Judges 21:1

600 Brides for 600 Brothers

21:1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.”

Judges 21:7

21:7 How can we find wives for those who are left? ¹  After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.”

Judges 21:18

21:18 But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, ²  for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’ ³ 

Proverbs 20:25

20:25 It is a snare ⁴  for a person ⁵  to rashly cry, ⁶  “Holy!”

and only afterward to consider ⁷  what he has vowed. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “What should we do for them, for the remaining ones, concerning wives?”

² tn Heb “But we are not able to give to them wives from our daughters.”

³ tn Heb “is cursed.”

⁴ sn It would be a “snare” because it would lead people into financial difficulties; Leviticus 27 talks about foolish or rash vows.

⁵ tn Heb “a man.”

⁶ tn The verb is from לוּע (lu’) or לָעַע (la’a’); it means “to talk wildly” (not to be confused with the homonym “to swallow”). It occurs here and in Job 6:3.

⁷ tn Heb “reflect on.” The person is to consider the vows before making them, to ensure that they can be fulfilled. Too many people make their vow or promise without thinking, and then later worry about how they will fulfill their vows.

⁸ tn Heb “the vows” (so NASB); CEV “promises.”