God’s Word Translation
Judges 21:2
2The people went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. They cried very loudly,
Judges 21:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
- New International Version (NIV)The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,
Context of Judges 21:2
1The men of Israel had taken this oath in Mizpah: “None of us will ever let our daughters marry anyone from Benjamin.” The people went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. They cried very loudly, 3“Lord God of Israel, why has this happened among us? Why should one tribe be missing today in Israel?” 4The next day the people got up early. They built an altar there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
Read all of Judges 21Judges 21:2 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֤א הָעָם֙ בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֤שְׁבוּ שָׁם֙ עַד־הָעֶ֔רֶב לִפְנֵ֖י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ קוֹלָ֔ם וַיִּבְכּ֖וּ בְּכִ֥י גָדֽוֹל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to the houseבֵּיתbayith · betweenH1004
- of Godבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and abodeיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- there till evenעֶ֫רֶב‛ereb · eveningH6153
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and lifted upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: loudH5375
- their voicesקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- and weptבְּכִיbekîy · weepingH1065
- and weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
- soreגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
Cross-references for Judges 21:2
- Judges 21:12Among the people of Jabesh Gilead they found 400 unmarried women who had never gone to bed with a man. They brought them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
- Judges 20:18The men of Israel went to Bethel. They asked God, “Who will go first to fight Benjamin?” The Lord answered, “Judah will go first.”
- Joshua 18:1The whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land was under their control.
- Judges 2:4While the Messenger of the Lord was saying this to all the people of Israel, they began to cry loudly.
- Genesis 27:38Esau asked, “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me too, Father!” And Esau sobbed loudly.
- 1 Samuel 30:4Then David and his men cried loudly until they didn’t have the strength to cry anymore.
Commentaries on Judges 21:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The people came to the house of God - Literally, the people came בית־אל to Bethel; this is considered as the name of a place by the Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Septuagint. And wept sore - Their revenge was satisfied, and now reflection brings them to contrition for what they had done.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2To the house of God - It should be, “to Bethel.” See Judges 20:18.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 21:2
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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