20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards
20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
20 And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards
20 So they told the Benjaminites, "Go and hide in the vineyards.
20 Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go, lie in wait in the vineyards,
20 They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 21:20
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.