Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Judges 21:16

The leaders of the assembly asked, "What are we to do for those who still don't have wives, inasmuch as all the women of Binyamin have been killed?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Rashness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elders;   Leaders;   Religious;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Benjamin, Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shiloh ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then the Zakenim of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Binyamin?
King James Version
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?
Lexham English Bible
So the elders of the congregation said, "What should we do for the remaining ones for wives, since the women from Benjamin have been destroyed?"
English Standard Version
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 Century Version
The elders of the Israelites said, "The women of Benjamin have been killed. Where can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are still alive?
New English Translation
The leaders of the assembly said, "How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.
Amplified Bible
Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those [men] who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"
New American Standard Bible
Then the elders of the congregation said, "What are we to do for wives for those who are left, since the women have been eliminated from Benjamin?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore the Elders of the Congregation said, How shall we doe for wiues to the remnant? for the women of Beniamin are destroyed.
Legacy Standard Bible
Toe sê die oudstes van die vergadering: Wat kan ons doen vir die wat oorgebly het, wat vroue aanbetref? Want die vroue was uit Benjamin verdelg.
Contemporary English Version
Then their national leaders said: All the women of the Benjamin tribe were killed. How can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are left?
Darby Translation
And the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
Easy-to-Read Version
The elders of the Israelites said, "The women of the tribe of Benjamin have been killed. Where can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are still alive?
George Lamsa Translation
Then the elders of the people said. What shall we do for wives for those that remain, for all the Benjamite women have perished?
Good News Translation
So the leaders of the gathering said, "There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left?
Literal Translation
And the elders of the assembly said, What shall we do to the remnant for wives for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the Elders of the congregacio sayde: What wil we do, that the remnaunt maye haue wyues also? for the weme in Ben Iamin are destroied,
American Standard Version
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?
Bible in Basic English
Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And then the elders of the congregation, sayd: What shall we do to the remnaunt of them, to get them wiues? seyng all the women of Beniamin are destroyed?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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?'
King James Version (1611)
Then the Elders of the Congregation said, How shall we doe for wiues for them that remaine? seeing the women are destroyed out of Beniamin.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin.
English Revised Version
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?
Berean Standard Bible
Then the elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the grettere men in birthe seiden, What schulen we do to the othere men, that han not take wyues? Alle the wymmen in Beniamyn felden doun,
Young's Literal Translation
And the elders of the company say, `What do we do to the remnant for wives -- for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin?'
Update Bible Version
Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing the women were destroyed out of Benjamin?
Webster's Bible Translation
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?
World English Bible
Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
New King James Version
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?"
New Living Translation
So the elders of the assembly asked, "How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?
New Life Bible
Then the leaders of the people said, "What will we do for wives for those who are left? All the women of Benjamin were killed."
New Revised Standard
So the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since there are no women left in Benjamin?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then, the elders of the assembly said, What are we to do for them who remain, for wives, - for womankind, hath been destroyed out of Benjamin?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the ancients said: What shall we do with the rest, that have not received wives? for all the women in Benjamin are dead.
Revised Standard Version
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?"
THE MESSAGE
The elders of the congregation said, "How can we get wives for the rest of the men, since all the Benjaminite women have been killed? How can we keep the inheritance alive for the Benjaminite survivors? How can we prevent an entire tribe from extinction? We certainly can't give our own daughters to them as wives." (Remember, the Israelites had taken the oath: "Cursed is anyone who provides a wife to Benjamin.")
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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?"

Contextual Overview

16 The leaders of the assembly asked, "What are we to do for those who still don't have wives, inasmuch as all the women of Binyamin have been killed?" 17 They said, "There has to be a way to help the survivors preserve Binyamin's inheritance, so that a tribe will not be eliminated from Isra'el. 18 Yet we can't give them our daughters as wives." For the people of Isra'el had sworn, "Cursed be whoever gives a wife to Binyamin." 19 Then they said, "Look, each year there's a festival in honor of Adonai in Shiloh, north of Beit-El, on the east side of the road that goes up from Beit-El to Sh'khem, and south of Levonah." 20 They ordered the men of Binyamin, "Go, hide in the vineyards, 21 and keep watch. If the girls of Shiloh come out to do their dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each of you catch for himself a wife from the Shiloh girls, and go on to the land of Binyamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Give them as a personal favor to us, because we didn't take wives for each of them in battle. You didn't give them to them; that would have made you guilty of breaking your oath.'" 23 So the men of Binyamin did this — they took wives for themselves from the girls who were dancing, as many as they needed. They carried them off, went back to the land of their inheritance, rebuilt the cities and lived in them. 24 The people of Isra'el then left that place, each man returned to his tribe and family, and each man went out from there to the land he had inherited. 25 At that time there was no king in Isra'el; a man simply did whatever he thought was right.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 27:38
‘Esav said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Father, bless me too!" ‘Esav wept aloud,
Genesis 29:11
Ya‘akov kissed Rachel and wept aloud.
Genesis 44:34
For how can I go up to my father if the boy isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father so overwhelmed by anguish."
Judges 2:4
When the angel of Adonai spoke these words to all the people of Isra'el, they began crying and wailing at the top of their voices.
Ruth 1:9
May Adonai grant you security in the home of a new husband." Then she kissed them, but they began weeping aloud.
1 Samuel 24:16
Adonai be the judge; let him decide between you and me. May he take my side and rescue me from your power!"
1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the people with him cried aloud until they had no more power to cry.
1 Kings 3:26
At this, the woman to whom the living child belonged addressed the king, because she felt so strongly toward her son: "Oh, my lord, give her the living child; you mustn't kill it!" But the other one said, "It will be neither yours nor mine. Divide it up!"
Esther 8:6
For how can I bear to see the disaster that will overcome my people? How can I endure seeing the extermination of my kinsmen?"
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her child at the breast, not show pity on the child from her womb? Even if these were to forget, I would not forget you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the elders of the congregation said.... This being the case, that there were not wives enough for them, they were obliged to consult again, and consider of another expedient to provide for them; and this motion came from the elders of the people, not only in years, but in office:

how shall we do for wives for them that remain: the other two hundred, who had none:

seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? and so no wives to be had there; and as for the Israelites which came to Mizpeh, who were of all the tribes of Israel, they had solemnly sworn that they would not give any of their daughters to them, and therefore it was a very difficult thing to provide wives for them.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile