So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The precise geographical details aren't just for show; they likely indicate that by the time this story was written down, Shiloh was no longer a well-known central sanctuary. This elaborate description, almost like a footnote, suggests the writer felt it necessary to pinpoint the location for readers who might have lived long after Shiloh had faded in prominence.
So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the wake of a devastating civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelite elders are desperate to preserve Benjamin from extinction. Having already decreed that Benjaminite men could not marry daughters of Israel, they now strategize to obtain wives for the remaining 600 Benjamites by seizing young women from a religious festival in Shiloh. This passage describes the location of that yearly feast as a crucial detail for their desperate plan.
The elders in Judges 21 needed a plan to find wives for the remaining Benjamites. Their solution? A yearly feast in Shiloh. But what kind of feast was it, and why was it significant?
The verse mentions a "yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh." While the exact feast isn't named, commentators suggest it was likely one of the three major pilgrimage festivals – Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles.
A Time of Gathering
The elders provide a very specific description of Shiloh's location. Why such detail? What does it tell us about their plan and the reliability of the text?
The verse gives precise geographical markers: "north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."
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More Than Just a Place
Understand the original words
chag · Hebrew Noun
A designated time for religious celebration or worship, often tied to covenantal obligations or specific commemorative events in Israel's history.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal name of the God of Israel, the covenant-keeping Creator who revealed Himself to Moses.
The detailed geographical description of Shiloh in this verse, unusual for the time, suggests it was added later when the city had fallen into disuse, serving to help readers identify this ancient religious site.
c. 1100 BC
Shiloh established as religious center
Following the conquest of Canaan, Shiloh becomes the central sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. This marks it as a significant religious gathering place for all Israel.
c. 1070 BC
Eli serves as High Priest at Shiloh
The period of Judges is marked by instability, but Shiloh remains the primary religious site. Eli is the last judge to serve there before the Ark is captured.
c. 1050 BC
Ark of the Covenant captured by Philistines
During a battle at Eben-ezer, the Philistines defeat Israel, capture the Ark, and destroy Shiloh as a central sanctuary. This event marks a decline in Shiloh's prominence.
Undated, during the period of the Judges
The Crime of Gibeah
A brutal act of violence against a Levite's concubine in Gibeah sparks outrage throughout Israel, leading to a devastating civil war against the tribe of Benjamin.
Undated, during the period of the Judges
Near extermination of Benjamin
After a brutal war, nearly all the men of the tribe of Benjamin are killed. The remaining 600 Benjamite men hide in the rock of Rimmon.
Undated, during the period of the Judges— this verse
Plea for wives for Benjamin
The other tribes, having vowed to not give their daughters to Benjamin, devise a plan to secure wives for the surviving Benjamites by abducting virgins from a yearly feast in Shiloh.
This passage also mentions the annual pilgrimage to Shiloh for the Feast of the Lord, highlighting the continuity of this religious practice and its significance as a gathering point.
Exodus 23:14-17This foundational law outlines the three yearly festivals where all Israelite males were to appear before the Lord, providing context for the 'feast of the Lord' mentioned in Judges.
Deuteronomy 12:5-7This passage describes the central place of worship chosen by the Lord where Israel was to bring their offerings and rejoice before Him, which was Shiloh during the period of the Judges.
Judges 20:27-28This immediately preceding passage shows the Ark of the Covenant and the High Priest Phinehas present at Shiloh, underscoring Shiloh's role as the primary religious center before the events described here.
clarkeJudges 21:19: "Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."
There is a feast of the Lord - What this feast was is not known: it might be either the passover, pentecost, or the feast of tabernacles, or indeed some other peculiar to this place. All the above feasts were celebrated at that time of the year when the vines were…
ellicottJudges 21:19: "Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."
(19) A feast of the Lord in Shiloh. —It is unlikely that the reference is to a local feast; but it is impossible to say which of the three yearly feasts is meant. The most natural would be the Feast of Tabernacles. We see from 1Samuel 1:3 that even among pious fami…
The precise geographical details aren't just for show; they likely indicate that by the time this story was written down, Shiloh was no longer a well-known central sanctuary. This elaborate description, almost like a footnote, suggests the writer felt it necessary to pinpoint the location for readers who might have lived long after Shiloh had faded in prominence.
In the wake of a devastating civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelite elders are desperate to preserve Benjamin from extinction. Having already decreed that Benjaminite men could not marry daughters of Israel, they now strategize to obtain wives for the remaining 600 Benjamites by seizing young women from a religious festival in Shiloh. This passage describes the location of that yearly feast as a crucial detail for their desperate plan.
In the wake of a devastating civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelite elders are desperate to preserve Benjamin from extinction. Having already decreed that Benjaminite men could not marry daughters of Israel, they now strategize to obtain wives for the remaining 600 Benjamites by seizing young women from a religious festival in Shiloh. This passage describes the location of that yearly feast as a crucial detail for their desperate plan.
"So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”" — The precise geographical details aren't just for show; they likely indicate that by the time this story was written down, Shiloh was no longer a well-known central sanctuary. This elaborate descripti…
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Last reviewed October 2026