And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
JUDGES 21:8KJVWhat does Judges 21:8 mean?
Judges 21:8 describes how the Israelites asked which tribe had not joined them at Mizpeh to meet before the LORD, and they discovered that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the assembly. This verse sets up the next actions the Israelites will take in response to Jabeshgilead’s absence.
The setting is after a civil war between the tribes of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. The leaders of Israel are speaking among themselves, trying to solve the problem of how to provide wives for the surviving Benjamite men. They realize that the people of Jabeshgilead did not participate in the earlier gathering at Mizpeh, which was a meeting before God to address the crisis.
The Hebrew behind Judges 21:8
- מִזְפֶּה (Mizpeh, H4709): This word means "watchtower" or "lookout," and here it refers to the specific place where the Israelites gathered before the LORD. The mention of Mizpeh highlights that this was a significant, solemn assembly.
- קָהָל (qahal, H6951): This word means "assembly" or "congregation." Its use here emphasizes that the gathering was not just a casual meeting but a formal, communal event involving all the tribes.
Why Judges 21:8 matters
- This verse explains how the Israelites identified Jabeshgilead as absent, which becomes crucial for their controversial decision in the following verses.
- By noting who did not come to the assembly, the verse shows the seriousness with which the Israelites viewed participation in national and religious matters.
- The verse connects to the wider story by showing the lengths the Israelites went to in order to solve the crisis with the tribe of Benjamin, revealing both the unity and the tensions among the tribes.