Judges 21:20 (DBY)

Passage

And they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Nearby Context

Judges 21:18 But we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjaminites!

Judges 21:19 And they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, toward the sun-rising of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

Judges 21:20 And they commanded the sons 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 out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

Judges 21:22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Gratify us with them, because we did not take each man his wife in the war; for ye did not give them to them, that ye should now be guilty.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "commanded", "sons", "benjamin", "saying", "wait", and "vineyards". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "commanded" and "sons", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And they said Behold there is a..." into verse 21's "and see and behold if the daughters...", so "commanded" and "sons" 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 "commanded" and "sons" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.