Judges 21:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?"

NIV: And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left?

NASB: Then the elders of the congregation said, 'What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since the women have been eliminated from Benjamin?'

CSB: The elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"

NLT: So the elders of the assembly asked, 'How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?

KJV: 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?

NKJV: Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

The leaders of the Israelites speak as if they are separated from their own choices and actions (Judges 21:3, 15). Either in the heat of the moment or as a pre-determined act of vengeance, eleven of Israel's tribes followed the destruction of Benjamin's army with the slaughter of virtually the entire tribe (Judges 20:47–48). At no point was this said to be the will of the Lord. As far as context indicates, they went beyond God's instruction, applying His commands regarding depraved Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1–5) to their own people. Rather than acknowledging their own role in the slaughter, Israel's leaders use a passive expression, saying the women were destroyed.

Now that the recent civil war has ended, the Israelites also want to reverse the dire consequences of their choices. They have spared and made peace with the surviving six hundred men. They have committed more killings—to avoid breaking an unwise vow (Judges 21:1, 5, 8–12)—to secure four hundred wives to replace some of those they have killed. This only provides a future for two-thirds of the surviving men. Another two hundred suitable brides are needed to give the tribe of Benjamin the best chance for survival.

Once again, Israel will find themselves looking for loopholes and strained interpretations to avoid breaking their word.

Judges 21:8–25 closes the book of Judges by describing a convoluted process. Israel has made several ill-considered vows and gone too far in punishing the tribe of Benjamin. Without a creative way to find wives for the surviving men, the tribe will quickly die out. First, Israel destroys Jabesh-gilead for not joining in the war. The young women are spared and given to Benjaminites. The remaining two hundred men of Benjamin obtain wives through a staged kidnapping near Shiloh, so Israel can claim they never "gave" wives to Benjamin. The book ends with a reminder that Israel was without a king during this era.

Israel grieves the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin, though the situation is the result of their own excessive force. Worse, the other eleven tribes vowed not to give wives to Benjamin. To prevent the loss of a tribe, two schemes are enacted. First, the Israelites of Jabesh-gilead are wiped out for not sending anyone to support the civil war; the young women are spared and given as wives to Benjamin. Next, the remaining unmarried men of Benjamin stage an arranged kidnapping to "take" wives they cannot be "given." The book ends with another reminder of Israel's lawlessness in this era.

Judges 21 finds the people of Israel reeling after they killed nearly every person in the tribe of Benjamin. This began as an effort to enact justice and turned into a wide-ranging massacre. To keep Benjamin from dying out, Israel's leaders must work around their own mistakes and two ill-considered vows. The book ends with another reminder that Israel was without a king in this era. The nation was literally leaderless, and spiritually rebellious. Soon, the judge-and-prophet Samuel will rise to guide the people into the era of kings.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).