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 King James Version (NKJV)Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,

Context of Judges 21:20

18But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God’s curse.” 19Then they thought of the annual festival of the Lord held in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards. 21When 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! 22And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find wives for all of them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’”

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
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• JabeshGilead
• Samuel
• 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