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Judgeschapter 21

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The Benjaminites Take the Virgins of Jabesh-gilead — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

A.A rash oath: no daughters for Benjaminvv. 1-7

1 Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” 2 So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!” 4 The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death. 6 And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel. 7 What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”

B.Jabesh-gilead pays for staying homevv. 8-15

8 So they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?” And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when the people were counted, none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there. 10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children. 11 This is what you are to do: Devote to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had relations with a man.” 12 So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. 13 Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon. 14 And at that time the Benjamites returned and were given the women who were spared from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them. 15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.

C.Wives from the dance at Shiloh, and no king in Israelvv. 16-25

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17 They added, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.” 19 “But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20 So they commanded the Benjamites: “Go, hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war. Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no guilt.’” 23 The Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and settled in them. 24 And at that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition
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Chapter summary

Israel weeps at Bethel over its own victory: one tribe is lacking, and they have sworn at Mizpah to give no daughters to Benjamin.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾

Israel weeps at Bethel over its own victory: one tribe is lacking, and they have sworn at Mizpah to give no daughters to Benjamin. Their solutions are as lawless as the crime that started it. Jabesh-gilead, which had not come to the assembly, is put to the sword and four hundred virgins taken for the survivors; when that falls short, the elders coach the Benjamites to lie in wait and catch the daughters of Shiloh as they come out to dance at the yearly feast. Then every man departs to his tribe, and the book closes on its own diagnosis: there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Samuel — Judges overview

  • A. 1–7 A rash oath: no daughters for Benjamin
  • B. 8–15 Jabesh-gilead pays for staying home
  • C. 16–25 Wives from the dance at Shiloh, and no king in Israel
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
  • Judges 216 verses
    • Judges 21:1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
    • Judges 21:5The Israelites asked, “Who among all the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
    • Judges 21:6And the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from Israel.
    • Judges 21:12So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
    • Judges 21:15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
    • Judges 21:18But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
    • Read Judges 21 →
  • Judges 206 verses
    • Judges 20:1Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
    • Judges 20:18The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
    • Judges 20:23They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”
    • Judges 20:26Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
    • Judges 20:47But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.
    • Judges 20:48And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.
    • Read Judges 20 →
  • 2 Samuel 242 verses
    • 2 Samuel 24:18And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
    • 2 Samuel 24:25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
    • Read 2 Samuel 24 →
  • 1 Samuel 112 verses
    • 1 Samuel 11:1Soon Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
    • 1 Samuel 11:7He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they turned out as one man.
    • Read 1 Samuel 11 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
  • Judges 112 verses
    • Judges 11:34And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
    • Judges 11:35As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
    • Read Judges 11 →
  • Judges 51 verse
    • Judges 5:23‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
    • Read Judges 5 →
  • Acts 231 verse
    • Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
    • Read Acts 23 →
  • Ecclesiastes 51 verse
    • Ecclesiastes 5:2Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
    • Read Ecclesiastes 5 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.