Judges 21:2 Themes and Topics

Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin. And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel? read more.
Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings. And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death. And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives. And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting. For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present. So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones. And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so. Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan. And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace. Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them. And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel. 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? And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence, Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin. And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly, And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin. And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath. So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.

And they got up and went up to Beth-el to get directions from God, and the children of Israel said, Who is to be the first to go up to the fight against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah is to go up first. Verse Concepts

And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, moving away from the town; and as before, at their first attack, they put to death about thirty men of Israel on the highways, of which one goes up to Beth-el and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country. Verse Concepts

And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. Verse Concepts

Then the king was much moved, and went up into the room over the door, weeping, and saying, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! if only my life might have been given for yours, O Absalom, my son, my son! Verse Concepts

And she said to them, Do not let my name be Naomi, but Mara, for the Ruler of all has given me a bitter fate. Verse Concepts

And Sarah's death took place in Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan: and Abraham went into his house, weeping and sorrowing for Sarah. Verse Concepts

And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. Verse Concepts

And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him. Verse Concepts

So has the Lord said: In Ramah there is a sound of crying, weeping and bitter sorrow; Rachel weeping for her children; she will not be comforted for their loss. Verse Concepts

And when Jesus saw her weeping, and saw the Jews weeping who came with her, his spirit was moved and he was troubled, Verse Concepts

But Mary was still there outside the hole in the rock, weeping; and while she was weeping and looking into the hole, Verse Concepts

And Peter went with them. And when he had come, they took him into the room: and all the widows were there, weeping and putting before him the coats and clothing which Dorcas had made while she was with them. Verse Concepts

Then Job got up, and after parting his clothing and cutting off his hair, he went down on his face to the earth, and gave worship, and said, Verse Concepts

Then Joshua, in great grief, went down on the earth before the ark of the Lord till the evening, and all the chiefs of Israel with him, and they put dust on their heads. Verse Concepts

And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. Verse Concepts

Now the children of Israel went up, weeping before the Lord till evening, requesting the Lord and saying, Am I to go forward again to the fight against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him. Verse Concepts

Then everyone who went in fear of the words of the God of Israel, because of the sin of those who had come back, came together to me; and I kept where I was, overcome with grief, till the evening offering. And at the evening offering, having made myself low before God, I got up, and with signs of grief, falling down on my knees, with my hands stretched out to the Lord my God,