Judges 21:10 (ASV)

Passage

And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.

Judges 21:9 For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.

Judges 21:10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.

Judges 21:11 And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

Judges 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "congregation", "sent", "thither", "twelve", "thousand", "valiantest", "commanded", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "congregation" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "For when the people were numbered behold..." into verse 11's "And this is the thing that ye...", so "congregation" and "sent" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "congregation" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.