Bible Commentaries
Judges 21

Verse 1

had sworn: i.e. before the fighting of Judges 20:0 .

Verse 2

the house of God. Probably Shiloh, Compare Judges 21:12 with Judges 18:31 .

God. Hebrew. ha-'Elohim, "the [true] God". App-4 .

wept sore. Figure of speech Polyptoton ( App-6 ), "wept a great weeping". See note on Genesis 26:28 . Benjamin is indeed, now, "a son of sorrow" ( Ben-oni, a son of sorrow. Genesis 35:18 ).

Verse 3

LORD God = Jehovah Elohim. App-4 .

Verse 4

offered. Hebrew. 'alah . App-43 .

Verse 5

children = sons.

congregation = military assembly.

Verse 10

children = little children. Hebrew. taph. Compare Judges 13:5 .

Verse 11

man = male. Hebrew. zakar.

Verse 12

young virgins. Hebrew young women, virgins.

virgins. Hebrew. bethulah.

Shiloh. See note on Judges 18:31 .

Verse 13

call peaceably = proclaim peace.

Verse 19

a feast of the LORD. Some codices, with two early printed editions, read "a feast to Jehovah".

yearly. The three feasts had come down to one. Apostasy was the cause of all their internal disorders.

north side, &c. Shiloh and the house of Jehovah were so neglected that these minute instructions were necessary to enable an Israelite to find it. We have the same difficulty to-day; and when we find it we too often find, not the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. but what answers to that which we find in Judges 21:21 .

Lebonah. AUTHORIZED VERSION 1611 reads "Lebanon" by an error. Modern "Lubban", about 3 miles north-west of Shiloh.

Verse 21

dance in dances. This is what "religion" had come to in those days of apostasy, by which we must judge it.

man. Heb, 'ish. App-14 .

Verse 22

at this time, &c.: i.e. "at the time when ye would have incurred guilt [by so doing]".

Verse 23

repaired = rebuilt, or built up.

Verse 25

no king. Note the structural arrangement of the four occurrences of this expression. See note on Judges 18:1 .

did = did continually. This is the Divine summing up of the whole book, by way of Epilogue. All the evil follows as the result of the disobedience in Judges 1:27-36 .