And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

JUDGES 21:17KJV
Know the Bible

Judges 21:17 (KJV)

What does Judges 21:17 mean?

Judges 21:17 means that the leaders of Israel decided there must be a way for the surviving men of the tribe of Benjamin to have land and a future, so that the tribe would not disappear from among the people of Israel. They were concerned about preserving Benjamin as one of the twelve tribes after a devastating civil war.

The verse is spoken by the elders of Israel as they discuss how to help the few remaining Benjaminites. Earlier, most of the tribe had been killed because of a conflict, and the rest risked being wiped out if they had no families or inheritance. The leaders are trying to find a solution so that Benjamin will not be “destroyed” or lost from the nation.

The Hebrew behind Judges 21:17

  • "Inheritance" (נַחֲלָה, nachalah): This word means a portion of land or property passed down within a family or tribe. Here, it shows the concern for giving the Benjaminites a secure place and future among the tribes.
  • "Escaped" (פְּלֵיטָה, peleitah): This refers to those who survived the earlier conflict. The use of this word highlights how few Benjaminites were left and the urgency to protect them.
  • "Destroyed" (מָחָה, machah): This word can mean to blot out or erase. The leaders feared that Benjamin could be completely erased from Israel’s history if nothing was done.

Why Judges 21:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the leaders were not seeking revenge but were trying to repair the damage and preserve the unity of Israel after a tragic conflict.
  • It highlights the importance of each tribe in Israel’s identity and the lengths the people went to in order to keep all twelve tribes intact.
  • The verse connects to the wider story of Judges 21, where the Israelites wrestle with the consequences of their actions and try to make things right for the surviving Benjaminites.

Where else these words appear

“inheritance” Hebrew H3425 · used in 12 verses

  • Deuteronomy 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
  • Deuteronomy 2:19 And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
  • Joshua 12:7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

“escaped” Hebrew H6413 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 32:8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
  • 2 Chronicles 30:6 So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
  • Isaiah 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

“destroyed” Hebrew H4229 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
  • Deuteronomy 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
  • Psalms 109:13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.