The Meaning of Judges 21:3 Explained

Judges 21:3

KJV: And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

YLT: and say, 'Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, hath this been in Israel -- to be lacking to-day, from Israel, one tribe?'

Darby: And they said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"

ASV: And they said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in Israel?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And said,  O LORD  God  of Israel,  why is this come to pass in Israel,  that there should be to day  one  tribe  lacking  in Israel? 

What does Judges 21:3 Mean?

Study Notes

tribe
There is here no mourning for sin, no humbling because of national transgression, no return to Jehovah. Accordingly, no word from Jehovah comes to them. They act wholly in self-will ( Judges 21:10 ). CF.; 21:10; Daniel 9:3-13 .

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 21:3 mean?

and said why Yahweh God of Israel has come to pass this in Israel that there should be [missing] today in Israel tribe one
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ לָמָ֗ה יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הָ֥יְתָה זֹּ֖את בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְהִפָּקֵ֥ד הַיּ֛וֹם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שֵׁ֥בֶט אֶחָֽד

וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָמָ֗ה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
הָ֥יְתָה  has  come  to  pass 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
זֹּ֖את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  in  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לְהִפָּקֵ֥ד  that  there  should  be  [missing] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
הַיּ֛וֹם  today 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  in  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שֵׁ֥בֶט  tribe 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
אֶחָֽד  one 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).