FocusCorrupted worship and communal violence
Connection to the wholeThe closing accounts expose religious and social disorder, repeatedly drawing attention to the absence of a king and self-directed conduct.
interpretation Judges 21:25
KJVIn those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Read it in context
Wives for the Benjamites
Start reading at Judges 21:1 (Judges 21:1 to Judges 21:25).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The closing accounts expose religious and social disorder, repeatedly drawing attention to the absence of a king and self-directed conduct.
- 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
- 21:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
- 21:3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?
- 21:4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- 21:5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
- 21:6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
- 21:7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
- 21:8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
- 21:9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
- 21:10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
- 21:11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
- 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
- 21:13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
- 21:14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
- 21:15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- 21:16 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?
- 21:17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
- 21:18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
- 21:19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
- 21:20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
- 21:21 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.
- 21:22 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.
- 21:23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
- 21:24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
- 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Samuel is the traditional Jewish attribution. The final writer cannot be identified with certainty; Samuel's name should therefore be given as a traditional answer, not a verified signature. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Judges 19:1–21:25): The Levite and his concubine, the men of Gibeah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the assembled tribes of Israel are involved in the outrage and subsequent civil conflict. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Israel, looking back on the period between Joshua and the monarchy. The repeated notice that Israel had no king addresses readers for whom that earlier situation needed explanation. Biblical references: Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Wives for the Benjamites. Read Judges 21:1 through Judges 21:25 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The closing accounts expose religious and social disorder, repeatedly drawing attention to the absence of a king and self-directed conduct. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening follows Joshua's death. The accounts cover the period before kingship, but the book does not supply a single modern calendar date for every episode. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The episodes move among Israel's tribal territories and surrounding peoples. A location in one judge's account should not be assigned to another without textual support. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Wives for the Benjamites (Judges 21:1 to Judges 21:25). Start reading at Judges 21:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Acts 13 recalls the judges as part of Israel's history before moving to David and the promised Saviour, Jesus. This historical connection does not make every judge's conduct exemplary. See Acts 13:20, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Recognize the danger of recurring unfaithfulness and self-directed conduct. Distinguish the LORD's deliverance from a deliverer's sins, and do not treat a vow or violent act as approved merely because it is narrated. interpretation
Cited: Judges 21:1, Judges 21:25, Acts 13:20, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23
Who wrote it, and how we know
Samuel (traditional)
From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author.
Early traditionJewish tradition (Baba Bathra 14b) names Samuel.
What is debatedAuthorship is not stated in Scripture and cannot be confirmed. The repeated note that there was no king in Israel suggests a writer during the monarchy.
Related passages
- no Judg 17:6 Judg 18:1 Judg 19:1
- right Judg 18:7 Deut 12:8 Ps 12:4 Prov 3:5 Prov 14:12 Eccl 11:9 Mic 2:1-2
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Judges 21
Judges describes Israel after Joshua, including repeated apostasy and deliverance. It does not name its author. Narrated violence, vows, and misconduct are not endorsements merely because they appear in the account. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Judges 2:10 Judges 2:16 Judges 21:25
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Judges
Judges describes Israel after Joshua, including repeated apostasy and deliverance. It does not name its author. Narrated violence, vows, and misconduct are not endorsements merely because they appear in the account.
Judges 2:10 Judges 2:16 Judges 21:25
The situation after Joshua
Judges 1:1–3:6FocusIncomplete obedience and recurring apostasy
Connection to the wholeThe opening explains the conditions and recurring pattern that frame the accounts of the judges.
interpretation The judges and Israel's recurring distress
Judges 3:7–16:31FocusOppression and deliverance
Connection to the wholeThe deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people.
interpretation FocusCorrupted worship and communal violence
Connection to the wholeThe closing accounts expose religious and social disorder, repeatedly drawing attention to the absence of a king and self-directed conduct.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.