New King James Version
Judges 21:21
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.
Judges 21:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
- New International Version (NIV)and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
- New Living Translation (NLT)When you see the young women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Benjamin to be your wife!
Context of Judges 21:21
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.” 20Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, and 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.’ ” 23And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.
Read all of Judges 21Judges 21:21 word by word
וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם וְ֠הִנֵּה אִם־יֵ֨צְא֥וּ בְנוֹת־שִׁילוֹ֮ לָח֣וּל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒ וִֽיצָאתֶם֙ מִן־הַכְּרָמִ֔ים וַחֲטַפְתֶּ֥ם לָכֶ֛ם אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מִבְּנ֣וֹת שִׁיל֑וֹ וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם אֶ֥רֶץ בִּנְיָמִֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and, behold, if the daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- of Shilohשִׁלוֹshîylôh shilôh shîylô shilô · ShilohH7887
- come outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- to danceחוּלchûl chîyl · to twist: danceH2342
- in dancesמְחוֹלָהmechôlâh · danceH4246
- of the vineyardsכֶּרֶםkerem · vineyardH3754
- and catchחָטַףchâţaph · to catchH2414
- you every manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- and goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- to the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
Cross-references for Judges 21:21
- Judges 11:34When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
- Exodus 15:20Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
- 1 Samuel 18:6Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
- 2 Samuel 6:14Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
- Psalms 149:3Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
- Psalms 150:4Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
- Ecclesiastes 3:4A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
- Jeremiah 31:13“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.
- Matthew 10:17But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
- Luke 17:25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
Commentaries on Judges 21:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21And catch you every man his wife - That is, Let each man of the two hundred Benjamites seize and carry off a woman, whom he is, from that hour, to consider as his wife.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 21:21
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries