Judges 21:1

Judges 21:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
• New International Version (NIV)The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, "No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

Context of Judges 21:1

Now the men of Israel had sworn [an oath] at Mizpah, “None of us shall give his daughter in marriage to [a man of] Benjamin.” 2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. 3They said, “O Lord, God of Israel, why has this come about in Israel, that there should be today one tribe missing from Israel?”

Judges 21:1 word by word

וְאִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל נִשְׁבַּ֥ע בַּמִּצְפָּ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֣ישׁ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לֹא־יִתֵּ֥ן בִּתּ֛וֹ לְבִנְיָמִ֖ן לְאִשָּֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• had swornשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• in Mizpehמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• There shall not anyאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• of us giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
• his daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• unto Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
• to wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802

Cross-references for Judges 21:1

• Judges 20:1Then all the sons of Israel from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], including the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
• Jeremiah 4:2And if you swear [your oaths], ‘As the Lord lives,’ In truth, in justice, and in righteousness, Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”
• Judges 21:5Then the sons of Israel said, “Which one from all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the Lord?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall certainly be put to death.”
• Judges 11:30Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed give the Ammonites into my hand,
• 1 Samuel 14:24But the men of Israel were hard-pressed that day, because Saul had put the people under a curse, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people ate any food.
• Ecclesiastes 5:2Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.
• Mark 6:23And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.”
• Acts 23:12Now when day came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath (curse), saying that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
• Romans 10:2For I testify about them that they have a certain enthusiasm for God, but not in accordance with [correct and vital] knowledge [about Him and His purposes].
• Exodus 34:12Watch yourself so that you do not make a covenant (solemn agreement, treaty) with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a [dangerous] trap among you.
• Deuteronomy 7:2and when the Lord your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall not make a covenant (treaty) with them nor show mercy and compassion to them.

Commentaries on Judges 21:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Now the men of Israel had sworn - Of this oath we had not heard before; but it appears they had commenced this war with a determination to destroy the Benjamites utterly, and that if any of them escaped the sword no man should be permitted to give him his daughter to wife. By these means the remnant of the tribe must soon have been annihilated.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The Israelites lament for the Benjamites. --Israel lamented for the Benjamites, and were perplexed by the oath they had taken, not to give their daughters to them in marriage. Men are more zealous to support their own authority than that of God. They would have acted better if they had repented of their rash oaths, brought sin-offerings, and sought forgiveness in the appointed way, rather than attempt to avoid the guilt of perjury by actions quite as…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1In Judges, for the second time, a foolish vow caused problems for those who made it (see study note on Judges 11:31).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-152-5. the people came to the house of God, ... and lifted up their voices, and wept sore--The characteristic fickleness of the Israelites was not long in being displayed; for scarcely had they cooled from the fierceness of their sanguinary vengeance, than they began to relent and rushed to the opposite extreme of self-accusation and grief at the desolation which their impetuous zeal had produced. Their victory saddened and humbled them. Their feelings on…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 21:1

• Rashness

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• Israel
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• JabeshGilead
• Mizpah
• Spring
• Wolf
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on Judges 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary