However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”
Parallel Translations
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However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”
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Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
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Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: 'Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.'
Cross-references (2)
Passages linked to Judges 21:18 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Judges 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, “None of us will give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”
- Judges 11:35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (6 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jdg 21:18 Howbeit we may not give them wives…
Jdg 21:18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [be] he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.
Ver. 18. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.] And unless those daughters were given them by their parents, they would not marry with the Benjamites, though it were to be made mistresses of such large inheritances. It is of the law of nature, that parents have the dispose of their children in marriage. But the Pope taketh upon him to dispense in that case. Potest de iniustitia facere iustitiam, saith Bellarmine {a} out of the Canonists. Ex nihilo aliquid, ex virtute vitium. Papae!
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Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.] They had backed their oath with an imprecation. This was to be too hot in a cold matter. They will not break their unlawful oath; but they devise how to elude it, which was worse. Dum vitant stulti vitium, &c.
{a} De Pontif. Rom., lib. iv.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain i.e. To this generation of Benjamites who have made…
i.e. To this generation of Benjamites who have made themselves guilty of this foul wickedness; but this oath did not extend to their posterity. And some think it had another exception, to wit, unless the surviving Benjamites could not otherwise be supplied with wives.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Howbeit, we may not give them wives of our…
Howbeit, we may not give them wives of our daughters,.... Though their case was so very necessitous and desperate:
for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin, Jdg 21:1 and therefore without the violation of their oath could not give any of their daughters in marriage to them: wherefore some other way must be devised to help them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For the children of Israel have sworn - See…
For the children of Israel have sworn - See Jdg 21:1. Compare Saul’s rash oath 1Sa 14:24, and his breach of the oath made to the Gideonites 2Sa 21:2. For the guilt of a broken oath, see Eze 17:15-20; Exo 20:7.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain We are not able. Note again the evil of…
We are not able. Note again the evil of rash vows, and how often chicanery is necessary in order to evade their evil consequences.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 a wife to Benjamin
a wife to Benjamin
Here Benjamin refers to the male descendants of Benjamin. AT: "a wife to the men of Benjamin" (See: Synecdoche)
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which is north of Bethel, east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah
This is background information to explain to the reader where the city of Shiloh is located. (See: Background Information)
Lebonah
This is the name of a city. (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
Israel
promise
curse
Benjamin
Yahweh
Shiloh
Bethel
Shechem
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.