Berean Standard Bible
Judges 21:22
22When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”
Judges 21:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, 'Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”
Context of Judges 21:22
20So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards 21and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’” 23The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them. 24And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance.
Read all of Judges 21Judges 21:22 word by word
וְהָיָ֡ה כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣אוּ אֲבוֹתָם֩ א֨וֹ אֲחֵיהֶ֜ם לָרִ֣יב אֵלֵ֗ינוּ וְאָמַ֤רְנוּ אֲלֵיהֶם֙ חָנּ֣וּנוּ אוֹתָ֔ם כִּ֣י לֹ֥א לָקַ֛חְנוּ אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה כִּ֣י לֹ֥א אַתֶּ֛ם נְתַתֶּ֥ם לָהֶ֖ם כָּעֵ֥ת תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ סRead the interlinear
- ·הָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- Whenכִּיkîy · forH3588
- their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- orאוֹ'ô 'av · orH176
- brothersאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
- comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to usאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- to complainרִיבrîyb rûb · to contendH7378
- we will tell themאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Do us a favorחָנַןchânan · be graciousH2603
- by helping themאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- we did notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- getלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- for each of themאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- in the warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
- youאַתֶּם'attâh 'attâ 'ath 'attîy 'attem 'atten 'attênâh 'attênnâh · you(m.p.)H859
- actuallyעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- give themנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
- you have no guiltאָשַׁם'âsham 'âshêm · be guiltyH816
Cross-references for Judges 21:22
- Philemon 1:9I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as well.
- Judges 21:14And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
- Genesis 1:27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
- Genesis 7:13On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons—
- Mark 10:6However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
- 1 Corinthians 7:2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
- Judges 21:1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
- Proverbs 20:25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
Commentaries on Judges 21:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Be favorable unto them - They promise to use their influence with the men of Shiloh to induce them to consent to a connection thus fraudulently obtained, and which the necessity of the case appeared to them to justify. We reserved not to each man his wife in the war - The reading of the Vulgate is very remarkable: Miseremini eorum, non enim rapuerunt eas jure bellantium atque victorum, sed rogantibus ut acciperent non dedistis, et a vestra parte peccatum…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Ye did not give - i. e., they had not broken the oath mentioned in Judges 21:1, so as to be guilty of taking the Lord‘s name in vain. They did not give their daughters to Benjamin: the Benjamites had taken them by force. Such casuistry as this condemns the system of oaths, and illustrates the wisdom of our Lord‘s precept Matthew 5:33-37.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. 21-2221-22. daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances--The dance was anciently a part of the religious observance. It was done on festive occasions, as it is still in the East, not in town, but in the open air, in some adjoining field, the women being by themselves. The young women being alone indulging their light and buoyant spirits, and apprehensive of no danger, facilitated the execution of the scheme of seizing them, which closely resembles the…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 21:22
In the dictionaries
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
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