Judges 21:5 (DRB)

Passage

Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:3 O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us?

Judges 21:4 And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said:

Judges 21:5 Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain.

Judges 21:6 And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel.

Judges 21:7 Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tribes", "israel", "came", "army", "lord", "bound", "themselves", and "great". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tribes" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And rising early the next day they..." into verse 6's "And the children of Israel being moved...", so "tribes" and "israel" 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 "tribes" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.