The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The people grieved for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- KJV And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
- NKJV And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
- NASB And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the Lord had created a gap in the tribes of Israel.
- NLT The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the Lord had made this gap among the tribes of Israel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The people grieved for Benjamin, recognizing that Yahweh had made a breach among the tribes of Israel.
Overview
Israel mourned the gap in the nation, acknowledging God's hand in the 'breach' even as they sought to repair it. The phrasing admits divine judgment behind the events, the fruit of the whole nation's sin, not Benjamin's alone. Their sorrow reflects a longing for the wholeness of God's covenant people, ultimately secured only in Christ, who gathers and unites his people (John 11:52).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Judg 21:6And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.
- 1 Chr 15:13It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
- Judg 21:17They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
- 1 Chr 13:11Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
- Isa 30:13this iniquity of yours is like a breach about to fail, a bulge in a high wall, whose collapse will come suddenly—in an instant!
- Isa 58:12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 21:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.