Judges 21:19
New International Version
But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

New Living Translation
Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.

English Standard Version
So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

Berean Standard Bible
“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

King James Bible
Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

New King James Version
Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

New American Standard Bible
So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

NASB 1995
So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

NASB 1977
So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So they said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

Amplified Bible
So they said, “Listen, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah.”

Christian Standard Bible
They also said, “Look, there’s an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They also said, “Look, there’s an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

American Standard Version
And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

Contemporary English Version
Then someone suggested, "What about the LORD's Festival that takes place each year in Shiloh? It's held north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and just east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem."

English Revised Version
And they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Others said, "Every year the LORD's festival is held at Shiloh. Shiloh is north of Bethel, east of the highway going from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."

Good News Translation
Then they thought, "The yearly festival of the LORD at Shiloh is coming soon." (Shiloh is north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and east of the road between Bethel and Shechem.)

International Standard Version
So they concluded, "Look, there's a festival to the LORD every year in Shiloh on the north side of Bethel, south of Lebonah and on the east side of the highway that runs from Bethel to Shechem…"

Majority Standard Bible
“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

NET Bible
However, there is an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah."

New Heart English Bible
They said, "Look, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."

Webster's Bible Translation
Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

World English Bible
They said, “Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they say, “Behold, a festival of YHWH [is] in Shiloh, from time to time, which [is] on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.”

Young's Literal Translation
And they say, 'Lo, a festival of Jehovah is in Shiloh, from time to time, which is on the north of Beth-El, at the rising of the sun, by the highway which is going up from Beth-El to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will say, Behold, a festival of Jehovah in Shiloh from days to days, which is from the north to the house of God, from the rising of the sun to the highway going from the house of God to Shechem, and from the south to Lebonah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
So they took counsel, and said: Behold there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord in Silo, which is situate on the north of the city of Bethel, and on the east side of the way, that goeth from Bethel to Sichem, and on the south of the town of Lebona.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they took counsel, and they said, “Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.”

New American Bible
Then they thought of the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.

New Revised Standard Version
So they said, “Look, the yearly festival of the LORD is taking place at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then they said. Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, south of Lebonah.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they said: “Behold a feast of LORD JEHOVAH has been in Shilo from time to time, from the north of Bayth Eil, from the rising of the sun, from the road going up from Bayth Eil to Shekeem from the south of Lebuna
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they said: 'Behold, there is the feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they said, Lo! now there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Wives for the Benjamites
18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.” 19“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards…

Cross References
Judges 20:1-2
Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. / The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.

1 Samuel 1:3
Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.

Joshua 18:1
Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,

1 Samuel 10:8
And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”

1 Samuel 20:6
If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’

1 Kings 12:28-30
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

2 Chronicles 8:13
He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.

Exodus 23:14-17
Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me. / You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed. / You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field. ...

Exodus 34:23
Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

Leviticus 23:4
These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times.

Numbers 28:16-18
The fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD’s Passover. / On the fifteenth day of this month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten. / On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.

John 4:20-24
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.” / “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. / You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ...

Luke 2:41-42
Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. / And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast.

Matthew 26:17
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”


Treasury of Scripture

Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

a feast

Exodus 23:14-16
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year…

Leviticus 23:3,4,6,10,34
Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings…

Numbers 10:10
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

yearly [heb] from year to year.

Jump to Previous
Annual Bethel Beth-El East Highway North Rising Road Shechem Shiloh Side South Sun Time Yearly
Jump to Next
Annual Bethel Beth-El East Highway North Rising Road Shechem Shiloh Side South Sun Time Yearly
Judges 21
1. The people bewail the desolation of Benjamin
8. By the destruction of Jabesh Gilead they provide them four hundred wives.
16. They advise the remainder to surprise the virgins that danced at Shiloh














But look
This phrase serves as an attention-grabber, urging the audience to focus on the significant event about to be described. In the Hebrew text, the word often translated as "look" is "הִנֵּה" (hinneh), which is used to draw attention to something important or to introduce a new development. It suggests a moment of realization or a call to action, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming feast in the narrative.

there is the annual feast of the LORD
The "annual feast" refers to one of the three major pilgrimage festivals commanded by God in the Torah, likely the Feast of Tabernacles, Passover, or Pentecost. These feasts were times of communal gathering, worship, and celebration, deeply rooted in Israelite tradition. The phrase "of the LORD" underscores the divine ordination of these feasts, highlighting their spiritual significance as times set apart for worship and remembrance of God's covenant with Israel.

in Shiloh
Shiloh was a significant religious center for the Israelites before the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital. It was the location of the Tabernacle, the portable earthly dwelling place of God among the Israelites. Archaeological excavations at Shiloh have uncovered remnants that align with its biblical description, affirming its historical and religious importance during the period of the Judges.

