Judges 21 commentary

JUDGES 21 COMME TARY
WRITTE A D EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I TRODUCTIO
It is shocking but true that the Bible has just about everything in it that you can find
in the newspapers, and in the worst novels of our day. Steve Zeisler began a series
on the book of Judges with these surprising comments: "In recent days I have spent
hours reading about despicable and violent people, callousness and lovelessness in
marriage, and the violent debasement of women. The specifics include a public
chorus' shouting for the satisfaction of homosexual lust, a heterosexual gang rape
that claimed the life of its victim, the grisly dismemberment of a battered corpse, a
heartless coward's inciting others to genocide, and gang warfare that ends with the
cold-blooded murder of countless innocent victims. I was reading of those things not
in the newspaper or in some commentary on the modern world, but in the Bible.
This morning we are going to consider what are probably the most morbid chapters
in the Bible. At times like this I wish our pattern was not to preach expositorily,
going from the beginning to the end of a book or section of scripture. I'd certainly
leave this part out if I had the option this morning. But "all scripture is inspired by
God," so we need to consider what's before us."
Wives for the Benjamites
1 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah:
“ ot one of us will give his daughter in marriage
to a Benjamite.”
1. All too often people make radical decisions without thinking about the long range
consequences. Here we see the men of Israel taking a vow that would lead to tribe-
icide, with one whole tribe wiped out for good. If the 600 men left of the tribe of
Benjamin could not have wives that would mean the end of the tribe. Cutting the 12
tribes of Israel down to 11 was not the goal they had in mind, but now they are
stuck with that possibility because of their radical vow never to give their daughters
to a Benjamite. The Bible makes it clear that hasty vows are almost always a bad
decision because they lead to consequences not foreseen at the time of making them.

Jephthah vowed to offer to the Lord the first person he saw when he returned home
and tragically it was his daughter who ran out to greet him. It was a stupid thing to
do. Saul did the same thing in I Sam. 14 where he jeopardized the life of his own son
Jonathan because of a stupid curse he made. It is almost always unwise to make
absolute statements such as I will never do this or that. Life changes and so do you,
and so to lock yourself into a certain behavior is to cut off your options when these
changes come about.
2. These men were angry at the Benjamites, and rightly so, but they should not have
made such a radical vow in their anger, for it locked them in and deprived them of
the freedom to change their mind as circumstances changed. They created a
problem for themselves, and it was totally unnecessary. Their anger made them
extremist in their vow and they imprisoned themselves by a stupid decison. It is not
that you should never say never, but you should seldom say never. Christian book
stores love to sell items with WWJD on them. It represents the question What would
Jesus do? They are designed to make people think before they make rash decisions.
A man saw some caps with these letters on them in the gift shop and they really
worked on him, for he vowed he would not buy one, for he was sure Jesus would not
pay $17.95 for one of those caps.
3. Jon Evans gives us an example of a stupid vow. "When I travelled to Hiroshima I
stayed at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, and as I spoke no Japanese and the
landlady spoke no English, I did not learn until too late that the inn closed as tight
as a military base at 11 PM. I vowed not to pay twice for the same night's
accomodation and wound up spending the night in an all-night karaoke bar in
downtown Hiroshima. There are two lessons to be learned here: i) make sure you
know of any curfews, particularly in inflexible Japan, and ii) don't make stupid
vows like mine." Stupid vows make you your own worst enemy, and they force you
to punish yourself, and that is just what the men of Israel did. If you just feel
compelled to make a vow, the best bet for you is to vow that you will never make
another vow. God takes vows very seriously, and if you promise something to God
he expects you to come through and keep that promise. That is why he has it
recorded in Ecclesiastes 5:5 "It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not
fulfill it." The men of Israel were not in any way obligated to make the vow they
did, and they would have been wise to heed these words and not rush into making
such a rash vow. A rash vow is one made without long range thinking about its
consequences, and if you look up the word rash in your concordance you will see
that people do this sort of thing and complicate their lives and the lives of others.
umbers 30:6 gives us one such example: "If she marries after she makes a vow or
after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself." God has given us
the freedom to make vows, but makes it clear by Bible examples that it is an area of
life we are to approach with extreme caution. The men of Israel failed to do so, and
that is why their great sorrow in the following verses.
4. Great literature like Romeo and Juliet make clear the folly of rash decisions.
Romeo was much like Samson and could not bring himself to practice any form of
moderation. He risks his life just to get a glimpse of Juliet, and he kills his wife's

cousin in a reckless duel, and then makes the rash decision to kill himself based on
false knowledge of Juliet's death. His extreme behavior created nothing but tragedy,
when moderation of his rash behavior, by waiting one day, could have ended the
lover's story with a happy ending. The fact is, most people who take the rash action
of killing themselves could have a meaningful life had they just been more patient.
How many youth end up in prison with a record for life because of a rach decision
to go along with others who are planing a crime? How many go broke because of a
rash decision to invest in something that was a sure winner without adequate
evidence? How many end up divorced in a matter of days or months because of a
rash decision to marry after a night of drinking in a bar? There are endless
examples of the folly of making rash decisions. If the men of Israel could do it, then
it is possible for all of us to do it, and so we need to learn from history that it is folly
to make such decisions. In anger they were determined that the Benjamites would
be annihilated, but later reflecting on this decision they realize they had been
extremists, and now have to figure out how to get out of the mess they put
themselves into.
5. "The Bible emphasizes the importance of keeping one's vow. A vow unfulfilled is
worse than a vow never made. While vows do not appear often in the ew
Testament, Paul made one that involved shaving his head (Acts 18:18). The apostle
Paul came from the tribe of Benjamin. o doubt he was grateful for those four
hundred women from Jabesh Gilead (v12) and the two hundred women who were
kidnapped at Shiloh, for they kept the tribe alive."
6, COFFMAN writes, "Verse 1
PROCURING WIVES IN ORDER TO SAVE THE WHOLE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN;
THE REMORSE OF ISRAEL (Judges 21:1-7)
The enormity of the disaster of that war finally sank into the minds and hearts of the
leaders of Israel. Oh yes, they had done it all, they claimed, according to the will of God,
but as Matthew Henry remarked:
"They who had spared the Canaanites in many places, who were devoted to destruction by
Divine command (finding countless excuses for doing so), could not find in their hearts
the willingness to spare their own brothers who had been devoted to destruction, not by
God's command, but by their own rash and irresponsible oath. Men are commonly more
zealous to support their own authority than that of God."[1]
The tribe of Benjamin had been almost exterminated, only 600 escapees to the rock of
Rimmon remaining. There was the further fact of those two stupid and ridiculous oaths
which they had sworn at Mizpah (Judges 20). In the details added here concerning that
original meeting, there is another example of the Biblical method. There is another
instance of the same thing in the `recapitulation' Judges 20:37-48, in which added details
of the battle are supplied.
This common characteristic of Biblical writings was accurately described by Keil.

"The allegation (by critics) that Judges 20:36-46 are a different account of the battle
overlooks this peculiarity in the Hebrew mode of writing history. The general result of
any occurrence is given as early as possible, and then the details follow afterward."[2]
In our commentaries we have cited scores of examples of this peculiarity. We saw it in
God's instructions to Noah and in the narrative of the Book of Jonah, etc.
"Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying; There shall not any of us give his
daughter unto Benjamin to wife. And the people came to Bethel, and sat there till even
before God, and lifted up their voices and wept sore. And they said, O Jehovah, the God
of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking
in Israel? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose up early, and built there
an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And the children of Israel said,
Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto
Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah
to Mizpah, saying; He shall surely be put to death. And the children of Israel repented
there for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing that we have sworn by Jehovah
that we will not give them of our daughters to wives."
The two ridiculous oaths that Israel had sworn at Mizpah are reported here:
(1) They would not give of their daughters to Benjamin for wives; and
(2) any part of Israel that had not responded to come to Mizpah would be destroyed.
"There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin" (Judges 21:1). God Himself had
forbidden Israel to intermarry with the Canaanites, and this meant that no source whatever
remained for procuring wives for the Benjamite survivors of the war.
"The people came to Bethel" (Judges 21:2). This occurred promptly after the war and
before the ark, temporarily at Bethel, had been removed to its permanent location in
Shiloh.
They lifted up their voices and wept sore" (Judges 21:2). All Israel engaged in this
lamentation which was carried on with loud wails and cries of sorrow.
"O Jehovah, why has this come to pass?" (Judges 21:3). Why? They had gone far beyond
the Word of God. God indeed had commanded that the offenders of Gibeah should be
destroyed, but there was no Divine order to destroy one of the tribes of Israel. Their rash
oaths full of sin and bitterness were the source of the calamity, not God.
"The people built there an altar" (Judges 21:4). Back in the previous chapter, it is
recorded that the Israelites had offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings at Bethel, so
why did they build another altar? There are two possible reasons:
(1) The great bronze altar that had been at Bethel had already been carried back to Shiloh,
preparatory to the removal of the ark also.

