Judges 21
Study sheet, King James Version, with the original-language words this chapter turns on.
The text
1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
3And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?
4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
18Howbeit 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.
19Then 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.
20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21And 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.
22And 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.
23And 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.
24And 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.
25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Words in this chapter
Definitions are Strong's own wording from his Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Counts are how often each word appears in this chapter, from the tagged text.
- יִשְׂרָאֵלYisrâʼêlH347814× in this chapter
Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
- אִשָּׁהʼishshâhH80214× in this chapter
a woman
- אָמַרʼâmarH55913× in this chapter
to say (used with great latitude)
- בִּנְיָמִיןBinyâmîynH114411× in this chapter
Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory
- אִישׁʼîyshH37611× in this chapter
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
- לֹאlôʼH380811× in this chapter
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
- אֵלʼêlH41311× in this chapter
near, with or among; often in general, to
- אֲשֶׁרʼăsherH83410× in this chapter
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
- בֵּןbênH11218× in this chapter
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
- יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâhH30687× in this chapter
Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
- כִּיkîyH35887× in this chapter
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
- שֵׁבֶטshêbeṭH76267× in this chapter
a scion, i.e. (literally) a stick (for punishing, writing, fighting, ruling, walking, etc.) or (figuratively) a clan
- בֵּית־אֵלBêyth-ʼÊlH10086× in this chapter
Beth-El, a place in Palestine
- נָתַןnâthanH54146× in this chapter
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
- עָשָׂהʻâsâhH62136× in this chapter
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
- שָׁםshâmH80336× in this chapter
there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence
- אֵתʼêthH8536× in this chapter
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
- בַּתbathH13235× in this chapter
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
- גִּלְעָדGilʻâdH15685× in this chapter
Gilad, a region East of the Jordan; also the name of three Israelites
- הָלַךְhâlakH19805× in this chapter
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
- יָבֵשׁYâbêshH30035× in this chapter
Jobesh, the name of an Israelite and of a place in Palestine
- יוֹםyôwmH31175× in this chapter
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
- יָשַׁבyâshabH34275× in this chapter
properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
- עָלָהʻâlâhH59275× in this chapter
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
- הָיָהhâyâhH19614× in this chapter
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
- הִנֵּהhinnêhH20094× in this chapter
lo!
- כֹּלkôlH36054× in this chapter
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
- עַםʻamH59714× in this chapter
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
- שִׁילֹהShîylôhH78874× in this chapter
Shiloh, a place in Palestine
- בּוֹאbôwʼH9354× in this chapter
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
- זָכָרzâkârH21453× in this chapter
properly, remembered, i.e. a male (of man or animals, as being the most noteworthy sex)
- אֶחָדʼechâdH2593× in this chapter
properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first
- יָצָאyâtsâʼH33183× in this chapter
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
- מָהmâhH41003× in this chapter
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
- מִןminH44803× in this chapter
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
- מִצְפָּהMitspâhH47093× in this chapter
Mitspah, the name of two places in Palestine
- עֵדָהʻêdâhH57123× in this chapter
a stated assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family or crowd)
- עֵתʻêthH62563× in this chapter
time, especially (adverb with preposition) now, when, etc.
- שָׁבַעshâbaʻH76503× in this chapter
to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)
- בָּנָהbânâhH11292× in this chapter
to build (literally and figuratively)