What is the meaning of Judges 21:16?

Then the elders of the congregation said

The scene opens with Israel’s recognized leaders stepping forward. In a moment of national crisis, it is the elders—those charged with guarding both the faith and the people—who speak up, just as they did in earlier moments of danger or transition (Exodus 24:1; Deuteronomy 31:9; Joshua 24:1). Their involvement reminds us that God expects spiritual shepherds to lead wisely and compassionately (Proverbs 11:14; 1 Peter 5:2–3).

• After a brutal civil war (Judges 20), only 600 Benjamite men have survived (Judges 20:47).

• The elders’ initiative shows a nation trying to mend what sin and violence have shattered (Hosea 14:1–2).

• Their dialogue underscores the biblical pattern of collective, prayerful deliberation in moments of uncertainty (Acts 15:6).

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What should we do about wives for those who remain

Marriage is not treated as a casual social arrangement but as a sacred provision from God—“It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). These 600 men need wives if Benjamin is to continue as one of Israel’s covenant tribes (Numbers 1:36–37).

• The elders ask “What should we do,” signaling dependence on divine guidance rather than human impulse (Proverbs 3:5–6; Psalm 37:5).

• Their concern is practical: without new families, Benjamin’s inheritance could vanish, threatening the unity of the twelve-tribe nation that God ordained (Genesis 49:27; Revelation 7:8).

• Yet an earlier vow complicates the solution—Israel had sworn not to give their own daughters to Benjamin (Judges 21:1). This tension between a hasty oath and genuine compassion sets the stage for the chapter’s difficult choices (Ecclesiastes 5:4–6).

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since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?

The catastrophic slaughter detailed in Judges 20:48 left the tribe bereft of its women and children. The verse’s blunt wording forces us to reckon with the tragic fallout of unchecked sin, vengeance, and broken covenant living (Hosea 10:13).

• The loss shows how sin’s ripple effects extend far beyond the original offenders (Romans 6:23).

• In God’s providence, even devastating moments can become turning points for restoration, as later seen when the tribe of Benjamin produces King Saul (1 Samuel 9:1–2) and, ultimately, the apostle Paul (Philippians 3:5).

• Scripture never endorses the violence that caused this destruction; instead, it records it to warn, humble, and drive us to the mercy that God alone provides (1 Corinthians 10:11).

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summary

Judges 21:16 captures a nation paused between judgment and mercy. The elders—faithful stewards—seek God-honoring solutions for the surviving Benjamites, aware of their own vows yet burdened for their brothers’ future. The verse highlights:

• godly leadership stepping into difficult conversations;

• marriage as a divinely woven thread for covenant continuity;

• sin’s devastating consequences, met by a gracious determination to restore.

In the tension of this single sentence, we glimpse both the severity of justice and the beginnings of redemption—an echo of the greater restoration God brings through Christ for every tribe and tongue.