There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out.
Parallel translations
- WEB They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
- 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.
- BSB They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
- NKJV And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.
- NASB And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe will not be wiped out from 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 elders insisted Benjamin must have an inheritance so the tribe would not be blotted out of Israel.
Overview
Their concern was that the survivors retain their tribal land and lineage, preserving Benjamin among the twelve. The desire to keep every tribe intact reflects the importance of Israel's covenant structure. This preservation matters in redemptive history, for Benjamin would later give Israel its first king and the church its apostle Paul.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Num 26:55Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
- Num 36:7So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel move from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall all keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
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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 21:17 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.