(2) The number of the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings might have been so great that
an additional altar was required.
We prefer the first of these reasons, and, if that is correct, the Israelites again violated
God's law by building an altar to replace the true one.
"And the children of Israel said, Who is there of all the tribes of Israel that came not up ...
to Mizpah?" (Judges 21:5). It is obvious that the Israelites, by this inquiry, were already
on the way to what they hoped would be a means of getting wives for Benjamin.
"For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up ... that he should surely
be put to death" (Judges 21:5). This is the second foolish oath of which Israel was guilty.
It was, by no means, a Divine order for "all Israel" to come to Mizpah. That command
rested absolutely upon the human authority of the elders of the congregation. How
convenient that oath seemed to be here. By killing all of the Jabesh-Gileadites, except the
virgin maidens, they might be able to get wives for Benjamin. The stupidity of this action
demonstrates how foolish it is for people to solve their problems by the fallible wisdom
of themselves instead of seeking the counsel of God. There is no record whatever of their
asking God what they should have done.
"How shall we do for wives for Benjamin" (Judges 21:7). This question they asked of
themselves, not of God.
CLARKE, "Now the men of Israel had sworn - Of this oath we had not heard
before; but it appears they had commenced this war with a determination to destroy the
Benjamites utterly, and that if any of them escaped the sword no man should be
permitted to give him his daughter to wife. By these means the remnant of the tribe must
soon have been annihilated.
GILL, "Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh,.... Where they were there
convened, before the war began; after they had heard the account the Levite gave of the
affair, which brought them thither; and after they had sent messengers to Benjamin to
deliver up the men of Gibeah, that had committed the wickedness; and after they
perceived that Benjamin did not hearken to their demand, but prepared to make war
with them; then, as they resolved on the destruction of Gibeah, and of all the cities that
sent out men against them, even all the inhabitants of them, men, women, and children,
entered into an oath, that they would use those men that remained as Heathens, and not
intermarry with them, as follows:
saying, there shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife;
seeing those that used the wife of the Levite in such a base manner, and those that
protected and defended them, deserved to have no wives.
HE RY, "We may observe in these verses,

I. The ardent zeal which the Israelites had expressed against the wickedness of the
men of Gibeah, as it was countenanced by the tribe of Benjamin. Occasion is here given
to mention two instances of their zeal on this occasion, which we did not meet with
before: - 1. While the general convention of the states was gathering together, and was
waiting for a full house before they would proceed, they bound themselves with the great
execration, which they called the Cherum, utterly to destroy all those cities that should
not send in their representatives and their quota of men upon this occasion, or had
sentenced those to that curse who should thus refuse (Jdg_21:5); for they would look
upon such refusers as having no indignation at the crime committed, no concern for the
securing of the nation from God's judgments by the administration of justice, nor any
regard to the authority of a common consent, by which they were summoned to meet. 2.
When they had met and heard the cause they made another solemn oath that none of all
the thousands of Israel then present, nor any of those whom they represented (not
intending to bind their posterity), should, if they could help it, marry a daughter to a
Benjamite, Jdg_21:1. This was made an article of the war, not with any design to
extirpate the tribe, but because in general they would treat those who were then actors
and abettors of this villany in all respects as they treated the devoted nations of Canaan,
whom they were not only obliged to destroy, but with whom they were forbidden to
marry; and because, in particular, they judged those unworthy to match with a daughter
of Israel that had been so very barbarous and abusive to one of the tender sex, than
which nothing could be done more base and villainous, nor a more certain indication
given of a mind perfectly lost to all honour and virtue. We may suppose that the Levite's
sending the mangled pieces of his wife'[s body to the several tribes helped very much to
inspire them with all this fury, and much more than a bare narrative of the fact, though
ever so well attested, would have done, so much does the eye affect the heart.
JAMISO , "Jdg_21:1-15. The people bewail the desolation of Israel.
K&D, "The proposal to find wives for the six hundred Benjaminites who remained
was exposed to this difficulty, that the congregation had sworn at Mizpeh (as is
supplemented in Jdg_21:1 to the account in Jdg_20:1-9) that no one should give his
daughter to a Benjaminite as a wife.
TRAPP, "21:1 ow the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not
any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
Ver. 1. ow the men of Israel had sworn.] Rashly and uncharitably, out of rage
rather than right zeal The fiery spirited man hath mettle in him, but base and
reprobate, that never received the image and impress of God’s Spirit. Men must
swear in judgment; [Jeremiah 4:2] and as Minerva is said to put a golden bridle
upon Pegasus, that he should not fly too fast, in like sort our Minerva, that is, our
Christian discretion, must put a golden bridle on our earnest zeal, lest it make us
follow too fast.
GRA T, "TWO FOOLISH OATHS A D FOOLISH ACTIO S (vv. 1-14)

God had not told Israel to totally destroy Benjamin, including women and children,
but Israel had done this except for the 600 men hiding in the Rock Rimmon. ow
they realize that a tribe of Israel is on the verge of extinction. Why did they not
think of this before? But they had virtually decreed that Benjamin should be
extinct by the fact that they swore an oath to the effect that no woman of Israel must
be given as a wife to a Benjamite (v.1).
ow Israel comes together at Mizpah in bitter weeping to inquire of God why a
thing like this had occurred that there should be one tribe missing In Israel (vv. 1-2).
But God was not to be blamed for this. They were to blame. They were to blame for
their cruelty in exceeding the punishment of Benjamin beyond what was right, and
now also to blame for the oath that they would not allow a woman of Israel to marry
a Benjamite. It was they who put themselves in this sad predicament.
The next morning the people built an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings, perhaps remembering that when they offered these two kinds of offerings
before, that this had resulted in their victory over Benjamin. But they did not
enquire of God as to what to do. Instead they relied on their own religious
reasoning. For they had made another unscriptural vow that any Israelites who did
not come to help in the judgment of Benjamin were to be put to death. Deuteronomy
20:8 tells us that when Israel went to battle, those who were fearful and faint
hearted were to be excused from warfare. If so, how could Israel demand death for
those who did not come out to fight? But they evidently thought this a very religious
thing to do.
Israel inquired as to others of the nation who did not come to the battle, and found
that no one from Jabesh Gilead had responded (vv. 5-8). And again the people were
guilty of heartless cruelty against their own brethren. 12,000 men were sent to
Jabesh Gilead with instructions to utterly destroy every male and all women and
children except those women who were virgins (vv.10-11). Did they consider the
women and children as wicked people because the men did not go out to fight?
They brought back as captives 400 virgins from Jabesh Gilead (v. 12). Then they
became guilty of breaking the oath they had made to the effect that no Israelite
women could be given to the Benjamites. For they sent to the 600 men of Benjamin
at the Rock Rimmon, announcing peace to them (v. 13), and gave them the 400
virgins of Israel they had captured from Jabesh Gilead! (v.14). Thus, though they
had made a very religious, binding oath, they found means of rationalizing their
way around the oath to ease their consciences. They added to this heartless cruelty
against Jabesh Gilead the dishonesty of hypocritical deceit in breaking their oath.
But 400 women were not enough for the 600 men. The people felt sorry for
Benjamin’s predicament and rightly wanted to see Benjamin restored as a tribe (v.

15). But instead of seeking God’s guidance as to this, they again resorted to their
own reasoning. The elders consulted together, reminding themselves that they had
sworn an oath against giving any woman of Israel to the Benjamites. But they had
just given 400 of Israel’s women to Benjamin!-- though they had killed their parents
to do so.
Could they not have done anything different than they did? Yes, they could, and
ought to have confessed before God and the people that their oath was totally
wrong. Only their own pride stood in the way, just as was true in King Herod’s oath
to the daughter of Herodias, whom he promised to give her whatever she asked and
she asked for the head of John the Baptist (Mt.14:7-9). Herod’s pride concerning
his oath did not permit him to confess the oath was wrong. So the elders of Israel, to
save face, resorted again to a hypocritical action. How sad it is that we may easily
resort to subterfuge to save our outward reputation!
There was only one way in which the elders of Israel could honorably escape from
the snare into which their own folly had brought them. This was simply to
acknowledge before God that the vow they had made to not allow any woman of
Israel to marry a Benjamite was foolish and wrong, and therefore to seek the Lord’s
gracious release from the vow. But to them this was out of the question. They said
very piously that they could not break their vow (though they had already
hypocritically broken it); but it occurred to them that they might be able to furnish
the Benjamites with wives in another way than by actually presenting the wives to
Benjamin. Since there a yearly feast to the Lord in Shiloh (v. 19), they told the men
of Benjamin to hide in the vineyards near the place of the feast; then when the
young virgins of Shiloh came out to perform their dances, to run out and catch
wives for themselves and return quickly to their own land (v.21).
Of course, even suggesting such a thing was breaking the oath they had made Israel
to swear. Why had they made such an oath? Was it not because they considered
the young virgins would be contaminated if they were given to Benjamites? But by
having the Benjamites hide and then catch wives for themselves, they were
outwardly putting the blame on the Benjamites for stealing the women, while the
blame was plainly theirs for suggesting it. Their oath forbad the Benjamites from
having wives from Israel, but they themselves encouraged the Benjamites to come
and steal women as wives.
But more than this, the elders told the men of Benjamin that if the fathers or
brothers of these young virgins came to complain to the elders, the elders would
persuade them to be lenient toward Benjamin because Israel had not left wives for
them in the war, and that it was not as though they were breaking their oath since
the Benjamites had captured the women (v. 22). The elders did not even consider
that it was they themselves who had deceitfully broken the oath!

Certainly God does not approve of such hypocrisy, yet by this means Benjamin was
able to revive as a tribe and rebuild their cities (v. 23). However, the population of
the tribe was greatly reduced, due to both their own foolish defense of men guilty of
gross evil and to the heartless excess of judgment against them on the part of Israel.
How solemn a warning to us is all this. On the one hand it warns us against daring
protect evil when it is present, and on the other hand going to unnecessary lengths
to punish evil. It appears that after a man had been put away from the Corinthian
assembly for morally sinful practice (l Cor. 5), the Corinthians were not properly
concerned as to his restoration, so that Paul had to tell them, “This punishment
which was inflicted by the majority, is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the
contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be
swallowed up with too much sorrow” (2 Cor. 2:6). Thus we see that in the Church
of God too there is danger of such things, just as in Israel.
The Book of Judges ends with the same words given in Chapter 17:6, where the
introduction of idolatry is reported in the case of Micah. Because there was no king
in Israel, Micah considered he could do what was right in his own eyes. There was
no authority to challenge him for insulting God by idolatry. Worse than this, the
worship of idols was introduced into the whole tribe of Dan (Judg. 18:30-31), with
no challenge whatever from the other tribes. Similarly, in the case of moral
wickedness and the unscriptural way in which it was handled, Chapter 21:25 makes
the significant comment, “In those day there was no king in Israel; everyone did
what was right in his own eyes.”
Would Israel’s problems be solved if they had a king? Israel thought so when they
demanded of Samuel that they should have a king, like all the nations (1 Sam. 8:4-
5). Samuel protested since he told them God was their king, but they were insistent,
so God allowed them to have a king -- a man who was head and shoulders taller
than other men in Israel, but he failed miserably and the whole history of Israel in
the time of the kings proved this hope to be futile. Some kings were relatively good,
others were very bad and involved Israel in sin and idolatry. Some were strong
enough to rescue the two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) from excesses of idolatry and
restore some worship of God, but eventually all collapsed, both among the ten tribes
and the two tribes, and Israel has been without a king since then. Only when the
Lord Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, takes His place in sovereign
authority will Israel find a settled, lasting peace.
For believers today, though having no earthly king, we are infinitely blessed by
having the Spirit of God dwelling in the Church, the body of Christ, providing
guidance, strength and blessing for all His own. Our true authority comes from
heaven, where the Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and those who are
willingly submissive to the authority of the Lord Jesus do not need any authority of
men on earth by which to be guided. ot that we are to do what is right in our own
eyes, but by grace we are enabled to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

CO STABLE, "Verses 1-4
The plight of the Benjamites21:1-4
The "wife oath" that the Israelites had taken at Mizpah ( Judges 20:8-11) may have
had some connection with God"s commands concerning Israel"s treatment of the
Canaanites ( Deuteronomy 7:1-3). Israel was to destroy these enemies utterly and
not intermarry with them. However, this was how Israel was to deal with
Canaanites, not her own brethren. Obviously the remaining Benjamites needed
wives and children to perpetuate the tribe.
"That they justify their attempt at compassion with reference to solemn oaths (see
Judges 21:1; Judges 21:5) is not much of a defense, given the poor history of oaths in
the book of Judges (see Judges 11:29-40)." [ ote: McCann, p136.]
The civil war had left only600 Benjamite warriors alive ( Judges 20:47). The
population of this endangered tribe was so small now that it could easily have
become extinct. Returning to Bethel and the ark, the victorious Israelites reflected
on the situation they had created ( Judges 21:2). The thrill of victory turned to the
agony of defeat as they realized the consequences of their actions. The dilemma that
their "wife oath" ( Judges 21:1) and their sorrow ( Judges 21:2) posed is the subject
of this chapter. How could they resolve these two things?
The Israelites" initial reaction was to ask God to explain the situation ( Judges
21:3). The reason for it was their failure to seek and follow God"s will earlier (cf.
Judges 20:8-11). Here we see no mourning for sin, no self-humbling because of
national transgression, and no return to the Lord. The Lord did not respond to
them because they acted in self-will ( Judges 21:10).
Then the Israelites sought the Lord more seriously ( Judges 21:4). It seems strange
that they built an altar at Bethel since they had recently offered sacrifices on the one
before the tabernacle there ( Judges 20:26). Perhaps they rebuilt or enlarged the
altar at Bethel, or they may have built another one.
2 The people went to Bethel,[a] where they sat
before God until evening, raising their voices and
weeping bitterly.

1. They imprisoned themselves by their foolish vow and now they sit in their self
made prison weeping and wailing because of the consequences. How many prisons
are filled with men and women who sit weeping because of their foolish and rash
choices? They got their revenge and now they repent that they went too far. But how
do you back up and unkill everybody that is dead, and how do you take back a vow
that is absolute and binding? They had gone to such an extreme that they threaten
the tribe of Benjamin with extinction. That was not their intention, but that was the
result of doing what seemed right in their eyes at the moment of their excessive
anger. They sat around all day moaning, "How stupid can we be? We have let out
anger control us to the point of almost destroying the fabric that holds us together
as the people of God." It is a common question by all who make rash decisions that
do more harm than good. How many parents vow to their teenager they will never
be allowed to go to that friends house again, only to spend the night in sorrow when
the teen has run away and nobody knows where he is at? Anger makes us all make
dangerous decisions that bring sorrow and are not really a solution to anything. It is
not easy to avoid rash decisions in life, and especially when dealing with that which
makes us very angry. When you begin to boil over at the evil and folly of others, it is
a good time to stop and cool off before making any decisions about how you are
going to react. Those who just fly off the handle and vow revenge often spend a day
like these weeping Israelites. The thrill of victory you get by getting revenge can be
offset by the agony of defeat you feel by having gone too far. The thrill is now over
for these people and they are now enduring the agony of defeat. Prisons and
cemetaries are filled with people who take radical actions before they think them
through, and those who do survive add a great deal of moisture to the world by their
tears of remorse.
2. These people had won a great victory, but instead of rejoicing and feasting they
were fasting and weeping. It is pathetic to be so victorious in your battle that you
are a loser, but that is the paradoxical situation the Israelites were now in. They had
done such a good job of teaching the Benjamites a lesson, that they could not benefit
from the lesson because they were without the resources to survive. It was a clear
example of overkill, and the failure of success. Success is bad when you achieve your
goal at the expense of a goal that is even more important. They punished the
Benjamites and succeeded royally, but in doing so they almost eliminated the higher
goal of preserving all 12 tribes intact. If a person becomes very successful at the
expense of ruining his marriage and family it is not good success, but bad success.
That is what the Israelites had accomplished, a case of bad success. Any success that
costs you values that are more important than what your success achieves is bad
success. They achieved revenge on the Benjamites at the cost of almost destroying
them, which would be an ultimate failure. Their success brought them to the very
brink of horrible failure. We need to always examine what cost we must pay to
succeed, and stop pursuing that success goal if it costs more than it is worth. They
could have killed just the soldiers and allowed the civilian population to live and go
on reproducing, but in their raging anger they killed all of the innocent people as

well as the guilty. They demonstrated the folly of excessive warfare that kills for the
sake of killing. It makes the Israelites just as bad as any of the peoples they called
their enemies
BAR ES, "To the house of God - It should be, “to Bethel.” See Jdg_20:18.
CLARKE, "The people came to the house of God - Literally, the people came
‫בית־אל‬ to Bethel; this is considered as the name of a place by the Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic,
and Septuagint.
And wept sore - Their revenge was satisfied, and now reflection brings them to
contrition for what they had done.
GILL, "And the people came to the house of God,.... Not to the city Bethel, as the
Targum, Septuagint, and other versions, but to Shiloh, where were the tabernacle and
ark; and this is to be understood of the army after they had utterly destroyed the
Benjaminites: hence we read of the camp in Shiloh, Jdg_21:12, here they came not so
much to rejoice, and be glad, and to return thanks for the victory they had at last
obtained, as to lament the unhappy case of the tribe of Benjamin, and to have counsel
and advice, and consider of ways and means to repair their loss:
and abode there till even before God; fasting and praying, instead of feasting and
rejoicing:
and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; not so much, or at least not only for the
40,000 Israelites that were slain, but for the tribe of Benjamin, in danger of being lost,
as follows.
HE RY 2-3, " How did they express their concern? (1.) By their grief for the breach
that was made. They came to the house of God, for thither they brought all their doubts,
all their counsels, all their cares, and all their sorrows. There was to be heard on this
occasion, not the voice of joy and praise, but only that of lamentation, and mourning,
and woe: They lifted up their voices and wept sore (Jdg_21:2), not so much for the
40,000 whom they had lost (these would not be so much missed out of eleven tribes),
but for the entire destruction of one whole tribe; for this was the complaint they poured
out before God (Jdg_21:3): There is one tribe lacking. God had taken care of every tribe;
their number twelve was that which they were known by; every tribe had his station
appointed in the camp, and his stone in the high priest's breast-plate; every tribe had his
blessing both from Jacob and Moses; and it would be an intolerable reproach to them if
they should drop any out of this illustrious jury, and lose one out of twelve, especially
Benjamin, the youngest, who was particularly dear to Jacob their common ancestor, and
whom all the rest ought to have been in a particular manner tender of. Benjamin is not;
what then will become of Jacob? Benjamin is become a Benoni, the son of the right hand
a son of sorrow! In this trouble they built an altar, not in competition, but in communion
with the appointed altar at the door of the tabernacle, which was not large enough to

