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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Judges 21:3 "Why, O LORD God of Israel," they cried out, "has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!"</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/judges/21-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/16/07_Jdg_21_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Judges 21:3 - Wives for the Benjamites" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Why, O LORD God of Israel, they cried out, has this happened in Israel? 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Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/judges/21.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“O LORD, God of Israel,” they cried out, “why has this happened in Israel? Now one of our tribes is missing from Israel!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/judges/21.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/judges/21.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/judges/21.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/judges/21.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />and said, “O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe <i>missing</i> in Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/judges/21.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />And they said, “Why, LORD, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe is missing today from Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/judges/21.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />They said, &#8220Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/judges/21.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />And they said, “Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be <i>missing</i> today in Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/judges/21.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />And they said, “Why, O Yahweh, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today from Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/judges/21.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />They said, “O LORD, God of Israel, why has this come about in Israel, that there should be today one tribe missing from Israel?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/judges/21.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />and cried out, “Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today? ”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/judges/21.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />and cried out, &#8220Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/judges/21.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/judges/21.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />and prayed, "Our LORD, you are the God of Israel. Why did you let this happen? Now one of our tribes is almost gone." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/judges/21.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And they said, O LORD, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/judges/21.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"LORD God of Israel, why has this happened among us? Why should one tribe be missing today in Israel?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/judges/21.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />"LORD God of Israel, why has this happened? Why is the tribe of Benjamin about to disappear from Israel?" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/judges/21.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"Why, LORD God of Israel," they asked him, "is one tribe missing from Israel?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/judges/21.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />?Why, O LORD God of Israel,? they cried out, ?has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/judges/21.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />They said, "Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?" An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/judges/21.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />They said, "LORD God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/judges/21.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/judges/21.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />They said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/judges/21.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />and say, “Why, O YHWH, God of Israel, has this been in Israel—to be lacking one tribe from Israel today?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/judges/21.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and say, 'Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel -- to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/judges/21.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And they will say, Wherefore, Jehovah, God of Israel, was this in Israel to miss one tribe this day from Israel?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/judges/21.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/judges/21.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />“Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/judges/21.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />They said, “LORD, God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel that today one tribe of Israel should be lacking?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/judges/21.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />They said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has it come to pass that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/judges/21.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And said, O LORD God of Israel, why has this disaster come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe missing from Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/judges/21.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And they said: “Why LORD JEHOVAH, God of Israel, did this happen in the household of Israel, that one tribe would be lost today from Israel?”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/judges/21.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And they said: 'O LORD, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/judges/21.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted <i>as missing</i> from Israel?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/judges/21-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AjzBiIYY2Dc?start=6426" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/judges/21.htm">Wives for the Benjamites</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly. <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4100.htm" title="4100: lā·māh (Interrog) -- What? how? anything. ">“Why,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3068.htm" title="3068: Yah·weh (N-proper-ms) -- The proper name of the God of Israel. From hayah; self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.">O LORD</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hê (N-mpc) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">God</a> <a href="/hebrew/3478.htm" title="3478: yiś·rā·’êl (N-proper-ms) -- From sarah and 'el; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also of his posterity.">of Israel,”</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: way·yō·mə·rū (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">they cried out,</a> <a href="/hebrew/2063.htm" title="2063: zōṯ (Pro-fs) -- Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that. Irregular feminine of zeh; this.">“has this</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: hā·yə·ṯāh (V-Qal-Perf-3fs) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">happened</a> <a href="/hebrew/3478.htm" title="3478: bə·yiś·rā·’êl (Prep-b:: N-proper-ms) -- From sarah and 'el; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also of his posterity.">in Israel?</a> <a href="/hebrew/3117.htm" title="3117: hay·yō·wm (Art:: N-ms) -- Day. From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day, whether literal, or figurative.">Today</a> <a href="/hebrew/3478.htm" title="3478: mî·yiś·rā·’êl (Prep-m:: N-proper-ms) -- From sarah and 'el; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also of his posterity.">in Israel</a> <a href="/hebrew/259.htm" title="259: ’e·ḥāḏ (Number-ms) -- One. A numeral from 'achad; properly, united, i.e. One; or first.">one</a> <a href="/hebrew/7626.htm" title="7626: šê·ḇeṭ (N-ms) -- Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe. From an unused root probably meaning to branch off; a scion, i.e. a stick Or a clan.">tribe</a> <a href="/hebrew/6485.htm" title="6485: lə·hip·pā·qêḏ (Prep-l:: V-Nifal-Inf) -- To attend to, visit, muster, appoint. A primitive root; to visit; by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.">is missing!”</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/judges/20-23.htm">Judges 20:23</a></span><br />They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/judges/20-26.htm">Judges 20:26-28</a></span><br />Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. / And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, / and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/11-5.htm">1 Samuel 11:5-7</a></span><br />Just then Saul was returning from the field, behind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed to him the words of the men from Jabesh. / When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger. / He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/15-11.htm">1 Samuel 15:11</a></span><br />“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/2-26.htm">2 Samuel 2:26-27</a></span><br />Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?” / “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have continued pursuing their brothers until morning.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/21-1.htm">2 Samuel 21:1-2</a></span><br />During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.” / At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_chronicles/28-9.htm">2 Chronicles 28:9-11</a></span><br />But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His wrath against Judah, the LORD, the God of your fathers, has delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. / And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? / Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/44-23.htm">Psalm 44:23-24</a></span><br />Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever. / Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/60-1.htm">Psalm 60:1</a></span><br />For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/74-1.htm">Psalm 74:1</a></span><br />A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/80-4.htm">Psalm 80:4</a></span><br />O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/63-17.htm">Isaiah 63:17</a></span><br />Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/12-1.htm">Jeremiah 12:1</a></span><br />Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/5-20.htm">Lamentations 5:20-22</a></span><br />Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long? / Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old, / unless You have utterly rejected us and remain angry with us beyond measure.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/9-17.htm">Hosea 9:17</a></span><br />My God will reject them because they have not obeyed Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?</p><p class="hdg">why is</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/29-24.htm">Deuteronomy 29:24</a></b></br> Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what <i>meaneth</i> the heat of this great anger?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joshua/7-7.htm">Joshua 7:7-9</a></b></br> And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/74-1.htm">Psalm 74:1</a></b></br> Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast <i>us</i> off for ever? <i>why</i> doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/judges/18-23.htm">Cried</a> <a href="/judges/20-45.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/judges/21-1.htm">Israel</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/32-28.htm">Lacking</a> <a href="/numbers/31-49.htm">Missing</a> <a href="/judges/12-3.htm">Today</a> <a href="/judges/11-27.htm">To-Day</a> <a href="/judges/20-12.htm">Tribe</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/1_samuel/4-13.htm">Cried</a> <a href="/judges/21-6.