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

14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15And the people repented for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 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? 17And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that have escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18But we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Judges 21:16 word by word

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

• eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
• congregationעֵדָה‛êdâh · congregationH5712
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• remainיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
• womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• destroyedשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045
• 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