King James Version

What Does Judges 21:21 Mean?

Judges 21:21 in the King James Version says “And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and cat...” — study this verse from Judges chapter 21 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.”

Judges 21:21 · King James Version

Context

19

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. yearly: Heb. from year to year on the east: or, toward the sunrising of the highway: or, on the highway

20

Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21

And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22

And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. Be favourable: or, Gratify us in them

23

And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

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Commentaries3 scholars

KJV Study CommentaryPublic Domain
And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. The command to catch you every man his wife (u-chataftem lakem ish ishto, וַחֲטַפְתֶּם לָכֶם אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ) uses the verb chataf (חָטַף), meaning to seize or snatch away, often with connotations of violence (Judges 21:21, Job 9:12). The elders euphemistically call kidnapped women "wives" before any marriage covenant, revealing twisted thinking that transformed violent abduction into legitimate matrimony through semantic redefinition.

The phrase if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance depicts innocent young women participating in worship festival celebrations—dancing before the LORD as Miriam (Exodus 15:20) and David (2 Samuel 6:14) did. The Hebrew lamechol bamacholot (לָמְחֹל בַּמְּחֹלוֹת, "to dance in dances") suggests circular group dancing common in ancient Near Eastern festivals. These women would be traumatized—seized from worship, torn from families, forced into marriage with men from a tribe nearly destroyed for protecting gang rapists.

From a Reformed perspective, this verse exposes how sin distorts God's good gifts. Dance in worship was legitimate celebration of God's goodness; marriage was God's holy covenant. Yet here both are perverted—worship becomes opportunity for violence, and forced abduction is called matrimony. The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 139) teaches the seventh commandment requires "preservation of chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and behaviour." This mass kidnapping violated every aspect of sexual purity and covenantal marriage.

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

Ancient Near Eastern marriage customs typically involved negotiation between families, bride price payment (mohar, מֹהַר), and formal covenant ceremony (Genesis 24, 29:18-27). The kidnapping at Shiloh violated all these norms, traumatizing the women and their families. However, Deuteronomy 21:10-14 provided procedures for marrying captive women from foreign wars, requiring a month-long waiting period and treating them as wives, not property. Israel's leaders apparently believed applying this framework to fellow Israelites somehow legitimized the abduction.

The "daughters of Shiloh" were likely from Ephraimite families, as Shiloh was in Ephraim's territory. These women bore no responsibility for the Benjamin crisis yet suffered its consequences. The silence about their consent or feelings emphasizes how women were treated as solutions to male problems rather than as persons made in God's image. This pattern of using women's bodies to solve men's crises appears throughout Judges (Jephthah's daughter, the Levite's concubine), demonstrating the moral chaos when "every man did what was right in his own eyes."

Reflection Questions

  1. How does calling sinful actions by righteous names (e.g., calling kidnapping "marriage") reveal self-deception and moral confusion?
  2. What does this verse teach about how innocent parties often suffer consequences of others' sin and foolish decisions?
  3. In what ways does contemporary culture redefine biblical institutions to justify behavior that violates their God-ordained purposes?

Compare 3 commentaries from different scholars and time periods for a richer understanding.

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 20 words
וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם1 of 20

“And see”

H7200

to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

וְ֠הִנֵּה2 of 20
H2009

lo!

אִם3 of 20
H518

used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not

וִֽיצָאתֶם֙4 of 20

“come out”

H3318

to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim

מִבְּנ֣וֹת5 of 20

“and behold if the daughters”

H1323

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

שִׁיל֑וֹ6 of 20

“of Shiloh”

H7887

shiloh, a place in palestine

לָח֣וּל7 of 20

“to dance”

H2342

properly, to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e., (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear; fi

בַּמְּחֹלוֹת֒8 of 20

“in dances”

H4246

a dance

וִֽיצָאתֶם֙9 of 20

“come out”

H3318

to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim

מִן10 of 20
H4480

properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses

הַכְּרָמִ֔ים11 of 20

“of the vineyards”

H3754

a garden or vineyard

וַֽחֲטַפְתֶּ֥ם12 of 20

“and catch”

H2414

to clutch; hence, to seize as a prisoner

לָכֶ֛ם13 of 20
H0
אִ֥ישׁ14 of 20

“you every man”

H376

a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)

אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ15 of 20

“his wife”

H802

a woman

מִבְּנ֣וֹת16 of 20

“and behold if the daughters”

H1323

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

שִׁיל֑וֹ17 of 20

“of Shiloh”

H7887

shiloh, a place in palestine

וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם18 of 20

“and go”

H1980

to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)

אֶ֥רֶץ19 of 20

“to the land”

H776

the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

בִּנְיָמִֽן׃20 of 20

“of Benjamin”

H1144

binjamin, youngest son of jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Judges. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Judges 21:21 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Judges 21:21 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Exodus 15:20Judges 11:34Psalms 150:4Jeremiah 31:13Psalms 149:3Matthew 10:17

Places in This Verse

ShilohSettlement · Modern: Khirbet Seilun · 32.06°N, 35.29°E37 verses across 8 books
View all places in Judges 21 →

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