EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Judges 21:3
3They said, ‘Lord, Israel's God, why has this terrible thing happened in Israel? We have lost one whole tribe of Israel.’
Judges 21:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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?
- New International Version (NIV)“Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)and said, “O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”
Context of Judges 21:3
1The Israelites had made a promise to the Lord at Mizpah. They agreed together, ‘None of us will allow our daughters to marry a man of Benjamin's tribe.’ 2After the war against Benjamin's army, the people went to Bethel to meet with God. They sat there until evening. They could not stop weeping loudly. They said, ‘Lord, Israel's God, why has this terrible thing happened in Israel? We have lost one whole tribe of Israel.’ 4The next morning, the people got up early. They built an altar. They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord there. 5Then the Israelites asked, ‘Which people from Israel's tribes did not join us when we all met together at Mizpah?’ They asked this because they had made a serious promise at Mizpah. They had said, ‘We must punish with death anyone who does not join us here to meet with the Lord.’
Read all of Judges 21Judges 21:3 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ לָמָ֗ה יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הָ֥יְתָה זֹּ֖את בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְהִפָּקֵ֥ד הַיּ֛וֹם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שֵׁ֥בֶט אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Judges 21:3
- Deuteronomy 29:24The people of all other nations who see this will ask, ‘Why has the Lord destroyed this land? Why was he so angry with the people who lived there?’
- Joshua 7:7Joshua said, ‘Almighty Lord, why did you ever bring us over the Jordan River? Did you bring us here so that the Amorites could destroy us? It would have been better for us to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
- Psalms 74:1God, have you turned against us for ever? Why are you so angry with us? We belong to you, so please take care of us, like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.
- Psalms 80:12Why have you knocked down the walls that protected us? Now, anyone who passes can rob our fruit.
- Proverbs 19:3Some people do silly things and so they destroy themselves. Then they get angry with the Lord.
- Isaiah 63:17Lord, why do you cause us to turn away from your ways? You make our minds become hard, so that we do not obey you. Please come back to help us, because we are your servants. We are the tribes that you have chosen for yourself!
- Jeremiah 12:1Lord, when I complain to you, you always do what is right. But I must ask you about your justice. Why do wicked people have success in life? Why do people who cheat their friends live in comfort?
Commentaries on Judges 21:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Why is this come to pass - This was a very impertinent question. They knew well enough how it came to pass. It was right that the men of Gibeah should be punished, and it was right that they who vindicated them should share in that punishment; but they carried their revenge too far, they endeavored to exterminate both man and beast, Judges 20:48.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The repetition of the name of Israel is very striking in connection with the title of Yahweh as “God of Israel.” It contains a very forcible pleading of the covenant, and memorial of the promises. The very name “Israel” comprehended all the twelve tribes; with one of them blotted out, the remnant would not be Israel.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The idea of a twelve-tribe league was important in Israel. It lasted despite Levi separating from the other tribes, Simeon and Asher almost disappearing, and Joseph splitting into two tribes (Manasseh and Ephraim). Losing one tribe would have implied that God's agreement with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was falling apart.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 21:3
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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