Judges 21 17

Judges 21:17 kjv

And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

Judges 21:17 nkjv

And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.

Judges 21:17 niv

The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.

Judges 21:17 esv

And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.

Judges 21:17 nlt

There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out.

Judges 21 verses

Judges 21 17 Meaning

This verse expresses the profound and urgent realization of the Israelite leaders and the assembly that Benjamin, a divinely appointed tribe, must not be completely extinguished. It states their collective resolve to ensure that the remnant of the Benjaminite tribe, who survived the devastating civil war, receive a proper "heritage" – referring not just to land but to a continuation of their families, their presence in the covenant land, and their identity as one of Israel's foundational twelve tribes. Their deep concern is rooted in the fear that losing a tribe would invalidate the integrity and purpose of the nation of Israel as established by God.

Judges 21 17 Context

Judges chapter 21 marks the devastating conclusion of the narrative involving the Levite's concubine, an act of horrific violence that led to a civil war against the tribe of Benjamin in Judges 20. The other eleven tribes of Israel, united by their outrage and an initial, misguided zeal to enforce justice, nearly annihilated Benjamin. Judges 21 opens with the surviving Israelites grieving their actions and realizing the dire consequence of their rash oath sworn at Mizpah (Judg 21:1), which prohibited any man from giving his daughter to a Benjamite. This left the approximately 600 surviving Benjamite men without women to marry and ensure the tribe's continuation. This verse, Judges 21:17, captures the core problem the Israelite leaders faced: how to maintain the tribal structure divinely established for Israel, fearing the loss of one of Jacob's twelve sons' lineages. It shows a desperate concern to preserve the numerical and familial integrity of Israel as a whole. The entire book of Judges repeatedly highlights the tragic consequences when "there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes," (Judg 21:25) leading to such chaos and near national calamity.

Judges 21 17 Word analysis

• And they said (וַיֹּאמְרוּ - vayomeru): This refers to the "elders of the congregation" (Judg 21:16) or the people of Israel assembled at Bethel, representing a collective and weighty decision from the leaders who were agonizing over the consequences of their rash actions and oaths.
• There must be (נִמְצָא - nimtza): From the verb "מצא" (matza), meaning "to be found" or "to come upon." In this context, it carries a strong sense of necessity or imperative, not merely a suggestion. It conveys the idea that a solution must be discovered or established.
• a heritage (נַחֲלָה - nachalah): More than simply land or property, "nachalah" signifies an inherited possession, a divine allotment, particularly the land promised to the tribes of Israel by God (e.g., Deut 4:21; Josh 14:1-2). It encompasses identity, posterity, and connection to the covenant. Without this heritage, a tribe could not properly function or endure in the land.
• for those who have escaped (לִפְלֵיטַת - l'plaiṭat): Refers to the "remnant" or "survivors" (פְּלֵיטָה - peleytah). This term carries significant biblical weight, often denoting a small group preserved by God's grace or purpose from widespread destruction (e.g., Isa 1:9). Here, it highlights the desperate plight of the mere 600 Benjamite men who remained.
• of Benjamin (לְבִנְיָמִן - l'vinyamin): Identifies the specific tribe facing extinction. Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, was integral to the twelve-tribe structure (Gen 35:16-18; 49:27).
• that a tribe (וְלֹא יִכָּרֵת שֵׁבֶט - v'lo yikareth shevet): Lit. "and not be cut off a tribe." The negative conjunction "וְלֹא" (v'lo) emphasizes the absolute imperative of preventing this outcome. "שֵׁבֶט" (shevet) refers to one of the twelve fundamental tribal divisions of Israel, which were central to Israel's national and religious identity.
• be not blotted out (תִּכָּחֵד - tikacheyd): From the verb "כָּחַד" (kachad), meaning "to hide," "to obliterate," "to vanish completely." It conveys the horror of total extinction. This word choice signifies the profound spiritual and existential crisis that the obliteration of a tribe would represent for the corporate identity of Israel as a nation uniquely chosen by God.
• from Israel (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל - miYisrael): Emphasizes the collective identity. The loss of Benjamin would be a fundamental fracture in the unified "Israel" – the chosen people of God – reducing them to eleven tribes, diminishing God's own design and promise regarding the sons of Jacob.

• "There must be a heritage for those who have escaped of Benjamin": This phrase expresses the critical necessity to not only ensure the physical survival of the few Benjamite men but, more importantly, to establish their familial continuity and rightful place in the promised land. A "heritage" in the Israelite understanding implies progeny and land, essential for a tribe's identity and fulfillment of covenant promises.
• "that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel": This highlights the fundamental theological concern of the elders. The prospect of losing one of the divinely ordained twelve tribes was unthinkable and seemed to defy God's overarching plan for His chosen nation. It underlines the sacred importance of Israel's corporate identity and the integrity of its tribal structure as central to its existence and mission.

Judges 21 17 Bonus section

The concern articulated in Judges 21:17 directly relates to the broader biblical concept of "the remnant," where God, despite judgment or human failure, always preserves a faithful or chosen few to carry on His purposes (e.g., Isa 6:13; Rom 9:27). In this context, while the Israelites acted according to human vengeance and imperfect judgment, the underlying divine purpose for preserving Benjamin likely superseded their flawed methods. The number twelve for the tribes of Israel holds deep symbolic significance throughout scripture, representing completeness, divine government, and a perfect unit, a pattern evident from Genesis (sons of Jacob) to Revelation (Rev 7:4-8). The potential reduction to eleven tribes would have symbolically indicated an incomplete, perhaps cursed, entity, going against God's established order.

Judges 21 17 Commentary

Judges 21:17 reflects a turning point in the Israelite leadership's immediate crisis, moving from rash, vengeful actions to a desperate concern for the nation's spiritual and demographic integrity. The profound anxiety over Benjamin's near extinction reveals a fundamental understanding that the twelve-tribe structure was integral to Israel's covenant identity. Their primary concern, "that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel," shows their implicit recognition of God's enduring purpose for Israel to exist as a complete nation, despite their own severe moral failures. While their subsequent "solutions" (the destruction of Jabesh-Gilead and the abduction of women from Shiloh) were ethically questionable and illustrate the chaos of a people without strong, godly leadership, the motivation behind this verse was rooted in a genuine, albeit belated, concern to preserve what they believed was essential to Israel's national and religious character in the land given by God. It underscores the severity of living "as everyone saw fit" (Judg 21:25) and how far the nation had fallen from divine standards, even as they clung to the notion of their unique, tribal existence.