Judges 21:21
in Judges 21and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the 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.
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.
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This verse in Judges 21
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
21, 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.
This site's exposition
there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh
on Judges 21:19-21
The feast is fixed by landmarks, more than a local would need. Barnes takes it for one of the three pilgrim feasts, while Gill argues from the title “feast to the LORD” that it was no fair. The daughters' dance becomes an ambush from “the vineyards”.
This site's exposition
the daughters of Shiloh come out
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown describe the dances as part of the feast to the LORD, held outside the town with the women by themselves. Henry, citing Bishop Patrick, says the yearly feast was the one time the young women of Israel danced. Each Benjamite is told to catch a wife.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But relenting at having laid so hard a sentence on their brothers, they moderated their severity so as to give them in marriage those maidens that had lost their parents, whose fathers had been slain for their sins, or to give them the means of finding a wife by a raid. Because of the villainy of so foul a deed, they who had violated another's marriage rights were shown to be unworthy to ask for marriage. But for fear that one tribe might perish from the people, they connived at the deceit.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 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 see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances,....
A sorry salvo is better than none, to save the breaking of an oath: it were much better to be cautious in making vows, that there be not occasion afterwards, as there was here, to say before the angel that it was an error.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And 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.
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם | ureitem | and you will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| וְ֠הִנֵּה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יֵ֨צְא֥וּ | yetzeu | they will come out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| בְנוֹת־ | venot- | [the] daughters of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| שִׁילוֹ֮ | shilo | Shiloh | H7887 → | 32 times |
| לָח֣וּל | lachul | to dance | H2342 → | 58 times |
| בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒ | bamecholot | in <the> dances | H4246 → | |
| וִֽיצָאתֶם֙ | vitzatem | and you will go out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַכְּרָמִ֔ים | hakeramim | the vineyards | H3754 → | 92 times |
| וַחֲטַפְתֶּ֥ם | vachataftem | and you will seize | H2414 → | |
| לָכֶ֛ם | lakhem | for <the> yourselves | ||
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | each man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ | ʾishto | wife his | H802 → | 781 times |
| מִבְּנ֣וֹת | mibenot | from [the] daughters of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| שִׁיל֑וֹ | shilo | Shiloh | H7887 → | 32 times |
| וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם | vahalakhtem | and you will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֶ֥רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| בִּנְיָמִֽן׃ | binyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
וּרְאִיתֶ֗םand you will see
ureitemH7200 →1300 times
וְ֠הִנֵּהand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
יֵ֨צְא֥וּthey will come out
yetzeuH3318 →1067 times
בְנוֹת־[the] daughters of
venot-H1323 →588 times
שִׁילוֹ֮Shiloh
shiloH7887 →32 times
לָח֣וּלto dance
lachulH2342 →58 times
בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒in <the> dances
bamecholotH4246 →
וִֽיצָאתֶם֙and you will go out
vitzatemH3318 →1067 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַכְּרָמִ֔יםthe vineyards
hakeramimH3754 →92 times
וַחֲטַפְתֶּ֥םand you will seize
vachataftemH2414 →
לָכֶ֛םfor <the> yourselves
lakhem
אִ֥ישׁeach man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹwife his
ʾishtoH802 →781 times
מִבְּנ֣וֹתfrom [the] daughters of
mibenotH1323 →588 times
שִׁיל֑וֹShiloh
shiloH7887 →32 times
וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖םand you will go
vahalakhtemH1980 →1546 times
אֶ֥רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
בִּנְיָמִֽן׃Benjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 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
Exodus 15:20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
it leads to
- Psalms 150:4
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 150:4
Through
Psalms 150:4Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
it leads to
- Psalms 149:3
Let them praise His name with dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 15:20
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 38:20
The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
- Psalms 149:3
Through
Jeremiah 31:13Then the maidens will rejoice with dancing, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow.
it leads to
- Psalms 30:11
You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
- Isaiah 61:3
to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be…
- Isaiah 51:11
So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
- Isaiah 51:3
For the LORD will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness…
- Psalms 30:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.115; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.