Judges 21:16

Judges 21:16 in other versions

• King James Version (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?
• New International Version (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?
• English Standard Version (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?"
• New King James Version (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?”

Context of Judges 21:16

14So the men of Benjamin came back at that time. These men were given the women from Jabesh Gilead who had been kept alive. However, the congregation had not found enough women for all of them. 15The congregation felt sorry for the people of Benjamin because the Lord had broken the unity of the tribes of Israel. The leaders of the congregation asked, “What should we do to provide wives for the men who are left, since the women in Benjamin have been killed?” 17Some said, “Benjamin’s men who survived must be allowed to have families. No tribe of Israel should be wiped out. 18However, we can’t give them any of our daughters as wives. The people of Israel have taken an oath that whoever gives wives to the men of Benjamin is under a curse.”

Judges 21:16 word by word

וַיֹּֽאמְר֨וּ זִקְנֵ֣י הָעֵדָ֔ה מַה־נַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לַנּוֹתָרִ֖ים לְנָשִׁ֑ים כִּֽי־נִשְׁמְדָ֥ה מִבִּנְיָמִ֖ן אִשָּֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• of the congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• How shall we doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• for wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• for them that remainיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
• seeing the womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• are destroyedשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045
• out of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144

Commentaries on Judges 21:16

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17The people grieved for Benjamin: Israel worried about the nation's division. The gap in Israel was God's doing, as the war against Benjamin was a response to God's covenant.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2116. the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain--Though the young women of Jabesh-gilead had been carefully spared, the supply was found inadequate, and some other expedient must be resorted to.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 21:16

• Government
• Rashness

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• JabeshGilead
• Spring
• Wolf
• Israel, History of
• Jabesh-Gilead
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period 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