Judges 21:16

When we read Judges 21:16, we find the elders of Israel in a desperate situation: *“Then the elders of the congregation said, ‘What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?’”* (v.16). These elders had witnessed a civil war that nearly wiped out the tribe of Benjamin. In the aftermath, they grieved over the possibility that one of Israel’s twelve tribes might vanish entirely. In ancient Israel, family lineage was vitally important, so the elders faced a crisis of preserving Benjamin’s line in accordance with God’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation (Genesis 12:2). Although there is no direct mention of a geographic location in this verse, the broader context places the gathering at Shiloh or its vicinity, since Shiloh was the central place of worship at the time (Judges 21:19). These events occurred near the end of the time of the judges, possibly around 1100–1050 BC, when Israel had no king, and each of the tribes was largely self-governed under the leadership of elders and judges.

In the larger story, the near-destruction of Benjamin began in Judges chapter 19. A horrific crime committed in Gibeah (a city in Benjamin) sparked outrage among the other tribes of Israel. This led to a devastating civil conflict where the other tribes united against Benjamin. By the time the fighting ended, Benjamin’s male population was drastically reduced, and the women of the tribe had been wiped out. The elders recognized the dire consequences of letting the tribe of Benjamin vanish: Israel would be incomplete without one of its tribes, and they saw it as a violation of God’s design for Israel to be comprised of all twelve tribes descended from Jacob. To remedy this situation, the elders sought a way to find wives for the remaining men of Benjamin, ensuring that their lineage could continue (Judges 21:17).

“What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” is thus a question rooted in concern, community responsibility, and covenant faithfulness to preserve all of Israel.

They devised a plan so Benjamin would not become extinct.

Short one-sentence summary: The elders of Israel seek to preserve the nearly exterminated tribe of Benjamin by asking how to provide wives for the surviving men so their lineage will not die out.