Judges 21:10 (GNV)

Passage

Therefore the Congregation sent thither twelue thousande men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Goe, and smite the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, both women, and children.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:8 Also they saide, Is there any of the tribes of Israel that came not vp to Mizpeh to the Lord? and beholde, there came none of Iabesh Gilead vnto the hoste and to the Congregation.

Judges 21:9 For when the people were vewed; beholde, none of the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead were there.

Judges 21:10 Therefore the Congregation sent thither twelue thousande men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Goe, and smite the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, both women, and children.

Judges 21:11 And this is it that ye shall do: ye shall vtterly destroye all the males and all the women that haue lien by men.

Judges 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Iabesh Gilead foure hundreth maides, virgins that had knowne no man by lying with any male: and they brought them vnto the hoste to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "congregation", "sent", "thither", "twelue", "thousande", "most", and "valiant". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "congregation", 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 vewed beholde..." into verse 11's "And this is it that ye shall...", so "therefore" 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 "therefore" and "congregation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.