The direct speech of the Israelites continues. However, there is an important development here. In 21.7 they complain that they do not have a solution, but here they begin to find an answer to their problem.

And they said: This quote frame introduces the next step in the thinking and planning of the Israelites. Revised English Bible omits it since the Israelites continue speaking here, but it should be kept if possible. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “Then” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) to show that the event line of the story continues. The pronoun they refers to the Israelites. The general verb said may be rendered “asked” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version), since it introduces a question.

What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah? is literally “Who [is] the one from the tribes of Israel who did not go up to Yahweh the Mizpah?” This question is very similar to the one in verse 21.5. The keyword one occurs again (verse 21.3, 6). There is something unusual here, since the Israelites ask about which tribe did not come, when, in fact, it was just one locality within a tribe that did not join the assembly. Nevertheless, the text must be followed. As usual, the Israelites are exaggerating. We might say “Of the tribes of Israel, which one did not come before Yahweh at Mizpah?”

And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly: This sentence could be considered an answer to the previous question. However, the Hebrew word rendered behold (hinneh) shows that this is the discovery that the Israelites made when they began wondering about this subject. Here a good way of expressing behold is “they discovered” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation), “they found out” (Good News Translation), or “they suddenly realized.” The word hinneh occurs here as we approach one of the climaxes of the story and occurs again in the next verse. Revised English Bible renders behold as “it happened that,” which is too flat. Translators need to find an appropriate way of expressing this highlighted information.

No one is literally “not a man.” Revised Standard Version uses the past perfect tense had come to show that a past event is in view here. The Hebrew word rendered camp (machaneh) is usually used in a military context, as in the story of Gideon (see verse 7.1). This is the first time in Judges that this word is used to refer to an assembly (see verse 20.2). Since the Israelites decided at their assembly to go to war, calling the place a camp makes good sense. Contemporary English Version combines both terms, saying simply “meeting,” but there seems no reason to avoid the word camp.

Finally the audience learns that it was not an entire tribe who did not attend the assembly, but the people from a single town, Jabesh-gilead located in the region of Gilead. The precise location of this place is not known. Jabesh-gilead may be rendered “the town of Jabesh in the region of Gilead.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• Then they asked, “Which tribe did not send anyone to the meeting before the LORD in Mizpah?” And they suddenly realized that not one person had come from the town of Jabesh in Gilead.

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 .