King James Version

Judges 21:18

Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

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Hebrew

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וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּvaanachnvand weאֲנַחְנוּconjunction, pronoun, personal, 1st person, common, plural — “and we”H587weourselves, us, we.לֹ֥אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…נוּכַ֛לnukhalbe ableיָכֹלverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, plural — “be able”, an unfinished actionH3201to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.לָתֵתlatetto giveנָתַןpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to give”, the to-form of the verbH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לָהֶ֥םlahemtoלָהֶ֥םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “to”toנָשִׁ֖יםnashimeachאִשָּׁהnoun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “each”, the ordinary formH802a woman(adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.מִבְּנוֹתֵ֑ינוּmibnoteynvfrom daughterבַּתpreposition, noun, common, feminine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “from daughter”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1323a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, [idiom] first, [idiom] old, [phrase] owl, town, village.כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…נִשְׁבְּע֤וּnishbevswearשָׁבַעverb, niphal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “swear”, a completed actionH7650to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for H7646 (שָׂבַע)), take an oath, [idiom] straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.בְנֵֽיvenesonבֵּןnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “son”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)[phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, […יִשְׂרָאֵל֙yisraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלnoun, proper name — “Israel”H3478Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterityIsrael.לֵאמֹ֔רlemorto sayאָמַרpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to say”, the to-form of the verbH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…אָר֕וּרarurto execrateאָרַרverb, qal, passive participle, absolute — “to execrate”, a verb used as a describing wordH779to execrate[idiom] bitterly curse.נֹתֵ֥ןnotengiveנָתַןverb, qal, participle, absolute — “give”, a verb used as a describing wordH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…אִשָּׁ֖הishaheachאִשָּׁהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “each”, the ordinary formH802a woman(adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.לְבִנְיָמִֽןlevinyaminto Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןpreposition, noun, proper name — “to Benjamin”H1144Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryBenjamin.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: 'Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Young’s Literal Translation

and we — we are not able to give to them wives out of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [is] he who is giving a wife to Benjamin.'

World English Bible

However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”

Darby Translation

But we cannot give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjaminites!

Douay-Rheims

For as to our own daughters we cannot give them, being bound with an oath and a curse, whereby we said: Cursed be he that shall give Benjamin any of his daughters to wife.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn, saying: 'Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed is he that gives a wife to Benjamin.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνησόμεθα δοῦναι αὐτοῖς γυναῖκας ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὠμόσαμεν ἐν υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, λέγοντες, ἐπικατάρατος ὁ διδοὺς γυναῖκα τῷ Βενιαμίν.