Judges 21:19 (ASV)

Passage

And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.

Judges 21:18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Judges 21:19 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

Judges 21:20 And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards,

Judges 21:21 and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "behold", "feast", "jehovah", "year", "shiloh", and "north". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "behold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Howbeit we may not give them wives..." into verse 20's "And they commanded the children of Benjamin...", so "said" and "behold" 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 "said" and "behold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.