Judges 21:16

16 So the leaders of the gathering said, "There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left?

Judges 21:16 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 21:16

Then the elders of the congregation said
&c.] This being the case, that there were not wives enough for them, they were obliged to consult again, and consider of another expedient to provide for them; and this motion came from the elders of the people, not only in years, but in office:

how shall we do for wives for them that remain:
the other two hundred, who had none:

seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
and so no wives to be had there; and as for the Israelites which came to Mizpeh, who were of all the tribes of Israel, they had solemnly sworn that they would not give any of their daughters to them, and therefore it was a very difficult thing to provide wives for them.

Judges 21:16 In-Context

14 The Benjaminites came back, and the other Israelites gave them the young women from Jabesh whom they had not killed. But there were not enough of them.

15 The people felt sorry for the Benjaminites because the Lord had broken the unity of the tribes of Israel.

16 So the leaders of the gathering said, "There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left?

17 Israel must not lose one of its twelve tribes. We must find a way for the tribe of Benjamin to survive,

18 but we cannot allow them to marry our daughters, because we have put a curse on anyone who allows a Benjaminite to marry one of our daughters."