Judges 21:4

Judges 21:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
• New International Version (NIV)Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

Context of Judges 21:4

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?” And the next day the people got up early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 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.” 6And the sons of Israel felt sorry [and had compassion] for their brother Benjamin and said, “One tribe has been cut off from Israel today.

Judges 21:4 word by word

וַֽיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ הָעָ֔ם וַיִּבְנוּ־שָׁ֖ם מִזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיַּעֲל֥וּ עֹל֖וֹת וּשְׁלָמִֽים׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass on the morrowמׇחֳרָתmochŏrâth mochŏrâthâm · morrowH4283
• that the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• rose earlyשָׁכַםshâkam · to riseH7925
• and builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
• there an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
• and peace offeringsשֶׁ֫לֶםshelem · peace offeringH8002

Cross-references for Judges 21:4

• Psalms 78:34When He killed [some of] them, then those remaining sought Him, And they returned [to Him] and searched diligently for God [for a time].
• Hosea 5:15I will go away and return to My place [on high] Until they acknowledge their offense and bear their guilt and seek My face; In their distress they will earnestly seek Me, saying,
• Judges 6:26and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this mountain stronghold [with stones laid down] in an orderly way. Then take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice using the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
• Exodus 20:24You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause My Name to be recorded and remembered [through revelation of My divine nature] I will come to you and bless you.
• 2 Samuel 24:18Then Gad [the prophet] came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite [where you saw the angel].”
• 1 Kings 8:64On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that was in front of the house (temple) of the Lord; for he offered there the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to hold [all] the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the peace offerings.
• Hebrews 13:10We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle (sacred tent) have no right to eat.

Commentaries on Judges 21:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Built there an altar - This affords some evidence that this was not a regular place of worship, else an altar would have been found in the place; and their act was not according to the law, as may be seen in several places of the Pentateuch. But there was neither king nor law among them, and they did whatever appeared right in their own eyes.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4It is not certain whether the brass altar was at Bethel at this time, or whether it may not have been elsewhere, e. g., at Shiloh with the tabernacle. Some, however, think that the altar here mentioned was “additional” to the brass altar, in consequence of the unusual number of sacrifices caused by the presence of the whole congregation (compare 1 Kings 8:64 note).Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-25These two epilogues (Judges 17–18 and 19–21) show that inspired but unstructured leadership cannot last. As society moved toward chaos and civil war, the phrase, In those days there was no king in Israel appears four times. The phrase, everyone did what was right in his own eyes is added twice (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The era of inspired leadership declined and ended in disorder. Something important was missing.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 21:4

• Nation
• Rashness

In the dictionaries

• Peace offerings
• JabeshGilead
• Spring
• Wolf
• Israel, History of
• Jabesh-Gilead
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period of
• Bethel

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