contain all the sacrifices they designed; for they offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings, to give thanks for their victory, yet to atone for their own folly in the pursuit of
it, and to implore the divine favour in their present strait. Every thing that grieves us
should bring us to God.
JAMISO 2-5, "the people came to the house of God, ... and lifted up their
voices, and wept sore — The characteristic fickleness of the Israelites was not long in
being displayed; for scarcely had they cooled from the fierceness of their sanguinary
vengeance, than they began to relent and rushed to the opposite extreme of self-
accusation and grief at the desolation which their impetuous zeal had produced. Their
victory saddened and humbled them. Their feelings on the occasion were expressed by a
public and solemn service of expiation at the house of God. And yet this extraordinary
observance, though it enabled them to find vent for their painful emotions, did not
afford them full relief, for they were fettered by the obligation of a religious vow,
heightened by the addition of a solemn anathema on every violator of the oath. There is
no previous record of this oath; but the purport of it was, that they would treat the
perpetrators of this Gibeah atrocity in the same way as the Canaanites, who were
doomed to destruction; and the entering into this solemn league was of a piece with the
rest of their inconsiderate conduct in this whole affair.
K&D, "Jdg_21:2-4
After the termination of the war, the people, i.e., the people who had assembled
together for the war (see Jdg_21:9), went again to Bethel (see at Jdg_20:18, Jdg_20:26),
to weep there for a day before God at the serious loss which the war had brought upon
the congregation. Then they uttered this lamentation: “Why, O Lord God of Israel, is
this come to pass in Israel, that a tribe is missing to-day from Israel?” This lamentation
involved the wish that God might show them the way to avert the threatened destruction
of the missing tribe, and build up the six hundred who remained. To give a practical
expression to this wish, they built an altar the next morning, and offered burnt-offerings
and supplicatory offerings upon it (see at Jdg_20:26), knowing as they did that their
proposal would not succeed without reconciliation to the Lord, and a return to the
fellowship of His grace. There is something apparently strange in the erection of an altar
at Bethel, since sacrifices had already been offered there during the war itself (Jdg_
20:26), and this could not have taken place without an altar. Why it was erected again,
or another one built, is a question which cannot be answered with any certainty. It is
possible, however, that the first was not large enough for the number of sacrifices that
had to be offered now.
TRAPP, "21:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even
before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
Ver. 2. And the people came to the house of God.] That is, To Shiloh, for that was
now their Bethel, there to praise God for their recent ctory; and to seek direction
what to do, and how to wind out of that labyrinth whereinto they had
inconsiderately cast themselves.
“ … qui non moderabitur irae,

Infectum velit esse dolor quod suaserit et mens. ” - Horat.
And abode there till even before God.] To the shame of such as, held but a while
longer than ordinary at holy meetings, cry out, as Malachi 1:13, "Behold, what a
weariness it is! and snuff." They sit in the stocks when they are at prayers, and
come out of the church, when the tedious sermon runs somewhat beyond the hour,
like prisoners out of a jail.
And lifted up their voices, and wept sore.] otwithstanding their recent victory,
which now they met to praise God for, Adeo nihil est ex omni parte beatum. It is
seldom seen that God alloweth men here a perfect contentment. Something they
must have to complain of, that they may not set up their rest on this side heaven.
3 “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this
happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be
missing from Israel today?”
1. ow here we have a profound mystery. "We got furious with the Benjamites and
got an army together and slaughtered all but 600 of this tribe of Israel, and now we
just do not understand why this has happened that one tribe is almost eliminated
from Israel." Such is the nonsense we are reading here. These people are more than
a few fries short of a happy meal, for they caused the problem and now are crying to
God of how it could possibly be happening. It is like giving your three year old boy
some fire crackers, and then when he blows a finger off, be crying out to God why
this terrible thing has happened. It is like giving alcohol to a teen age boy, and then
when he gets into a serious accident, start crying out to God about how this tragedy
could be allowed. People are asking why all the time, and so often it is not a mystery
at all, but the clear result of their own bad choices. There is much mystery in the
realm of suffering, but this is not the case here, nor in so many cases of crisis
situations. They should be crying out to God to forgive them for making such a mess
of things, and asking for wisdom in coming up with a sane solution to the problem
they have created. Someone said the three stooges could not have messed things up
worse. All of the women were killed in their fury of anger, and now there are 600
single men with no prospects for producing a new generation. It was the beginning
of the end for the tribe of Benjamin.

2. The folly of Israel has reached a new low, for these people refused to obey God
and wipe out the pagan tribes of people who were so corrupt that they did not
deserve to live. They failed miserably to achieve God's goal for them. But now they
have just about succeeded in wipeing out one of their own tribes. They were not
good at getting rid of enemies, but they qualified as experts in getting rid of their
own people. They were so good that they now have to come up with a way to
preserve this tribe they almost destroyed. You will notice that Israel is mentioned
three times in this verse, and that is because it is Isreal that is at stake here. Israel is
12 tribes, and if there are not 12 tribes there is not Israel. It is not just the tribe of
Benjamin that is at risk but the whole body called Israel. Matthew Henry writes,
".... their number twelve was that which they were known by; every tribe had his
station appointed in the camp, and his stone in the high priest's breast-plate; every
tribe had his blessing both from Jacob and Moses; and it would be an intolerable
reproach to them if they should drop any out of this illustrious jury, and lose one
out of twelve, especially Benjamin, the youngest, who was particularly dear to Jacob
their common ancestor, and whom all the rest ought to have been in a particular
manner tender of."
ELLICOTT, "(3) Why is this come to pass . . .?—This is not so much an inquiry into the
cause, which was indeed too patent, but a wail of regret, implying a prayer to be
enlightened as to the best means of averting the calamity. The repetition of the name
“Israel” three times shows that the nation had not yet lost its sense of corporate unity,
often as that unity had been rent asunder by their civil dissensions. Their wild justice is
mingled with a still wilder mercy.
One tribe lacking.—The number twelve had an almost mystic significance, and is always
preserved in reckoning up the tribes, whether Levi is included or excluded.
TRAPP, "21:3 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?
Ver. 3. Why is this come to pass in Israel?] q.d., Alas, Lord, that it should be so! Oh,
show us some expedient for prevention of such a mischief. Oh, the sad effects of our rage
and rashness, which now in cold blood we repent us off, but know not which way to
remedy!
BAR ES, "The repetition of the name of Israel is very striking in connection with the
title of Yahweh as “God of Israel.” It contains a very forcible pleading of the covenant,
and memorial of the promises. The very name “Israel” comprehended all the twelve
tribes; with one of them blotted out, the remnant would not be Israel.
CLARKE, "Why is this come to pass - This was a very impertinent question. They
knew well enough how it came to pass. It was right that the men of Gibeah should be
punished, and it was right that they who vindicated them should share in that
punishment; but they carried their revenge too far, they endeavored to exterminate both

man and beast, Jdg_20:48.
GILL, "And said, O Lord God of Israel,.... Jehovah, the only living and true God,
the Being of beings, eternal, immutable, omnipotent and omnipresent, the God of all
Israel, of the twelve tribes of Israel, their covenant God and Father; who had shown
favour to them in such a peculiar and gracious manner, as he had not to other nations,
and therefore hoped he would still have a kind regard unto them, and suffer them to
expostulate with him in the following manner:
why is this come to pass in Israel; expressing, as Abarbinel thinks, a concern for the
40,000 men of Israel which fell in the two first battles; but it manifestly refers to the
case in the next words:
that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel; meaning the tribe of
Benjamin, which was all destroyed, excepting six hundred men, and these had no wives
to propagate the tribe; and therefore, unless some provision could be made for that, it
must in a short time be totally extinct; for which they express great concern, it not being
their intention when they made the above oath to extirpate them; but such were now the
circumstances of things in Providence, that it must perish unless some way could be
found to relieve it, and which their oath seemed to preclude; and this threw them into
great perplexity.
EXPOSITOR'S DICTIONARY, "Judges 21:3
If there were no fault in their severity, it needed no excuse: and if there were a fault, it
will admit of no excuse: yet, as if they meant to shift off the sin, they expostulate with
God, "O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass this day!" God gave them no
command of this rigour; yea he twice crost them in the execution; and now, in that
which they entreated of God with tears, they challenge Him. It is a dangerous injustice to
lay the burden of our sins upon Him, which tempteth no Prayer of Manasseh , nor can be
tempted with evil; while we so remove one sin, we double it.
—Bishop Hall.
The Missing One
Judges 21:3
This inquiry represents the spirit of the whole Bible.
I. Look at this text as a sentiment, a discipline, as an encouragement. Is not this the
human aspect of the solicitude of God"s heart? In this respect as well as in others is man
made after the image and likeness of God. There is what may be called a distinct unity of
emotion—call it pity, solicitude, compassion, or by any other equal term—running
through the whole Bible. From the first God loved man with atoning and redeeming love.
Marvellous and instructive as is the development of the Bible history, in all the infinite
tumult God looks after the sinner, the wanderer, with longing love.
II. But, from another point of view, how different the text. This high feeling has also a
disciplinary aspect, and therefore there is a whole field of complete and ardent loyalty.

When Deborah sang her triumphant song she disclosed the sterner aspect of this case.
She mentioned the absentees by name, and consigned them to the withering
immortalities of oblivion. "Reuben remained among the sheepfolds" when he ought to
have answered the call of the trumpet. Why was he lacking in that day? He was pre-
occupied; he sent promises, but he remained at home among the flocks.
III. Some are no longer in the battle, yet today are not lacking in the sense of the text.
They are not here—they are here. Even the mighty David waxed faint. He was but
seventy when he died.
—Joseph Parker.
4 Early the next day the people built an altar and
presented burnt offerings and fellowship
offerings.
They got an early start in taking their problem seriously. They presented burnt
offerings to God to atone for the sins that made them guilty of almost destroying a
vital part of God's people. They participated in the fellowship offerings, and so it
was like an early breakfast with the Lord. It seems like a good way to start the day.
They are seeking the guidance of God in resolving the problem they have created for
themselves.
ELLICOTT, "(4) Built there an altar.—We find David doing the same at the
threshing-floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:25), and Solomon at Gibeon. Unless the
entire tabernacle had, for the time, been removed to Bethel, there was no regular
altar there. It has been suggested that in any case this altar must have been
necessitated by the multitude of sacrifices required for the holocausts and the food
of the people. (See ote on Judges 20:26.) Probably there is some other reason
unknown to us.
BAR ES, "It is not certain whether the brass altar was at Bethel at this time, or
whether it may not have been elsewhere, e. g., at Shiloh with the tabernacle. Some,
however, think that the altar here mentioned was “additional” to the brass altar, in
consequence of the unusual number of sacrifices caused by the presence of the whole
congregation (compare 1Ki_8:64 note).

