Judges 21:14 (WEB)

Passage

Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.

Nearby Context

Judges 21:12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Judges 21:13 The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.

Judges 21:14 Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.

Judges 21:15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "The whole congregation sent and spoke to..." into verse 15's "The people grieved for Benjamin because Yahweh...", so "saved" and "benjamin" 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 "saved" and "benjamin" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.