Judges 21:16 Meaning and Explanation
“Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The elders again asked how to find wives for the remaining Benjamites, since the women of Benjamin had been destroyed.
What Does Judges 21:16 Mean?
The elders raise the unresolved question once more. Wives are still needed for the Benjamites who have none, for the women of Benjamin were lost in the war. The leaders bear the burden of a tribe's survival, and the earlier oath still bars them from giving their own daughters. The problem circles back, demanding yet another answer.
Leadership here is sincere yet hemmed in by the snares of its own making. The elders genuinely want Benjamin to endure, but they have boxed themselves with vows. The verse honestly portrays the weariness of trying to repair what reckless words have broken. It quietly commends to the reader a humbler path: to seek God's wisdom before binding ourselves, and to trust that He can guide His people far better than our own anxious schemes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Judges 21:16
What does Judges 21:16 mean?
The elders again asked how to find wives for the remaining Benjamites, since the women of Benjamin had been destroyed.