Old Testament Commentary - Judges 21

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
           CHAPTER 21             

The people bewail the desolation of Benjamin—Inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead destroyed for not engaging in the war with Benjamin—Wives provided for remnant of Benjamin.

  1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
  2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
  3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?
  4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
  5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that acame not up with the bcongregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
  6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this daya.
  7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
  8 ¶ And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
  9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
  10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
  11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
  12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
  13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
  14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
  15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
  16 ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
  17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
  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.
  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 Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
  20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and alie in wait in the vineyards;
  21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to adance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
  22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be aguilty.
  23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
  24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
  25 In those days there was no aking in Israela: every man did that which was bright in his own eyesb. 		 25a there was no king in Israel This statement is not totally accurate so stated here in the last verse of the book of Judges as well as in Judges 17:6 and Judges 18:1. And immediately in the next record of Ruth, also attributed to the hand of Samuel, it is stated in the name of Elimelech that 'God is My King' meaning that to those faithful Israelites Jehovah was their King and that they looked to no further or other king. Only those Israelites who were not faithful unto the Lord and who had become disturbed by the actions of unrighteous priests and judges had began to seek a king in Israel after the order of mortal men, like unto those nations round about an amongst them who were not of Israel.
 25b every man did that which was right in his own eyes Perhaps this ought to be the theme of many of these chapters and events of the days of the judges. For in the days of the judges there was no strong central government in Israel, but all was left in the hands of the people to the extent of their own compliance to the law of Moses. This perhaps is like unto saying, 'teach them correct principles, and they will govern themselves'. But such lays much tot he individual mind and understanding of men and men's own personal interpretations of the law. Not all walked circumspectly before the Law of Moses or the Law of God. And the state would eventually even become that even that which was brought before the judges of the land, were not tried according to the law but accordingto the paying and bribing of certain judges; and such was to eventually be even amoung the sons of Samuel.