CLARKE, "Built there an altar - This affords some evidence that this was not a
regular place of worship, else an altar would have been found in the place; and their act
was not according to the law, as may be seen in several places of the Pentateuch. But
there was neither king nor law among them, and they did whatever appeared right in
their own eyes.
GILL, "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early,.... The
day after their fasting and prayer, and a sense of their present case and circumstances
being deeply impressed upon their minds, they rose early in the morning to acts of
devotion, and exercises of religion, hoping that being in the way of their duty, the
difficulties with which they were perplexed would be removed:
and built there an altar; if this place was Bethel, as Kimchi reasons, there Jacob had
built an altar; but that in such a course of years might have been demolished: and if it
was Shiloh, there was the tabernacle, and so the altar of the Lord there; wherefore this
either signifies the repairing of that, being in ruins, which is not likely, since it was but
lately used, Jdg_20:26 or the building of a new one, which to do in the tabernacle was
not unlawful, especially when the number of sacrifices required it, which it is highly
probable was the case now, as it was at the dedication of the temple, 1Ki_8:64 though
the above mentioned writer thinks, that building an altar signifies, as in many places,
only seeking the Lord; but the use for which it was built is expressed:
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings; both to atone for the sins they
had been guilty of in the prosecution of the war, and to return thanks for victory given,
and to implore fresh favours to be
TRAPP, "21:4 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.
Ver. 4. And built there an altar.] Either for a monument and memorial of the
victory, (a) as Joshua 8:30, 6:24, or else by reason of the multitude of their sacrifices,
(b) as 1 Kings 8:64.
5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the
tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the
Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that
anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at
Mizpah was to be put to death.

Watch out when the Israelites make an oath, for you can count on it that somebody
is going to suffer plenty when they do. They do not do things half way. If they call
for all the tribes to join together in battle, and you do not take "all" seriously, you
just as well start writing out your will. On second thought, that is not meaningful at
all, for when they kill you they kill all your relatives as well. These Old Testament
people of God were not in the least sympathetic toward anyone who did not
assemble when it was called for. They made such radical oaths that everyone was to
be put to death who did not show up. It was a form of suicide to not be there, and
yet you had people who did not show up. That is what they learned when they began
to search the records.
ELLICOTT, "(5) Who is there . . .?—This verse is anticipatory of Judges 21:8.
They had made a great oath.—Another detail which has been omitted up to this
point. The spirit of this cherem was exactly the same as that which we find in Judges
5:23 : “Curse ye Meroz . . . because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help
of the Lord against the mighty.” ow that these victories had been so complete, they
probably were sick with slaughter, and would not have inquired after any defaulters
but by way of finding an expedient to mollify the meaning of their rash oath. We see
once more in this narrative both the force derivable from a vow and the folly and
wickedness of fierce vows rashly taken in moments of passion. It is obvious that the
direct meaning of the vow, taken in connection with the curse under which they had
placed the Benjamites, had been to annihilate the tribe.
GILL, "And the children of Israel said,.... One to another, after they had offered
their sacrifices, and while they were together in Shiloh:
who is there among all the tribes of Israel, that came not up with the
congregation unto the Lord? when they were summoned to come to Mizpeh, to
consult together about the affair of the Levite's concubine, as appears by what follows:
for they had made a great oath; in a very awful and solemn manner, with a curse
annexed to it, as that about not giving a wife to Benjamin, Jdg_21:18.
concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh: not about him who did
not go out to battle against Benjamin, nor about every individual that did not come to
consult about it; but every city that did not send their proper representatives or quota to
assist in that affair:
he shall surely be put to death; this was sent along with the s

K&D, "Jdg_21:5-8
The congregation then resolved upon a plan, through the execution of which a number
of virgins were secured for the Benjaminites. They determined that they would carry out
the great oath, which had been uttered when the national assembly was called against
such as did not appear, upon that one of the tribes of Israel which had not come to the
meeting of the congregation at Mizpeh. The deliberations upon this point were opened
(Jdg_21:5) with the question, “Who is he who did not come up to the meeting of all the
tribes of Israel, to Jehovah?” In explanation of this question, it is observed at Jdg_21:5,
“For the great oath was uttered upon him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpeh: he
shall be put to death.” We learn from this supplementary remark, that when important
meetings of the congregation were called, all the members were bound by an oath to
appear. The meeting at Mizpeh is the one mentioned in Jdg_20:1. The “great oath”
consisted in the threat of death in the case of any that were disobedient. To this
explanation of the question in Jdg_20:5, the further explanation is added in Jdg_21:6,
Jdg_21:7, that the Israelites felt compassion for Benjamin, and wished to avert its entire
destruction by procuring wives for such as remained. The word ‫מוּ‬ ֲ‫ח‬ָ ִ ַ‫ו‬ in Jdg_21:6 is
attached to the explanatory clause in Jdg_21:5, and is to be rendered as a pluperfect:
“And the children of Israel had shown themselves compassionate towards their brother
Benjamin, and said, A tribe is cut off from Israel to-day; what shall we do to them, to
those that remain with regard to wives, as we have sworn?” etc. (compare Jdg_21:1).
The two thoughts, - (1) the oath that those who had not come to Mizpeh should be
punished with death (Jdg_21:5), and (2) anxiety for the preservation of this tribe which
sprang from compassion towards Benjamin, and was shown in their endeavour to
provide such as remained with wives, without violating the oath that none of them
would give them their own daughters as wives, - formed the two factors which
determined the course to be adopted by the congregation. After the statement of these
two circumstances, the question of Jdg_21:5, “Who is the one (only one) of the tribes of
Israel which,” etc., is resumed and answered: “Behold, there came no one into the camp
from Jabesh in Gilead, into the assembly.” ‫י‬ ֵ‫ט‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ is used in Jdg_21:8, Jdg_21:5, in a more
general sense, as denoting not merely the tribes as such, but the several subdivisions of
the tribes.
TRAPP, "21:5 And the children of Israel said, Who [is there] among all the tribes of
Israel that came not up with the congregation 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.
Ver. 5. Who is there among all the tribes of Israel?] i.e., What city or country is
there that did not send in their help? This inquisition was made, likely, by God’s
appointment, in answer to that compassionate expostulation and request of theirs, [
21:3] for the just punishment of those neutrals of Jabeshgilead. eutrality was
banishment by Solon’s laws, death by God’s. (a)
For they had made a great oath.] An oath seconded with a curse, as 21:18

BE SO , "21:5. That came not up with the congregation — When summoned to
come together under a great penalty upon those who absented themselves. For they
had made a great oath — That is, a solemn oath, joined with some terrible
execration against the offenders herein. This oath probably was made by the great
assembly of their rulers (called the whole congregation) when they summoned the
people to Mizpeh, as the other oath (mentioned 21:1) was made after the people
were come thither, upon the Benjamites’ refusal to do justice. He shall surely be put
to death — Because, by refusing to execute the vengeance due to such malefactors,
they were presumed to be guilty of the crime, and therefore liable to the same
punishment, as was the case of that city that would not deliver up an idolater,
dwelling among them, to justice.
CO STABLE, "Verses 5-15
Israel"s first insufficient solution: a previous oath21:5-15
Judges 21:5-7 stress the sorrow and the dilemma the Israelites felt because of the
Benjamites" situation. The "great oath" ( Judges 21:5) seems to have been that any
Israelites who did not participate in the nation"s battles against her enemies should
suffer God"s punishment (cf. umbers 32:20-33). Judges 21:8-9 record the
Israelites" solution to their dilemma having asked themselves, "What shall we do?"
( Judges 21:7; cf. Judges 21:16). They should have confessed their mistake in
making the "wife vow" and asked for God"s solution (cf. Judges 20:8-11). Jabesh-
Gilead ("well-drained soil of Gilead") was about48 miles northeast of Shiloh on the
east side of the Jordan River.
ext, the Israelites commanded12 ,000 assailants to attack the uncooperative
Israelite town ( Judges 21:10-11). This was another sinful plan born out of self-will
and vengeance.
"The action [against Jabesh-gilead] appears cruel in the extreme to the modern
reader, but the virtual sacredness of the bond linking the several tribes into the
amphictyony must be appreciated, and the sin of Jabesh-gilead seen in its light."
[ ote: Cundall and Morris, p210.]
This oppressive action provided only400 women for the600 remaining Benjamites,
an insufficient number ( Judges 21:12-14). The failure of the plan confirms that it
was not God"s will, though He permitted it.
This section closes with the people"s response to the continuing problem due to the
failure of their plan ( Judges 21:15). The Lord had made a breach or gap in the
ranks of the Israelites in the sense that He permitted it to happen. However, He
would not permit the annihilation of Benjamin in view of His promises concerning
the future of Israel.

