The Meaning of Judges 21:22 Explained

Judges 21:22

KJV: And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.

YLT: and it hath been, when their fathers or their brethren come in to plead unto us, that we have said unto them, Favour us by them, for we have not taken to each his wife in battle, for ye -- ye have not given to them at this time that ye are guilty.'

Darby: And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, 'Grant them graciously to us; because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.'"

ASV: And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, Grant them graciously unto us, because we took not for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did ye give them unto them, else would ye now be guilty.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall be, when their fathers  or their brethren  come  unto us to complain,  that we will say  unto them, Be favourable  unto them for our sakes: because we reserved  not to each man  his wife  in the war:  for ye did not give  unto them at this time,  [that] ye should be guilty. 

What does Judges 21:22 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Judges 21

1  The people bewail the desolation of Benjamin
8  By the destruction of Jabesh Gilead they provide them four hundred wives
16  They advise the remainder to surprise the virgins that danced at Shiloh

What do the individual words in Judges 21:22 mean?

And it shall be when come their fathers or their brothers - to complain to us that we will say to them Be kind to them for our sakes because not we did take for any of them a wife in the war for [it is] not [as though] you have given the [women] to them at this time making yourselves guilty of your oath -
וְהָיָ֡ה כִּֽי־ יָבֹ֣אוּ אֲבוֹתָם֩ א֨וֹ אֲחֵיהֶ֜ם [לרוב] (לָרִ֣יב ׀) אֵלֵ֗ינוּ וְאָמַ֤רְנוּ אֲלֵיהֶם֙ חָנּ֣וּנוּ אוֹתָ֔ם כִּ֣י לֹ֥א לָקַ֛חְנוּ אִ֥ישׁ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה כִּ֣י לֹ֥א אַתֶּ֛ם נְתַתֶּ֥ם לָהֶ֖ם כָּעֵ֥ת תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ ס

וְהָיָ֡ה  And  it  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יָבֹ֣אוּ  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֲבוֹתָם֩  their  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֲחֵיהֶ֜ם  their  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
[לרוב]  - 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
(לָרִ֣יב ׀)  to  complain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רִיב  
Sense: to strive, contend.
אֵלֵ֗ינוּ  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וְאָמַ֤רְנוּ  that  we  will  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲלֵיהֶם֙  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
חָנּ֣וּנוּ  Be  kind 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural, first person common plural
Root: חָנַן 
Sense: to be gracious, show favour, pity.
אוֹתָ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person masculine plural
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כִּ֣י  for  our  sakes  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לָקַ֛חְנוּ  we  did  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אִ֥ישׁ  for  any  of  them 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ  a  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה  in  the  war 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
לֹ֥א  [it  is]  not  [as  though] 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
נְתַתֶּ֥ם  have  given  the  [women] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לָהֶ֖ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
כָּעֵ֥ת  at  this  time 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
תֶּאְשָֽׁמוּ  making  yourselves  guilty  of  your  oath 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָשַׁם  
Sense: to offend, be guilty, trespass.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation