Judges 21 19

Judges 21:19 kjv

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.

Judges 21:19 nkjv

Then they said, "In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

Judges 21:19 niv

But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

Judges 21:19 esv

So they said, "Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

Judges 21:19 nlt

Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.

Judges 21 verses

Judges 21 19 Meaning

Judges 21:19 details the specific geographical location and occasion for a plan devised by the Israelite assembly to provide wives for the surviving Benjamites, without violating their oath. They identify "a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh," precisely located relative to Bethel, Shechem, and Lebonah. This annual pilgrimage festival, where young women would dance, became the opportune setting for the Benjamite men to seize wives by force, enabling the tribe of Benjamin to persist despite the Israelites' vow.

Judges 21 19 Context

Judges 21 marks the concluding segment of one of the Bible's most graphic and disturbing narratives, which spans chapters 19-21. Following the Levite's concubine incident in Gibeah, a devastating civil war erupts between the eleven tribes of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. The previous verses (Judges 20) describe the near annihilation of Benjamin, leaving only 600 men. The men of Israel, filled with remorse for the virtual loss of one of their twelve tribes, remember a solemn, and likely hasty, vow they had made not to allow their daughters to marry a Benjamite (Jdg 21:1). Verse 19 presents the seemingly paradoxical and morally compromising "solution" devised by the leaders to preserve Benjamin from extinction while adhering to their vow. By revealing the precise location and timing of a "feast of the Lord," the elders set the stage for a plan of organized abduction, reflecting the desperate and lawless nature of a period when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Jdg 21:25).

Word Analysis

• Then they said: This refers to the assembly of the congregation of Israel, specifically their elders and leaders who were seeking a resolution to the critical problem of the near-extinction of the tribe of Benjamin. It denotes a collective, deliberated decision-making process by the highest human authority in Israel at that chaotic time.
• "Behold," (Hebrew: hinneh, הִנֵּה): An interjection used to call immediate attention, introducing something noteworthy, significant, or unexpected. In this context, it signals the revealing of a crucial piece of information—the opportunity for their audacious plan.
• "there is a yearly feast" (Hebrew: chag shanah, חַג שָׁנָה):
  • "feast" (chag): Denotes one of the great pilgrim festivals commanded by the Lord, where Israelites would gather in one designated place for worship and celebration. It suggests a time of communal joy and perhaps less guarded movement.
  • "yearly" (shanah): Specifies an annual, recurring event, indicating consistency and predictability, which was crucial for their planning.
  • This implies a divinely appointed gathering that paradoxically becomes the site of a morally dubious human scheme. It was most likely the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), a harvest festival associated with joy and often women participating in dancing (implied by verse 21).
• "of the Lord" (Hebrew: la-YHWH, לַֽיהוָה): Directly connects the feast to Yahweh, God of Israel, indicating its sacred and religious purpose. This detail adds layers of ethical complexity, as a holy occasion is leveraged for an act of non-consensual capture.
• "in Shiloh," (Hebrew: bə-shiloh, בְּשִׁלֹה): Shiloh was the primary religious center of Israel during the period of the Judges, where the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting) was stationed (Josh 18:1). Its prominence made it a natural gathering place for a national feast, thus attracting large numbers of people, including young women.
• "which is north of Bethel," (Hebrew: mi-tzafōn lə-Bethel, מִצָּפוֹן לְבֵית־אֵל): Bethel ("House of God") was another significant cultic and historical site (Jacob's dream). This detail begins a series of highly precise geographical markers, demonstrating the thoroughness of the Israelites' instructions to the Benjamites, removing any ambiguity about the location.
• "on the east side of the highway" (Hebrew: mi-zvôl ha-məsilah, מִזְבֹל הַֽמְסִלָּה): Ha-məsilah refers to a main road or elevated highway. The emphasis on being near a prominent route suggests easy access and potentially less vigilance for those celebrating.
• "that goes up from Bethel to Shechem," (Hebrew: ʻolal ʻalah mi-Bethel ʻal-Shəkhem, עֹלָה מִבֵּית־אֵל עַל־שְׁכֶם): Shechem was a historically significant city for covenant renewals. This specific route further pins down the precise location of the highway and Shiloh, providing practical navigational guidance for the Benjamites carrying out the plan.
• "and south of Lebonah." (Hebrew: ū-mi-negev li-Levonah, וּמִנֶּגֶב לִלְבוֹנָה): Lebonah was a less prominent town but crucial for precise triangulation. This final directional cue ensures the Benjamites could pinpoint the exact vineyards or areas where the women would be dancing outside the main feast celebration.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Then they said, 'Behold, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh'": This phrase identifies the human authority devising the plan, introduces a key opportunity ("Behold"), and points to a significant religious gathering ("yearly feast of the Lord") at the central sanctuary ("Shiloh"). It sets the stage for an extraordinary event within a sacred context.
• "which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.": This extensive geographical description serves a crucial pragmatic purpose in the narrative. It provides exact, actionable intelligence for the Benjamite men to identify Shiloh precisely and ambush the women. The unusual level of detail emphasizes the meticulous planning undertaken by the Israelite leadership in their desperation to resolve the tribal crisis, transforming a holy location into the theater of their pragmatic, morally complex solution.

Judges 21 19 Commentary

Judges 21:19 is not merely a geographic reference; it's a window into the moral and spiritual nadir of Israel during the Judges period. The phrase "yearly feast of the Lord" establishes a sacred context, immediately contrasted by the unholy plan that unfolds. The precise locators for Shiloh reveal the cold, calculated nature of the solution, where sacred land is chosen for pragmatic, even questionable, actions. This verse powerfully underscores the underlying theme of the book: the lack of a central king meant each did "what was right in his own eyes," leading to inventive yet ethically dubious solutions to grave problems. It shows how the Israelites, though well-intentioned in preserving a tribe and upholding a vow, resorted to desperate and irregular means, revealing a society disconnected from a direct, clear revelation of God's righteous will. The continuation of a tribe through such a method highlights the chaos of the time, while paradoxically demonstrating a fierce resolve to preserve the integrity of the twelve tribes.

Bonus Section

• The unusual detail in Judges 21:19 concerning Shiloh's location indicates a historical knowledge of its exact position relative to major routes and other known cities during that period. This serves to authenticate the historical context of the narrative for its original audience.
• While Shiloh was the Tabernacle's dwelling place and thus holy, the solution proposed in this verse (abduction) was not divinely commanded. It represents a humanly conceived solution born out of crisis, demonstrating the extent of the Israelites' predicament after their rash oath.
• This verse contributes to the understanding of Shiloh's eventual downfall as mentioned in later prophetic writings (e.g., Jer 7:12; Ps 78:60). The desecration or use of its festive occasions for human-devised, morally dubious ends may foreshadow its later abandonment by the Lord.
• The detailed road description suggests that these ancient "highways" were well-known and regularly used, indicating established routes even in the tumultuous Judges period.