal/religious reasons.
Alternative generated candidates
- But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the Israelites have sworn, saying, "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin."
- But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the Israelites have sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is anyone who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
Jud.21.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- הנה: PART
- חג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בשלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מימים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ימימה: ADV
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מצפונה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- אל: NEG
- מזרחה: ADV,dir
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- למסלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- העלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs,def
- מבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- שכמה: NOUN,f,sg,suff,3,f
- ומנגב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ללבונה: PREP+NOUN,prop,f,sg
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 1:3 (thematic): Describes Elkanah annually going up to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD—parallel reference to a yearly festival/assembly at Shiloh.
- Joshua 18:1 (structural): States the congregation assembled at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle there, establishing Shiloh as the central sanctuary and meeting place referenced in Judges 21:19.
- Deuteronomy 16:16 (thematic): Commands periodic pilgrimage to the central place of worship at appointed times—provides the wider legal/ritual background for Israel’s yearly festas such as the one at Shiloh.
- Judges 21:20-23 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation describing the plan to seize wives at the Shiloh festival; directly connected to the identification of the annual feast in 21:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, "Behold, there is a yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."
- They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD at Shiloh every year, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.
Jud.21.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצוו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- וארבתם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בכרמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Judges 21:19 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same episode: the elders instruct the Benjamites to lie in wait in the vineyards near Shiloh—same command repeated.
- Judges 21:21 (structural): Narrative continuation showing the tactic’s purpose and result: the Benjamites ambush and seize the daughters of Shiloh as they come out to dance.
- Genesis 34:2–4 (thematic): Shechem’s seizure of Dinah (and subsequent demand for marriage) parallels the forcible taking of women and the communal consequences in Judges.
- Deuteronomy 21:10–14 (thematic): Law concerning captive women taken in war—provides a legal/ethical analogue to Israel’s practices of acquiring women after armed conflict.
- Numbers 31:17–18 (thematic): After the Midianite battle Israel is permitted to keep virgin girls; thematically parallels wartime seizure and distribution of women in Judges 21.
Alternative generated candidates
- They commanded the Benjaminites, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards.
- Now therefore command the Benjaminites, saying, ‘Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards;
Jud.21.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וראיתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- והנה: ADV
- אם: CONJ
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שילו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לחול: VERB,qal,inf
- במחלות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויצאתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- הכרמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- וחטפתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשתו: NOUN,f,sg,cs+3,m,sg
- מבנות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שילו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והלכתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
Parallels
- Judges 19:25-30 (thematic): The earlier atrocity in Gibeah (rape and killing of the Levite's concubine) precipitated the civil war that leads to the problem in ch.21; both passages center on sexual violence against women and communal outrage/consequences.
- Numbers 31:17-18 (structural): After battle Moses commands Israelites to kill the men but spare female virgins for themselves—parallels the practice of seizing women as wives/spoils seen in Judges 21:21.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (thematic): Law regulating the taking of captive women as wives after war (procedures and restrictions) echoes the social-legal logic behind arranging or seizing women for marriage in Judges 21.
- Genesis 34:2-4 (thematic): The rape/abduction of Dinah by Shechem and the resulting demand for marriage reflect similar motifs of sexual violence, forced marriage, and communal responses to violations of women.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance at the annual dances, then come out of the vineyards and each of you seize one for his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
- and when you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance—then come out of the vineyards and each of you seize a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
Jud.21.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אבותם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- או: CONJ
- אחיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,suff,3,m,pl
- לריב: VERB,qal,inf
- אלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ואמרנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- חנונו: VERB,piel,impv,2,m,pl+PRON,3,m,pl
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- לקחנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשתו: NOUN,f,sg,cs+3,m,sg
- במלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- נתתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כעת: ADV
- תאשמו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Judges 21:1-3 (structural): The national oath not to give daughters to Benjamin that creates the dilemma this verse seeks to address; immediate narrative background for the conciliatory explanation.
- Judges 21:10-14 (structural): The attack on Jabesh‑gilead to seize wives for the Benjaminites—an earlier procedural solution closely connected to the claim in v.22 about wives and warfare.
- Judges 21:20-23 (verbal): The later plan to provide wives by abducting the daughters of Shiloh and the recommended wording to use if other tribes complain; directly tied to the present verse's proposed explanation to outsiders.
- Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (thematic): Law concerning taking captive women in war; thematically related to v.22's distinction that no wife was taken for a Benjamite 'in war,' invoking broader legal/ethical norms about wartime marriage.
- Judges 19:1-30 (thematic): The rape and murder of the Levite's concubine that precipitated the civil war and the oaths in ch.21; provides the root cause and moral context for the measures and justifications in v.22.
Alternative generated candidates
- And when their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, 'Be merciful to them; for we did not take any man's wife in battle, and you did not give them to them—if you quarrel with us now, you will be guilty.'"
- And if their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, “Be merciful to them; we did not take them for ourselves in war, neither did you give them to them—how then can you complain against us?”’”
Jud.21.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- למספרם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- המחללות: NOUN,f,pl,abs,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- גזלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- וישובו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- נחלתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- ויבנו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הערים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Judg.21.19-22 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: describes the plan at Shiloh to seize wives for the Benjamites and the execution of that plan—the direct context for v.23's summary of taking wives and returning home.
