Judges 21:3
◄  Judges 21:3  ►
New International Version (©2011)
"LORD, God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?"

New Living Translation (©2007)
"O LORD, God of Israel," they cried out, "why has this happened in Israel? Now one of our tribes is missing from Israel!"

English Standard Version (©2001)
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?”

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
They said, "Why, O LORD, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?"

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
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?

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
and cried out, "Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?"

International Standard Version (©2012)
"Why, LORD God of Israel," they asked him, "is one tribe missing from Israel?"

NET Bible (©2006)
They said, "Why, O LORD God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?" An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!"

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"LORD God of Israel, why has this happened among us? Why should one tribe be missing today in Israel?"

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?

American King James Version
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?

American Standard Version
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?

Douay-Rheims Bible
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?

Darby Bible Translation
And they said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"

English Revised Version
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?

Webster's Bible Translation
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?

World English Bible
They said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"

Young's Literal Translation
and say, 'Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel -- to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - And said. Better, And they said. One tribe lacking. The existence of the twelve tribes was an essential part of their covenant existence as the people of God (Genesis 35:22; Genesis 49:28; Exodus 24:4; Numbers 1:5-15; Joshua 4:3, 4, etc.; Matthew 19:28; James 1:1; Revelation 7:4, etc.). With one tribe missing Israel would be no longer Israel.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And said, O Lord God of Israel,.... Jehovah, the only living and true God, the Being of beings, eternal, immutable, omnipotent and omnipresent, the God of all Israel, of the twelve tribes of Israel, their covenant God and Father; who had shown favour to them in such a peculiar and gracious manner, as he had not to other nations, and therefore hoped he would still have a kind regard unto them, and suffer them to expostulate with him in the following manner:

why is this come to pass in Israel; expressing, as Abarbinel thinks, a concern for the 40,000 men of Israel which fell in the two first battles; but it manifestly refers to the case in the next words:

that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel; meaning the tribe of Benjamin, which was all destroyed, excepting six hundred men, and these had no wives to propagate the tribe; and therefore, unless some provision could be made for that, it must in a short time be totally extinct; for which they express great concern, it not being their intention when they made the above oath to extirpate them; but such were now the circumstances of things in Providence, that it must perish unless some way could be found to relieve it, and which their oath seemed to preclude; and this threw them into great perplexity.

Judges 21:3 Parallel Commentaries

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Mourning the Tribe of Benjamin
1Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife. 2And the people came to the house of God, and stayed there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3And 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? …

Judges 21:2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.
Judges 21:4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.