They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards.
Parallel translations
- WEB They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
- KJV Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
- BSB So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards
- NKJV Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,
- NASB And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,
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 told the Benjamites to hide in the vineyards near Shiloh.
Overview
They instructed the 200 men to lie in wait among the vineyards during the festival. The plan was for each to seize a wife from the dancing young women. This calculated arrangement, devised to circumvent the oath, again shows Israel choosing a coercive shortcut over genuine repentance or trust in God's provision.
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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 21:20 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
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