- Judg.21.8-12 (structural): Earlier episode in the same chapter where the Israelites spare the virgins of Jabesh‑gilead to provide wives for Benjamin—another concrete solution to the same crisis of finding wives.
- Deut.21.10-14 (thematic): Legal provision for marrying a female captive taken in war (treatment, mourning period, and marriage rights); thematically parallels the acquisition of women as wives after conflict.
- Num.31.17-18 (thematic): Account of Israel taking Midianite women as captives and designating virgins to be kept—parallels the wartime appropriation of women to become wives.
- Josh.21.43-45 (thematic): Description of Israel receiving their inheritance and dwelling in the land (cities given and inhabited); parallels Judges 21:23's note that the Benjamites returned to their inheritance and rebuilt and dwelt in their cities.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the Benjaminites did as directed; they took wives for themselves according to their number from the women who had been seized, and they went and returned to their inheritance, rebuilt the cities, and lived in them.
- The Benjaminites did so; they took wives according to their number from the women whom they had seized, and returned to their inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and dwelt in them.
Jud.21.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתהלכו: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,pl
- משם: PREP
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ההיא: DEM,f,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשבטו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr+3,m,sg
- ולמשפחתו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cstr+3,m,sg
- ויצאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- משם: PREP
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנחלתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Joshua 24:28 (verbal): Both verses describe the leader dismissing or the people being dismissed and each man returning to his inheritance/home — close verbal and structural parallel (’every man to his inheritance’).
- Joshua 21:43-45 (thematic): Summarizes Israel’s possession of the land and dwelling in their allotted inheritances; thematically echoes the settling of the tribes in their homes after conflict.
- Judges 21:25 (thematic): Immediate context in Judges links the dispersal 'every man to his house' with the book’s theme of tribal disorder and lack of centralized authority — explains why people return to their own tribes/families.
- Ezra 2:70 (thematic): After restoration, the people 'dwelt in their cities' and in their possessions; parallels the motif of Israelites returning to and residing in their allotted places.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Israelites went each to his tribe and to his family; each went to his possession.
- Then the people of Israel departed from there, everyone to his tribe and to his family; and each went to his inheritance.
Jud.21.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ההם: PRON,dem,m,pl
- אין: PART,neg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הישר: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 17:6 (verbal): Identical wording — the exact formula 'In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes' appears earlier in Judges to characterize social disorder.
- Judges 18:1 (verbal): Repeats the opening clause 'In those days there was no king in Israel' as the frame for the Danite episode, linking political vacuum and lawlessness.
- Proverbs 21:2 (verbal): Uses similar wording ('Every way of a man is right in his own eyes') expressing moral relativism that echoes the portrait of unchecked individual judgment in Judges.
- 1 Samuel 8:7-8 (thematic): God's response to Israel's demand for a king contrasts the anarchy of Judges: the request for a monarch is presented as a reaction to disorder and a rejection of divine rule.
- Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (thematic): Provides legal provisions and limits for an Israelite king, offering a canonical contrast to the lawlessness described when 'there was no king in Israel.'
Alternative generated candidates
- In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
- In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
And the men of Israel swore at Mizpah, saying, "No man of them shall give his daughter to a Benjamite as a wife."
The people went to Bethel and remained there until evening before the LORD; they lifted up their voices and wept aloud with a great lament.
They said, "O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today one tribe should be missing from Israel?"
On the next day the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
The Israelites said, "Who is the man of all the tribes of Israel who did not come up to the LORD at the assembly? For there was a great oath on whoever did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah, saying, 'He shall surely be put to death.'"
The Israelites were grieved for their brother Benjamin and said, "We have cut off today one of the tribes of Israel."
They said, "What shall we do for the survivors for wives, since we swore by the LORD not to give our daughters to them?"
They inquired, "Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to the LORD at Mizpah?" And behold, there had been no men from Jabesh-gilead at the assembly.
The people mustered and behold, there was no man from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. So the assembly sent twelve thousand of their select men and commanded them, "Go, strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword—men, women, and children."
They said, "This is what you shall do: every male and every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him you shall devote to destruction."
They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
The whole congregation sent and spoke to the Benjamites who were at the Rock of Rimmon, calling to them in peace.
Benjamin returned at that time, and the people gave them the women who had survived of the women of Jabesh-gilead; however, they were not enough for them.
The people were moved to pity for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
The elders of the assembly said, "What shall be done for the remaining ones for wives, for there is no woman left to Benjamin?"
They said, "Let a remnant of Benjamin remain, that a tribe in Israel not be wiped out." But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the Israelites have sworn, saying, 'Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"
They said, "Behold, there is the feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, on the north of Lebonah."
They commanded the Benjamites, "Go, lie in ambush in the vineyards.
When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then rush out from the vineyards, each seize a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. And if their fathers or brothers come to plead with us, we will say to them, 'Be gracious to them; we did not take wives for them in the war—if you accuse us now, you will be in the wrong.'" So the Benjamites did: they took wives for themselves according to their number from the women who had been seized; then they went back and returned to their inheritance, rebuilt the towns and lived in them.
Then the Israelites departed at that time, each to his tribe and to his family; every man went to his own possession.
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.