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/judges/21-5.htm">Israel</a> <a href="/1_samuel/30-19.htm">Lacking</a> <a href="/1_samuel/25-7.htm">Missing</a> <a href="/judges/21-6.htm">Today</a> <a href="/judges/21-6.htm">To-Day</a> <a href="/judges/21-6.htm">Tribe</a><div class="vheading2">Judges 21</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/21-1.htm">The people bewail the desolation of Benjamin</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/21-8.htm">By the destruction of Jabesh Gilead they provide them four hundred wives.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">16. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/21-16.htm">They advise the remainder to surprise the virgins that danced at Shiloh</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/judges/21.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/judges/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/judges/21.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>“Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out,</b><br>This phrase reflects the Israelites' deep anguish and confusion. The invocation of "O LORD God of Israel" emphasizes their recognition of God's sovereignty and covenant relationship with Israel. Historically, this cry is set in the period of the Judges, a time marked by moral and spiritual decline. The Israelites often turned to God in times of distress, as seen in <a href="/judges/6-7.htm">Judges 6:7</a> when they cried out to the LORD because of Midian. This pattern of crying out to God highlights their dependence on divine intervention despite their recurring disobedience.<p><b>“has this happened in Israel?”</b><br>The question underscores the gravity of the situation. The Israelites are bewildered by the internal conflict that has led to the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin. This reflects the chaotic and lawless period described in <a href="/judges/21-25.htm">Judges 21:25</a>, where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The internal strife contrasts with the unity expected among the tribes of Israel, as seen in earlier biblical narratives like the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. The rhetorical nature of the question suggests a search for understanding and accountability, possibly hinting at the consequences of collective sin and disobedience.<p><b>Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”</b><br>This statement highlights the immediate and severe consequence of the civil war against Benjamin. The loss of a tribe threatens the integrity and unity of the nation, which was meant to be a collective representation of God's chosen people. Theologically, the missing tribe signifies a breach in the covenant community, echoing the importance of each tribe in the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The absence of a tribe also foreshadows the future divisions and challenges Israel would face, such as the split into the northern and southern kingdoms. This moment serves as a somber reminder of the need for reconciliation and unity within the body of believers, a theme echoed in the New Testament's call for unity in Christ (<a href="/1_corinthians/12-12.htm">1 Corinthians 12:12-27</a>).<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_israelites.htm">The Israelites</a></b><br>The collective tribes of Israel who are lamenting the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin due to a civil war.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_tribe_of_benjamin.htm">The Tribe of Benjamin</a></b><br>One of the twelve tribes of Israel, which was nearly wiped out due to the conflict with the other tribes.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/m/mizpah.htm">Mizpah</a></b><br>A place where the Israelites gathered to discuss the situation and seek the Lord's guidance.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_lord,_god_of_israel.htm">The LORD, God of Israel</a></b><br>The covenant God of Israel, whom the Israelites are addressing in their lament.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/c/civil_war_in_israel.htm">Civil War in Israel</a></b><br>The internal conflict that led to the near destruction of the tribe of Benjamin, highlighting the moral and social chaos during the time of the Judges.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_sin_and_disobedience.htm">The Consequences of Sin and Disobedience</a></b><br>The near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of sin and disobedience to God’s laws. It calls us to reflect on our own lives and the importance of living in accordance with God’s will.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_unity_among_god's_people.htm">The Importance of Unity Among God’s People</a></b><br>The civil war among the tribes of Israel highlights the destructive nature of division. As believers, we are called to seek unity and reconciliation within the body of Christ.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/seeking_god_in_times_of_crisis.htm">Seeking God in Times of Crisis</a></b><br>The Israelites’ lament and questioning of God in their distress remind us of the importance of turning to God in times of crisis, seeking His wisdom and guidance.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_faithfulness_and_mercy.htm">God’s Faithfulness and Mercy</a></b><br>Despite the dire situation, God’s faithfulness is evident in the preservation of the tribe of Benjamin. This teaches us about God’s mercy and His plans for restoration even when situations seem hopeless.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_judges_21.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Judges 21</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_didn't_tribes_fully_possess_land.htm">If the land division was divinely ordained, why do other biblical accounts (e.g., Judges 1) describe tribes failing to fully possess these assigned territories?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_claim_all_promises_kept_despite_canaanites.htm">Why does Joshua 21:45 assert that every divine promise was fulfilled, when other passages suggest lingering Canaanite presence?