6 ow the Israelites grieved for the tribe of
Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe
is cut off from Israel,” they said.
In the present state of things the Benjamites were cut off from the body of Israel,
and they had no chance of being reconnected without wives. ever has there been so
much concern to get single guys married and into fatherhood. That was the only
hope they had to preserve the 12 tribes of Israel.
GILL, "And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their
brother,.... Not that they went to war with them, as if their cause was not good; but for
the severity they had exercised towards them, especially in destroying their women and
children, and for the fatal consequences like to follow here after, particularly the
dissolution of the whole tribe:
and said, there is one tribe cut off from Israel this day; that is, there is a
likelihood or great danger of it.
HE RY, " The deep concern which the Israelites did express for the destruction of
the tribe of Benjamin when it was accomplished. Observe,
1. The tide of their anger at Benjamin's crime did not run so high and so strong before
but the tide of their grief for Benjamin's destruction ran as high and as strong after: They
repented for Benjamin their brother, Jdg_21:6, Jdg_21:15. They did not repent of their
zeal against the sin; there is a holy indignation against sin, the fruit of godly sorrow,
which is to salvation, not to be repented of, 2Co_7:10, 2Co_7:11. But they repented of
the sad consequences of what they had done, that they had carried the matter further
than was either just or necessary. It would have been enough to destroy all they found in
arms; they needed not to have cut off the husbandmen and shepherds, the women and
children. Note, (1.) There may be over-doing in well-doing. Great care must be taken in
the government of our zeal, lest that which seemed supernatural in its causes prove
unnatural in its effects. That is no good divinity which swallows up humanity. Many a
war is ill ended which was well begun. (2.) Even necessary justice is to be done with
compassion. God does not punish with delight, nor should men. (3.) Strong passions
make work for repentance. What we say and do in a heat our calmer thoughts commonly
wish undone again. (4.) In a civil war (according to the usage of the Romans) no
victories ought to be celebrated with triumphs, because, which soever side gets, the

community loses, as here there is a tribe cut off from Israel. What the better is the body
for one member's crushing another?
JAMISO , "There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day — that is, in danger
of becoming extinct; for, as it appears from Jdg_21:7, they had massacred all the women
and children of Benjamin, and six hundred men alone survived of the whole tribe. The
prospect of such a blank in the catalogue of the twelve tribes, such a gap in the national
arrangements, was too painful to contemplate, and immediate measures must be taken
to prevent this great catastrophe.
TRAPP, "21:6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother,
and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
Ver. 6. And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin.] But why did they
not repent of their unlawful oath, which now they might as lawfully have broken?
Howsoever, it was well done of them to put off their arms and their anger against
Benjamin together. Claudian saith in commendation of Theodosius,
“ Post acies odiis idem qui terminus armis. ”
7 “How can we provide wives for those who are
left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not
to give them any of our daughters in marriage?”
What a daughter dilema. They needed young women to become wives of the
Benjamites, but they made an oath not to give their daughters to them. So now they
have to find another daughter source. Daughter outlets were scarce, and so the only
thing to do is to come up with a way to get the daughters of some other people to fill
the bill.
CLARKE, "How shall we do for wives for them - From this it appears that they
had destroyed all the Benjamitish women and children! They had set out with the
purpose of exterminating the whole tribe, and therefore they massacred the women, that
if any of the men escaped, they might neither find wife nor daughter; and they bound
themselves under an oath not to give any of their females to any of the remnant of this

tribe, that thus the whole tribe might utterly perish.
GILL, "How shall we do for wives for them that remain,.... By which it seems, as
well as by what is after related, that they knew of the six hundred men hid in the rock
Rimmon:
seeing we have sworn by the Lord; by the Word of the Lord, as the Targum; and
such an oath with them was a sacred thing, and to be kept inviolable, even to their own
hurt:
that we will not give them of our daughters to wives; as in Jdg_21:1 and
therefore they must either marry among the Heathens, which was forbidden, or they
must make void their oath, or the tribe in a little time would be extinct; these were
difficulties they knew not how to surmount, and this was the object of their inquiry.
TRAPP, "21:7 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?
Ver. 7. How shall we do for wives? &c.] All this difficulty, say our interpreters, did
arise from their gross ignorance in those dark times: for they had no other cause to
perplex themselves about their oath, but to stop the outcry of a superstitious
conscience: since their oath being wicked, they were not bound at all to keep it, &c.
8 Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of
Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at
Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from
Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the
assembly.
1. "Jabesh Gilead was located about 22 miles S of the Sea of Galilee, 9 miles SE
from Beth Shan and 2 miles E of the Jordan. The absence of representatives from
Jabesh Gilead was conspicuous, since men had come from other parts of Gilead

(20:1) They had sent no troops (cf. 20:1) and thus all its inhabitants were destroyed
except 400 virgins, who were given to the Benjamite men who remained (v12). Later
on Saul of Benjamin rescued Jabesh Gilead from invaders (1Sa11), and they in turn
risked their lives to save his body from disgrace (1Sa31:11-13). These close ties
probably came as a result of the intermarriage in [Jdg21]."
BAR ES, "Jabesh-Galead - Is here mentioned for the first time. (See marginal
references.) The name of Jabesh survives only in the Wady Yabes (running down to the
east bank of the Jordan), near the head of which are situated the ruins called Ed-Deir,
which are identified with Jabesh-Gilead.
CLARKE, "There came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead - As they had
sworn to destroy those who would not assist in this war, Jdg_21:5, they determined to
destroy the men of Jabesh, and to leave none alive except the virgins, and to give these to
the six hundred Benjamites that had escaped to the rock Rimmon. So twelve thousand
men went, smote the city, and killed all the males and all the married women. The whole
account is dreadful; and none could have been guilty of all these enormities but those
who were abandoned of God. The crime of the men of Gibeah was of the deepest die; the
punishment, involving both the guilty and innocent, was extended to the most criminal
excess; and their mode or redressing the evil which they had occasioned was equally
abominable.
GILL, "And they said, what one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not
up to Mizpeh to the Lord?.... This is asked not only to bring them to justice, and put
them to death, according to their oath, who should be found guilty, Jdg_21:5 but as an
expedient to find wives for the surviving Benjaminites; since these, as they came not to
Mizpeh, so consequently swore not that they would not give their daughters to
Benjaminites; wherefore from among them wives might be given to them, without the
violation of an oath:
and, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the
assembly; this was observed by some upon the question put, which caused an inquiry
to be made as after related. This city was in the land of Gilead, from whence it had its
name, on the other side Jordan, and is placed by Adrichomius (a) in the half tribe of
Manasseh; and Jerom (b) says it was a village in his time six miles from the city Pella,
upon a mountain, as you go to Gerasa.
HE RY 8-14, "There was a piece of necessary justice to be done upon the city of
Jabesh-Gilead, which belonged to the tribe of Gad, on the other side Jordan. It was
found upon looking over the muster-roll (which was taken, Jdg_20:2) that none
appeared from that city upon the general summons (Jdg_21:8, Jdg_21:9), and it was
then resolved, before it appeared who were absent, that whatever city of Israel should be
guilty of such a contempt of the public authority and interest that city should be an
anathema; Jabesh-Gilead lies under that severe sentence, which might by no means be
dispensed with. Those that had spared the Canaanites in many places, who were devoted

to destruction by the divine command, could not find in their hearts to spare their
brethren that were devoted by their own curse. Why did they not now send men to root
the Jebusites out of Jerusalem, to avoid whom the poor Levite had been forced to go to
Gibeah? Jdg_19:11, Jdg_19:12. Men are commonly more zealous to support their own
authority than God's. A detachment is therefore sent of 12,000 men, to execute the
sentence upon Jabesh-Gilead. Having found that when the whole body of the army went
against Gibeah the people were thought too many for God to deliver them into their
hands, on this expedition they sent but a few, Jdg_21:10. Their commission is to put all
to the sword, men, women, and children (Jdg_21:11), according to that law (Lev_27:29),
Whatsoever is devoted of men, by those that have power to do it, shall surely be put to
death. [2.] An expedient is hence formed for providing the Benjamites with wives. When
Moses sent the same number of men to avenge the Lord on Midian, the same orders
were given as here, that all married women should be slain with their husbands, as one
with them, but that the virgins should be saved alive, Num_31:17, Num_31:18. That
precedent was sufficient to support the distinction here made between a wife and a
virgin, Jdg_21:11, Jdg_21:12. 400 virgins that were marriageable were found in Jabesh-
Gilead, and these were married to so many of the surviving Benjamites, Jdg_21:14. Their
fathers were not present when the vow was made not to marry with Benjamites, so that
they were not under any colour of obligation by it: and besides, being a prey taken in
war, they were at the disposal of the conquerors. Perhaps the alliance now contracted
between Benjamin and Jabesh-Gilead made Saul, who was a Benjamite, the more
concerned for that place (1Sa_11:4), though then inhabited by new families.
JAMISO , "there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the
assembly — This city lay within the territory of eastern Manasseh, about fifteen miles
east of the Jordan, and was, according to Josephus, the capital of Gilead. The ban which
the assembled tribes had pronounced at Mizpeh seemed to impose on them the necessity
of punishing its inhabitants for not joining the crusade against Benjamin; and thus, with
a view of repairing the consequences of one rash proceeding, they hurriedly rushed to
the perpetration of another, though a smaller tragedy. But it appears (Jdg_21:11) that,
besides acting in fulfillment of their oath, the Israelites had the additional object by this
raid of supplying wives to the Benjamite remnant. This shows the intemperate fury of
the Israelites in the indiscriminate slaughter of the women and children.
COFFMA , "Verse 8
THE DESTRUCTIO OF JABESH-GILEAD (Judges 21:8-12)
"And they said, What one is there, of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto
Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead
to the assembly. For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of
the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there. 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
little ones. And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male,
and every woman that hath lain by man. And they found among the inhabitants of
Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young virgins that had not known man by lying with
him; and brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan."

