Judges 21:20

Judges 21:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
• New International Version (NIV)So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards
• New Living Translation (NLT)They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards.

Context of Judges 21:20

18However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ” 19Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, 21and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin. 22Then 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.’ ”

Judges 21:20 word by word

וַיְצַוּ֕וּ אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִנְיָמִ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר לְכ֖וּ וַאֲרַבְתֶּ֥ם בַּכְּרָמִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore they commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• and lie in waitאָרַב'ârab · to ambushH693
• in the vineyardsכֶּרֶםkerem · vineyardH3754

Commentaries on Judges 21:20

• 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. 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 21:20

• Dancing
• Government
• Grape
• Kidnapping
• Rashness

In the dictionaries

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

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