17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.
17 And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel.
17 How can we keep the inheritance alive for the Benjaminite survivors? How can we prevent an entire tribe from extinction?
17 And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel.
17 There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 21:17
Chapter Contents
The Israelites lament for the Benjamites.
Israel lamented for the Benjamites, and were perplexed by the oath they had taken, not to give their daughters to them in marriage. Men are more zealous to support their own authority than that of God. They would have acted better if they had repented of their rash oaths, brought sin-offerings, and sought forgiveness in the appointed way, rather than attempt to avoid the guilt of perjury by actions quite as wrong. That men can advise others to acts of treachery or violence, out of a sense of duty, forms a strong proof of the blindness of the human mind when left to itself, and of the fatal effects of a conscience under ignorance and error.