This verse sets the scene for the two episodes that follow. It is probably a flashback. In verse 20.1-11 the Israelites met together at Mizpah and decided to go to war, but the text does not mention any oath made there. But now this detail is supplied. Now renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, but many versions omit it (New International Version, Revised English Bible). Translators should try to find an appropriate connector. Good News Translation begins this verse with a temporal clause: “When the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah….” Contemporary English Version is similar with “When the Israelites had met at Mizpah before the war with Benjamin….”
The men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah: The men of Israel is literally “a man of Israel,” which occurs often in the previous section (verse 20.11, 17, 20, 22, 33, 36, 38-39, 41-42, 48). As there, this phrase has a collective meaning, “the Israelites” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Had sworn means “had made a solemn promise [or, vow]” (see verse 2.1), but the context does not say whether they made this promise to God or to each other. Contemporary English Version says “had made this sacred promise.” Like Revised Standard Version, most other English versions use the past perfect tense here to show that this action happened prior to the current time frame. For Mizpah see verse 20.1. In Hebrew this clause ends with an infinitive, literally “saying” (King James Version, NET Bible), but many versions omit this speech formula and introduce the oath as a quote (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version).
No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin is literally “A man from us will/should not give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife.” The pronoun us refers to all the Israelite tribes, with the exception of Benjamin. For give his daughter in marriage, see verse 1.12. At that time in Israel and still in many parts of the world today, parents arrange marriages for their children. Daughters have little or no say in the matter, though there are some exceptions (Gen 24.58; verse 29.23). As in the previous chapter, the name Benjamin refers to the tribe, and not just to an individual. We can simply say “We will not allow our daughters to marry Benjaminites.”
Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew here by using a direct quote, but some languages may prefer indirect speech (see first model below). Translation models for this verse are:
• When the Israelites had met in Mizpah, they had made a solemn promise not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjaminites.
• When in Mizpah, the Israelites had vowed [before God], “We will never allow any of our daughters to marry a Benjaminite man.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .