The speech of the Israelites continues here. At the first assembly they had vowed that none of their daughters could marry a Benjaminite (verse 21.1), and certainly during the war many Benjaminite women must have been killed or captured. Even though the Israelites were responsible for the situation, here they try to figure out how the 600 surviving Benjaminite soldiers will find wives (verse 20.47). To express this dilemma, they ask a rhetorical question.

What shall we do for wives for those who are left…? is literally “What will we do for them, for those who are left for wives…?” The Israelites take responsibility for finding wives for the surviving Benjaminite soldiers. Do renders a very general Hebrew verb, which Good News Translation and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh render more explicitly as “do to provide.” Those who are left refers to the soldiers who were not killed. We may say “those who survived.” The Hebrew root for the verb rendered are left is the same one used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to the “remnant” in Israel. If this is an allusion to those left behind in Israel during the Exile or to those in exile who could return to Jerusalem from Babylonia, this would date the text of Judges to a late date, during the time of the deuteronomic school. The use of this root would bring yet another note of irony to this text. Revised Standard Version‘s rendering can serve as a good model here.

Since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives: See verse 21.1. This clause gives the reason why the Israelites need to find wives for the surviving Benjaminites. Since we have sworn by the LORD renders an emphatic expression in Hebrew, which is literally “and we ourselves have sworn by Yahweh.” To swear an oath by the LORD means to use Yahweh’s name when making a promise. Such an oath usually involves calling on Yahweh to curse the one who does not keep the promise made. It is like saying “May Yahweh strike me dead if I do not…” (see Ruth 1.17). This expression is probably the strongest kind of vow that could have been made. Therefore the Israelites know it would be dangerous to break this promise. This clause may be rendered “because we solemnly swore in Yahweh’s name not to allow any of our daughters to marry a Benjaminite.”

In those languages that need to give the reason first, this whole verse may be rendered as follows:

• We made a solemn promise in Yahweh’s name not to allow any of our daughters to marry a Benjaminite, so what can we do now to provide wives for those who survived [the war]?”

Another possible model is:

• What can we do to ensure that the Benjaminite survivors find wives? We solemnly promised Yahweh that we would not allow any of our daughters to marry a Benjaminite.”

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 .