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_would_god_allow_violent_vows.htm">How could an all-knowing God condone vows leading to violence against families and communities (Judges 21:1-11)?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_judges_1_show_partial_victories.htm">Why does Judges 1 focus on partial victories and failures if God had promised total victory, raising questions about divine promises versus historical outcomes?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/judges/21.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) <span class= "bld">Why is this come to pass . . .?</span>--This is not so much an inquiry into the cause, which was indeed too patent, but a wail of regret, implying a prayer to be enlightened as to the best means of averting the calamity. The repetition of the name "Israel" three times shows that the nation had not yet lost its sense of corporate unity, often as that unity had been rent asunder by their civil dissensions. Their wild justice is mingled with a still wilder mercy.<p><span class= "bld">One tribe lacking.</span>--The number twelve had an almost mystic significance, and is always preserved in reckoning up the tribes, whether Levi is included or excluded.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/judges/21.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And said</span>. Better, <span class="accented">And</span> <span class="accented">they said. <span class="cmt_word"></span>One tribe lacking</span>. The existence of the twelve tribes was an essential part of their covenant existence as the people of God (<a href="/genesis/35-22.htm">Genesis 35:22</a>; <a href="/genesis/49-28.htm">Genesis 49:28</a>; <a href="/exodus/24-4.htm">Exodus 24:4</a>; <a href="/numbers/1-5.htm">Numbers 1:5-15</a>; <a href="/joshua/4-3.htm">Joshua 4:3, 4</a>, etc.; <a href="/matthew/19-28.htm">Matthew 19:28</a>; <a href="/james/1-1.htm">James 1:1</a>; <a href="/revelation/7-4.htm">Revelation 7:4</a>, etc.). With one tribe missing Israel would be no longer Israel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/judges/21-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">“Why,</span><br /><span class="heb">לָמָ֗ה</span> <span class="translit">(lā·māh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4100.htm">Strong's 4100: </a> </span><span class="str2">What?, what!, indefinitely what</span><br /><br /><span class="word">O LORD</span><br /><span class="heb">יְהוָה֙</span> <span class="translit">(Yah·weh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3068.htm">Strong's 3068: </a> </span><span class="str2">LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel</span><br /><br /><span class="word">God</span><br /><span class="heb">אֱלֹהֵ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(’ĕ·lō·hê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> </span><span class="str2">gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of Israel,”</span><br /><span class="heb">יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל</span> <span class="translit">(yiś·rā·’êl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3478.htm">Strong's 3478: </a> </span><span class="str2">Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they cried out,</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ</span> <span class="translit">(way·yō·mə·rū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To utter, say</span><br /><br /><span class="word">“has this</span><br /><span class="heb">זֹּ֖את</span> <span class="translit">(zōṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2063.htm">Strong's 2063: </a> </span><span class="str2">Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that, </span><br /><br /><span class="word">happened</span><br /><span class="heb">הָ֥יְתָה</span> <span class="translit">(hā·yə·ṯāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> </span><span class="str2">To fall out, come to pass, become, be</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in Israel?</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל</span> <span class="translit">(bə·yiś·rā·’êl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3478.htm">Strong's 3478: </a> </span><span class="str2">Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Today</span><br /><span class="heb">הַיּ֛וֹם</span> <span class="translit">(hay·yō·wm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3117.htm">Strong's 3117: </a> </span><span class="str2">A day</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in Israel</span><br /><span class="heb">מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֖ל</span> <span class="translit">(mî·yiś·rā·’êl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3478.htm">Strong's 3478: </a> </span><span class="str2">Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc</span><br /><br /><span class="word">one</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶחָֽד׃</span> <span class="translit">(’e·ḥāḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Number - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_259.htm">Strong's 259: </a> </span><span class="str2">United, one, first</span><br /><br /><span class="word">tribe</span><br /><span class="heb">שֵׁ֥בֶט</span> <span class="translit">(šê·ḇeṭ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7626.htm">Strong's 7626: </a> </span><span class="str2">Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is missing!”</span><br /><span class="heb">לְהִפָּקֵ֥ד</span> <span class="translit">(lə·hip·pā·qêḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6485.htm">Strong's 6485: </a> </span><span class="str2">To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/judges/21-3.htm">Judges 21:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/judges/21-3.htm">OT History: Judges 21:3 They said Yahweh the God of Israel (Jd Judg. Jdg) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/judges/21-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Judges 21:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Judges 21:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/judges/21-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Judges 21:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Judges 21:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>