21:15 The people regretted what had happened to 3 Benjamin because the Lord had weakened 4 the Israelite tribes.
1 tn Or “felt sorry for.”
2 tn Heb “cut off one.”
3 tn Or “felt sorry for.”
4 tn Heb “had made a gaping hole in.” The narrator uses imagery that compares Israel to a wall that has been breached.
5 tn The Hebrew text has “and they said” at the beginning of the verse. For stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 17 as a continuation of the remarks of the leaders in v. 16.
6 tn Heb “An inheritance for the remnant belonging to Benjamin, and a tribe from Israel will not be wiped away.” The first statement lacks a verb. Some prefer to emend the text to read, “How can an inheritance remain for the remnant of Benjamin?”