Judges 21:13 (ASV)

Passage

And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them.

Nearby Context

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.

Judges 21:13 And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them.

Judges 21:14 And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

Judges 21:15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whole", "congregation", "sent", "spake", "children", "benjamin", "rock", and "rimmon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whole" and "congregation", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And they found among the inhabitants of..." into verse 14's "And Benjamin returned at that time and...", so "whole" and "congregation" 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 "whole" and "congregation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.