Judges 21:14 (LSB)

Passage

Then Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they did not find enough for them.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Judges 21:13 Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and called out peace to them.

Judges 21:14 Then Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead; yet they did not find enough for them.

Judges 21:15 And the people were sorry for Benjamin because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

Judges 21:16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "benjamin", "returned", "time", "gave", "women", "kept", and "alive". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "benjamin" and "returned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Then the whole congregation sent word and..." into verse 15's "And the people were sorry for Benjamin...", so "benjamin" and "returned" 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 "benjamin" and "returned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.