"There came none ... from Jabesh-Gilead" (Judges 21:8). The reason for this failure
is not far to seek. "Jabesh-Gilead was related by blood to Gibeah (1 Chronicles
7:12-15))."[3] It was a very costly mistake which they made. "This is the first
mention of Jabesh-Gilead in the Bible,"[4] but it is mentioned twice, later.
(1) In 1 Samuel 11, it is stated that King Saul responded to their appeal and rescued
them from an invasion of the Ammonites; and
(2) When King Saul was slain, the citizens of Jabesh-Gilead took down the bodies of
Saul and his sons from the wall of Bethsban and buried them at Jabesh (1 Samuel
31:11-13), for which gallant and courageous action, David thanked them (2 Samuel
2:5). We are not told how the city was perpetuated following their brutal
depopulation reported here, but the fact of their survival is evident. Perhaps, a large
number of them escaped.
Matthew Henry deplored the fact of Israel's willingness to destroy Gibeah and all
who supported them, asking:
"Why did they not then send a detachment of troops to root out the Jebusites from
Jerusalem who had been responsible for the Levite's being forced to go to Gibeah in
the first place?"[5]
"Four hundred young virgins that had not known man" (Judges 21:12). one of the
commentators I have consulted mentions anything concerning the basis of this
selection. Did it follow a cruel and inhuman physical inspection, or just how was it
done? Perhaps it is a merciful omission that we are not told.
"And they brought them unto the camp in Shiloh" (Judges 21:12). By this time, the
temporary location of the ark of the covenant in Bethel was terminated. "Shiloh was
the Israelite sanctuary par excellence in the central highlands prior to its
destruction circa 150 B.C."[6]
"In the land of Canaan" (Judges 21:12). Some scholars seem to be puzzled by this
phrase, seeing that everyone in Israel certainly knew where Shiloh was located.
Hervey thought that, "It was inserted to contrast it with Jabesh in the land of
Gilead."[7] Gilead, of course, was east of Jordan.
ELLICOTT, "(8) There came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead.—Jabesh-
Gilead, which Josephus calls the metropolis of Gilead (Antt. vi. 5, § 1), is probably
to be identified with the ruins now called El-Deir in the Wady Yabes (Robinson, ). It
was six miles from Pella, on the top of a hill which lies on the road from Pella to
Gerasa. For some reason with which we are unacquainted, there seems to have been
a bond of intense sympathy between the inhabitants of this town and Benjamin. If
their abstinence from the assembly of vengeance was not due to this, we must
suppose that the sort of companionship in misery caused by these wild events itself
created a sense of union between these communities, for it is the peril of Jabesh

which first arouses King Saul to action (1 Samuel 11). and in memory of the
deliverance which he effected the men of Jabesh alone save the bodies of Saul and
Jonathan from the indignity of rotting on the wall of Bethshan (1 Samuel 31:11),
which gained them the blessing of David (2 Samuel 2:5-6). We see from these later
incidents that Jabesh recovered from the extermination now inflicted on its
inhabitants.
TRAPP, "21:8 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
Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
Ver. 8. There came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead.] They came not up to help
the Lord, as 5:23; they contributed nothing toward the just punishment of those
sons of Belial, and therefore seemed to like well of their wickedness. These
inhabitants of Jabeshgilead lay far out beyond Jordan, toward the Lake of
Gennesaret, and therefore, haply, held themselves less concerned. There is none so
wise as the sluggard, [Proverbs 26:16] for self-love teacheth him a great many
excuses, which he thinks will go for wisdom, because by them he thinks to sleep in a
whole skin. But in fine his cunning deceiveth him, and he smoketh for it.
9 For when they counted the people, they found
that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were
there.
GILL, "For the people were numbered,.... To know who did come up, and who did
not, and particularly to know whether the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead did or not, against
whom an information was brought:
and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there; for as
yet none that came had returned home; all came to Shiloh first, to pay their devotion to
the Lord; and as none were found among the living, it did not appear they were among
the slain; and very probably the muster roll was taken before they went to battle, and
they were not on that.

K&D, "Jdg_21:9
In order, however, to confirm the correctness of this answer, which might possibly
have been founded upon a superficial and erroneous observation, the whole of the
(assembled) people were mustered, and not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh was found
there (in the national assembly at Bethel). The situation of Jabesh in Gilead has not yet
been ascertained. This town was closely besieged by the Ammonite Nahash, and was
relieved by Saul (1Sa_11:1.), on which account the inhabitants afterwards showed
themselves grateful to Saul (1Sa_31:8.). Josephus calls Jabesh the metropolis of Gilead
(Ant. vi. 5, 1). According to the Onom. (s. v. Jabis), it was six Roman miles from Pella,
upon the top of a mountain towards Gerasa. Robinson (Bibl. Res. p. 320) supposes it to
be the ruins of ed Deir in the Wady Jabes.
ELLICOTT, "9) For the people were numbered.—It is doubtful whether this
implies another numbering besides that at Mizpeh (Judges 20:1-17). In the tale
which had then been made up, the absence of inhabitants of a single town might for
the present escape notice. It would be sufficient now merely to refer to the lists then
made (Judges 20:1-17).
TRAPP, "21:9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, [there were] none of the
inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
Ver. 9. For the people were numbered, and, behold, &c.] God will one day send out
summonses for sleepers; he will make strict inquisition for such as affect an
indifferency and neutrality in religion, as halt between two, as are neither hot nor
cold, as redeem their peace with the loss of truth. The Lord that could not endure
miscellane-seed nor linsey-woolsey in Israel, can less endure that his people should
be as a "speckled bird," [Jeremiah 12:9] here of one colour, and there of another; or
as a doughy baked cake. [Hosea 7:4-8] one so loathsome to him, as those that are
of a Laodicean temper.
10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting
men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and
put to the sword those living there, including the
women and children.
1. Here is one of the most horrible events in the history of God's people. It was based
on a vow, and vows were sacred to them, and nothing was to prevent a vow from
being carried out, and so they were locked in to it. Secondly it was a matter of
justice because these people for some reason had failed to be loyal to the nation.

They were in essence traitors, and deserved to die. That is one way to look at it to
justify it. On the other hand, it was excessive, for only the fighting men should have
been killed and not the women and children who were totally innocent of the crime.
They had no choice, but were the victims of official government decisions that they
did not have a voice in making. So you can see this event from two perspectives,
both of which have some validity, but a wiser and more godly people could have
found a more merciful solution to their problem that they created by their
thoughtless stupidity. What they did was so cruel that it is hard not to see the Jews,
at this point, as any better than the Germans who chose to wipe out masses of
innocent Jews. These Jews honestly believed that two wrongs can make a right.
They did what was right in their own eyes. These people refused to go to war and
kill their fellow Jews, and so other fellow Jews will now kill them so they can save
the fellow Jews these Jews refused to kill. Had they joined the other Jews in fighting
Benjamin they may have killed even more of the 600 that survived, making it even
harder to keep the tribe alive. But since they did not help us wipe them out, we will
wipe them out so that those they refused to wipe out will not be wiped out. Tragedy
is so close to comedy because it is often just like this event before us, and it is so
stupid that it is laughable. As one author said, "Israel instead should have repented
of their foolish oath made at Mizpah, and agreed to give their daughters as wives to
the men of the tribe of Benjamin."
2. G. Campbell Morgan wrote, "The sad part of the story is that, to remedy the
threatened evil, they resorted to means which were utterly unrighteous. Wives were
provided for the men of Benjamin by further unholy slaughter at Jabesh-Gilead,
and by the vilest iniquity at Shiloh. It is impossible to read these last five chapters
without realizing how perilous is the condition of any people who act without some
clearly defined principle. Passion moves to high purpose only as it is governed by
principle. If it lacks that, at one moment it will march in heroic determination to
establish high ideals, and purity of life; and almost immediately, by some change of
mood, will act in brutality and all manner of evil. Humanity without its one King, is
cursed by lawlessness. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the
Bible).
3. "Twelve picked units of fighting men were despatched to Jabesh-gilead with a
view to carrying out The Ban. All there were to be slain except for young virgins.
The hypocrisy of the situation is clear. Why should the children die and the virgins
be spared? Simply for man’s convenience to get him out of a tight corner. We note
that they did not seek Yahweh’s guidance on this. They knew He would not
approve."
4.. "The tragedy of their reasoning right in their own eyes is that they were more
zealous and faithful to their manmade vows then they were to their covenant
keeping God! How much we all are like them. Men are commonly more zealous to

