Judges 21:1
in Judges 21Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
KJV
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
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This verse in Judges 21
Commentary
6 notes on this verseNow the men of Israel had sworn - Of this oath we had not heard before; but it appears they had commenced this war with a determination to destroy the Benjamites utterly, and that if any of them escaped the sword no man should be permitted to give him his daughter to wife. By these means the remnant of the tribe must soon have been annihilated.
This site's exposition
the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah
on Judges 21:1-3
The oath is reported here for the first time, though it was sworn at the muster of 20:1 at Mizpah. Israel asks why “one tribe is missing”, treating the loss as an event and passing over what its own army did in chapter 20. They weep at Bethel.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
And an oath was taken that no one would give his daughter to a man of that tribe in marriage, so that all chance of repairing the name was abolished.
What regard for virtue our forefathers had to avenge by a war the wrongs of one woman which had been brought on her by her violation at the hands of profligate men! No, when the people were conquered, they vowed that they would not give their daughters in marriage to the tribe of Benjamin! That tribe had remained without hope of posterity, had they not received leave of necessity to use deceit.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh,....
The deep concern which the Israelites did express for the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin when it was accomplished. The tide of their anger at Benjamin's crime did not run so high and so strong before but the tide of their grief for Benjamin's destruction ran as high and as strong after: They repented for Benjamin their brother,
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֣ישׁ | veish | and [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| נִשְׁבַּ֥ע | nishba' | he had sworn | H7650 → | 186 times |
| בַּמִּצְפָּ֖ה | bamitzpah | at <the> Mizpah | H4709 → | 40 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִמֶּ֔נּוּ | mimenu | of us | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִתֵּ֥ן | yiten | he will give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בִּתּ֛וֹ | bito | daughter his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| לְבִנְיָמִ֖ן | levinyamin | to Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ | leishah | to a wife | H802 → | 781 times |
וְאִ֣ישׁand [the] man of
veishH376 →1663 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
נִשְׁבַּ֥עhe had sworn
nishba'H7650 →186 times
בַּמִּצְפָּ֖הat <the> Mizpah
bamitzpahH4709 →40 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
אִ֣ישׁanyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מִמֶּ֔נּוּof us
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִתֵּ֥ןhe will give
yitenH5414 →2011 times
בִּתּ֛וֹdaughter his
bitoH1323 →588 times
לְבִנְיָמִ֖ןto Benjamin
levinyaminH1144 →166 times
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃to a wife
leishahH802 →781 times
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
Ecclesiastes 5:2Do 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…
it leads to
- Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
- Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
- Matthew 6:9
So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- Matthew 6:7
Through
Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
it leads to
- Acts 23:30
When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed his accusers to present their case against him before you.
- Isaiah 8:9–10
Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
- Acts 23:21
Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they…
- Acts 23:14
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.
- Acts 23:30
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ambrose of Milan, LETTER 33; Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.111; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.