which is north of Bethel
Bethel, meaning "House of God," was an important city in the biblical narrative, often associated with patriarchal stories, such as Jacob's dream of the ladder. The geographical reference to Bethel situates Shiloh within the broader landscape of Israel's sacred geography, connecting it to the spiritual heritage of the patriarchs.

east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem
This directional detail provides a precise geographical context, indicating the route pilgrims would take to reach Shiloh. Shechem was another significant city, known for its covenantal associations, such as the renewal of the covenant under Joshua. The road from Bethel to Shechem was a well-traveled path, linking key locations in Israel's spiritual and communal life.

and south of Lebonah
Lebonah, though less prominent in biblical narratives, is mentioned here to further pinpoint Shiloh's location. This detail reflects the thoroughness of the biblical authors in providing a clear and navigable description of the land, emphasizing the accessibility of Shiloh for the Israelites gathering for the feast.

(19) A feast of the Lord in Shiloh.--It is unlikely that the reference is to a local feast; but it is impossible to say which of the three yearly feasts is meant. The most natural would be the Feast of Tabernacles. We see from 1Samuel 1:3 that even among pious families the trying custom of going up to the Tabernacle three times a year had fallen into complete abeyance.

A place which is on the north side of Beth-el . . .--This elaborate description of the site of Shiloh, a place which is so often mentioned elsewhere without any addition, is extremely curious. There can be little doubt that it is due to the marginal gloss of some Masoretic scribe, perhaps in the editing of the sacred books by Ezra. That it is a gloss seems clear, because it comes in as a parenthesis in the speech of the elders, and, of course, in their day such a description was needless. Indeed, it was spoken at Shiloh itself, and the site was well known to all Israel. But by the time that the story was committed to writing in the days of the kings, or finally edited in the days of Ezra, Shiloh had long been desolate, and probably the very site was unknown to thousands. Hence this very valuable and interesting description was added, which has alone enabled us to identify Shiloh in the modern Seil-n.

South of Lebonah.--Lebonah, now Lubban, is not mentioned elsewhere.

Verse 19. - There is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly. Compare the exactly similar description, 1 Samuel 1:3, 7. There is a great difference of opinion among commentators as to what feast is here meant. Hengstenberg, Keil, Delitzsch, and others think it was the passover; Bishop Patrick and others think it was the feast of tabernacles, a more joyous feast; Rosenmuller and others think it was a festival peculiar to Shiloh, after the analogy of the yearly sacrifice of the family of Jesse at Bethlehem (1 Samuel 20:29), and more or less in accordance with Deuteronomy 12:10-12. It is not easy to say which view is right, but the last seems not improbable, In a place which is on the north side, etc. The words in a place are not in the Hebrew, and do not seem to be implied by the context. But the description is that of the situation of Shiloh itself, which is very exact (see 'Palestine Exploration Fund,' Map of West Palestine). Lebonah survives in el-Lubbun, about two miles north-west of Seilun, and to the west of the road to Shechem or Nablus. It seems strange that so particular a description of the situation of Shiloh should be given; but it may probably indicate that the writer lived after the tabernacle had been moved to Jerusalem, and Shiloh had relapsed into an obscure village (see Judges 20:27, note). The situation of the descriptive words in the Hebrew, with the pronoun which, separated from Shiloh by the word yearly, indicates that they are an explanation added by the narrator.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“But look,”
הִנֵּה֩ (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

they said,
וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“there is a yearly
מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ (mî·yā·mîm)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

feast
חַג־ (ḥaḡ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2282: A festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast

to the LORD
יְהוָ֨ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

in Shiloh,
בְּשִׁל֜וֹ (bə·ši·lōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7887: Shiloh -- a city in Ephraim

which [is]
אֲשֶׁ֞ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

north
מִצְּפ֤וֹנָה (miṣ·ṣə·p̄ō·w·nāh)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6828: Hidden, dark, the north as a, quarter

of
לְבֵֽית־ (lə·ḇêṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew

Bethel
אֵל֙ (’êl)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1008: Bethel -- 'house of God', a city in Ephraim, also a place in southern Judah

east
הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ (haš·še·meš)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement

of the road
לִמְסִלָּ֔ה (lim·sil·lāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4546: A thoroughfare, a viaduct, a staircase

that goes up
הָעֹלָ֥ה (hā·‘ō·lāh)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

from
מִבֵּֽית־ (mib·bêṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew

Bethel
אֵ֖ל (’êl)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1008: Bethel -- 'house of God', a city in Ephraim, also a place in southern Judah

to Shechem,
שְׁכֶ֑מָה (šə·ḵe·māh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7927: Shechem -- 'ridge', a district in Northern Palestine, also a son of Hamor

and south
וּמִנֶּ֖גֶב (ū·min·ne·ḡeḇ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5045: South country, the Negeb, south

of Lebonah.”
לִלְבוֹנָֽה׃ (lil·ḇō·w·nāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3829: Lebonah -- a place near Shiloh


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OT History: Judges 21:19 They said Behold there is a feast (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 21:18
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