Judges 21:22
in Judges 21When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty.
KJV
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.
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This verse in Judges 21
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIn strictness it was not a breach of their vow; they had sworn not to give them their daughters, but they had not sworn to fetch them back if they were forcibly taken, so that if there was any fault the elders must be responsible, not the parents. And Quod fieri non debuit, factum valet -- That which ought not to have been done is yet valid when it is done.
This site's exposition
When their fathers or brothers come to us
on Judges 21:22-23
The answer to the fathers is drafted before the raid, and it turns on one word of the oath, since “you did not actually give them your daughters”. Benjamin takes “the number of women they needed”, goes back to “their own inheritance”, and rebuilds the cities burned at 20:48. Barnes sets the scene beside the seizing of the Sabine women at a Roman festival as Livy tells it.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the L ORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? 8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the L ORD ?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:95%@v6-8
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Be favorable unto them - They promise to use their influence with the men of Shiloh to induce them to consent to a connection thus fraudulently obtained, and which the necessity of the case appeared to them to justify.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Ye did not give ... - i. e., they had not broken the oath mentioned in Jdg 21:1, so as to be guilty of taking the Lord’s name in vain. They did not give their daughters to Benjamin: the Benjamites had taken them by force. Such casuistry as this condemns the system of oaths, and illustrates the wisdom of our Lord’s precept Mat 5:33-37.
The words behind it
25 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֡ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יָבֹ֣אוּ | yavou | they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֲבוֹתָם֩ | ʾavotam | fathers their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| א֨וֹ | ʾo | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| אֲחֵיהֶ֜ם | ʾacheihem | brothers their | H251 → | 630 times |
| לָרִ֣יב | larov | to make a complaint | H7378 → | 67 times |
| אֵלֵ֗ינוּ | ʾeleinu | to us | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וְאָמַ֤רְנוּ | veamarnu | and we will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶם֙ | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| חָנּ֣וּנוּ | chanunu | show favor for to us | H2603 → | |
| אוֹתָ֔ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| לָקַ֛חְנוּ | lakachnu | we took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | each man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ | ʾishto | wife his | H802 → | 781 times |
| בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה | bamilchamah | in the battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אַתֶּ֛ם | ʾatem | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| נְתַתֶּ֥ם | netatem | you gave [them] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| כָּעֵ֥ת | kaet | about <the> this time | H6256 → | 296 times |
| תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ ס | te'shamu | you will be guilty | H816 → |
וְהָיָ֡הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יָבֹ֣אוּthey will come
yavouH935 →2568 times
אֲבוֹתָם֩fathers their
ʾavotamH1 →1212 times
א֨וֹor
ʾoH176 →321 times
אֲחֵיהֶ֜םbrothers their
ʾacheihemH251 →630 times
לָרִ֣יבto make a complaint
larovH7378 →67 times
אֵלֵ֗ינוּto us
ʾeleinuH413 →5510 times
וְאָמַ֤רְנוּand we will say
veamarnuH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶם֙to them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
חָנּ֣וּנוּshow favor for to us
chanunuH2603 →
אוֹתָ֔ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
לָקַ֛חְנוּwe took
lakachnuH3947 →966 times
אִ֥ישׁeach man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹwife his
ʾishtoH802 →781 times
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑הin the battle
bamilchamahH4421 →320 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
אַתֶּ֛םyou
ʾatemH859 →1094 times
נְתַתֶּ֥םyou gave [them]
netatemH5414 →2011 times
לָהֶ֖םto <the> them
lahem
כָּעֵ֥תabout <the> this time
kaetH6256 →296 times
תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ סyou will be guilty
te'shamuH816 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 21:18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
it leads to
- Judges 21:1
Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 21:1
Through
Judges 21:1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
it leads to
- Judges 21:18
But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 20:1
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
- Acts 23:12
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your…
- Mark 6:23
And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
- Judges 21:18
Through
Genesis 7:13On that very day Noah entered the ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and the three wives of his sons—
it leads to
- Genesis 7:1
Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
- Genesis 6:18
But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
- Genesis 7:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.