support their own authority than God’s. As they had sworn to destroy those who
would not assist in this war, Judges 21:5, they determined to destroy the men of
Jabesh, and to leave none alive except the virgins, and to give these to the six
hundred Benjamites that had escaped to the rock Rimmon. So twelve thousand men
went, smote the city, and killed all the males and all the married women. The whole
account is dreadful; and none could have been guilty of all these enormities but
those who were abandoned of God. The crime of the men of Gibeah was of the
deepest die; the punishment, involving both the guilty and innocent, was extended to
the most criminal excess; and their mode or redressing the evil which they had
occasioned was equally abominable."
5. People are often defeated and wiped out in the Bible, but they show up again
later, and so we need to understand that many escape, and others are just not there
at the time of the battle, and so there are almost always survivors that carry on the
name even though they are supposedly all killed. This is the case with the people of
this town of Jabesh-Gilead. Coffman gives us this report on these people: "This is
the first mention of Jabesh-Gilead in the Bible," but it is mentioned twice, later.
(1) In 1 Sam. 11, it is stated that King Saul responded to their appeal and rescued
them from an invasion of the Ammonites; and
(2) When King Saul was slain, the citizens of Jabesh-Gilead took down the bodies of
Saul and his sons from the wall of Bethsban and buried them at Jabesh (1 Samuel
31:11-13), for which gallant and courageous action, David thanked them (2 Samuel
2:5). We are not told how the city was perpetuated following their brutal
depopulation reported here, but the fact of their survival is evident. Perhaps, a large
number of them escaped.
6. Matthew Henry deplored the fact of Israel's willingness to destroy Gibeah and all
who supported them, asking: "Why did they not then send a detachment of troops
to root out the Jebusites from Jerusalem who had been responsible for the Levite's
being forced to go to Gibeah in the first place?" It does seem unreasonable that the
Jews were more willing to kill their own people than the pagans that God ordered
them to kill. Henry went on to say the same thing. "Those that had spared the
Canaanites in many places, who were devoted to destruction by the divine
command, could not find in their hearts to spare their brethren that were devoted
by their own curse."
7. The reason the men from Jabesh-gilead did not come was they were closely
related to Benjamin. Jabesh-gilead belonged to the tribe of Manasseh and Manasseh
was the grandson of Rachel. Rachel was the mother of Benjamin. Benjamin is
Rachel’s son; Manasseh is Rachel’s grandson. The close family ties of Jabesh-gilead

to Benjamin are illustrated in 1 Samuel 11:1-11 cf. 31:8-13.
ELLICOTT, "(10) Twelve thousand men.—The Vulgate has 10,000, but it is
doubtless meant to imply that each tribe sent a thousand “valiant men” (Genesis
47:6, &c.), as in the war against the Midianites, in which Balaam was slain and at
which Phinehas had been present ( umbers 31:6).
BAR ES, "And the congregation sent 12,000 men - A thousand from each
tribe; they followed the precedent of Num_31:4.
GILL, "And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the
valiantest,.... That were in their army; in the Vulgate Latin version it is only 10,000;
but the Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and Josephus (c), agree with
the Hebrew text. This place, according to Bunting, to which this army was sent, was fifty
two miles from Shiloh (d):
and commanded them, saying; these were the orders they gave them, when they
marched out:
go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword,
with the women and the children; which it seems was according to the oath they
had made, Jdg_21:5.
K&D, "Jdg_21:10-12
To punish this unlawful conduct, the congregation sent 12,000 brave fighting men
against Jabesh, with orders to smite the inhabitants of the town with the edge of the
sword, together with their wives, and children, but also with the more precise
instructions (Jdg_21:11), “to ban all the men, and women who had known the lying with
man” (i.e., to slay them as exposed to death, which implied, on the other hand, that
virgins who had not lain with any man should be spared). The fighting men found 400
such virgins in Jabesh, and brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
‫ם‬ ָ‫ּות‬‫א‬ (Jdg_21:12) refers to the virgins, the masculine being used as the more common
genus in the place of the feminine. Shiloh, with the additional clause “in the land of
Canaan,” which was occasioned by the antithesis Jabesh in Gilead, as in Jos_21:2; Jos_
22:9, was the usual meeting-place of the congregation, on account of its being the seat of
the tabernacle. The representatives of the congregation had moved thither, after the
deliberations concerning Jabesh, which were still connected with the war against
Benjamin, were concluded.
TRAPP, "21:10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the
valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of
Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
Ver. 10. Of the valiantest.] Heb., Of the sons of valour; such as were those duo
fulmina belli, the two Scipios.

With the women and the children.] Why, what had those poor sheep done, that they
must be slaughtered? (a) This is surely Exemplum nimiae severitatis saevientis in
innocentes, as Piscator noteth: an excess of severity, raging against innocents that
could not resist. Egregiam vero laudem! Surely, if these men had rightly repented of
their cruelty toward the Benjamites, as they even now pretended, those of
Jabeshgilead had found more mercy. David had not yet recovered his foul fall, when
he dealt so cruelly with the Ammonites. [2 Samuel 12:31]
11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill
every male and every woman who is not a virgin.”
BAR ES, "Ye shall utterly destroy - More exactly, “Ye shall devote to utter
destruction,” or “cherem” (Lev_27:28 note).
GILL, "And this is the thing that ye shall do,.... Which they gave them in charge to
execute:
ye shall utterly destroy every male; without any reserve, young or old, married or
unmarried:
and every woman that hath lain by man; whether lawfully or unlawfully, in a
married or unmarried state.
HE RY, "1. Henry wrote, "An expedient is hence formed for providing the
Benjamites with wives. When Moses sent the same number of men to avenge the
Lord on Midian, the same orders were given as here, that all married women should
be slain with their husbands, as one with them, but that the virgins should be saved
alive, umbers 31:17,18. That precedent was sufficient to support the distinction
here made between a wife and a virgin, Judges 21:11,12. 400 virgins that were
marriageable were found in Jabesh-Gilead, and these were married to so many of
the surviving Benjamites, Judges 21:14. Their fathers were not present when the
vow was made not to marry with Benjamites, so that they were not under any colour
of obligation by it: and besides, being a prey taken in war, they were at the disposal
of the conquerors. Perhaps the alliance now contracted between Benjamin and
Jabesh-Gilead made Saul, who was a Benjamite, the more concerned for that place

(1 Samuel 11:4), though then inhabited by new families."
ELLICOTT, "Verse 11
(11) To dance in dances.—Possibly the dances of the vintage festival. There is a
fountain in a narrow dale, at a little distance from Shiloh, which was very probably
the scene of this event. It is a needless conjecture that the feast was the Passover,
and the dances a commemoration of the defeat of the Egyptians, like those of
Miriam. There seems to have been no regular town at Shiloh; at least, no extensive
ruins are traceable. It was probably a community like the Beth-Micah (see ote on
Judges 18:2), which was mainly connected with the service of the Tabernacle. The
“daughters of Shiloh” would naturally include many women who were in one way
or other employed in various functions about the Tabernacle, and not only those
who came there to worship (1 Samuel 2:22, where “assembled” should be rendered
served, as in umbers 4:23; “the handmaid” of the priests is mentioned in 2 Samuel
17:17). But the traces of female attendants in the sanctuary are more numerous in
Jewish traditions than in Scripture.
Catch you every man his wife.—The scene is very analogous to the famous seizure of
the Sabine women at the Consualia, as described in Liv. i. 9. St. Jerome (adv. Jovin,
1 § 41) quotes another parallel from the history of Aristomenes of Messene, who
once, in a similar way, seized fifteen Spartan maidens, who were dancing at the
Hyacinthia, and escaped with them.
TRAPP, "21:11 And this [is] the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every
male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
Ver. 11. Ye shall utterly destroy every male.] This also was a barbarous and bloody
decree, [Ezekiel 18:20] not unlike Draco’s laws, whereof Aristotle giveth this
commendation, that they are not worth remembrance, but only for their severity.
COKE, "Judges 21:11. Every woman that hath lien by man— This exception for the
preservation of virgins was received in all nations, and was in time the source of the
many prerogatives wherewith virgins were honoured; those which they received
among the Romans were extraordinary. See Martin's Explication des Textes, p. 130.
REFLECTIO S.—Their zeal for the destruction of Benjamin was scarcely so great
as is their anguish now that their warmth has subsided. What increases their grief
is, that, at Mizpeh, they bound themselves by a solemn oath, not only to destroy
every city that should neglect their summons, but also never to give their daughters
in marriage to a Benjamite; so that, having slain all the women, and being by their
oath disabled from giving them others, while it was forbidden them to marry with
the nations around them, though the six hundred men have escaped, the tribe is in
danger of being extinct: ote; (1.) Even true zeal may be carried too far. (2.) When
our spirits are exasperated, we too often speak and do what, in cooler moments, we
wish unsaid and undone. On this mournful occasion,

1. They wept before God in bitterness of soul. More affected with Benjamin's
destruction, than pleased with their own victory, they spread their complaints
before the sanctuary, and offer up their sacrifices in such abundance, that they built
a temporary altar for that service. ote; (1.) Our distresses should drive us to God.
(2.) Under all our griefs, the blood of atonement will afford us relief. (3.) They, who
pour out their complaints to the God of all grace, will usually find a way to extricate
themselves from their difficulties.
2. The method which they took to prevent the ruin of the tribe. On reviewing the
troops, the men of Jabesh-gilead were found absent. As bound by their oath, they
immediately detach twelve thousand of their most valiant troops to smite men,
women, and children, except such as had not known man; these are to be reserved
for their distressed brethren. Having performed this service in the utter ruin of
Jabesh-gilead, they returned with four hundred young virgins to the camp in Shiloh.
Messengers are now dispatched to the men who remained in the rock Rimmon; they,
glad to embrace the offer of peace, come down to their brethren, and thankfully
receive the wives provided for them, though there yet remained a great deficiency.
ote; (1.) The quarrels of brethren are usually bitter, and seldom end thus in bands
of firmer friendship. (2.) They who make rash vows have only themselves to blame
for the difficulties in which they may afterwards be involved.
BE SO , "21:11. Ye shall utterly destroy every male, &c. — Strange infatuation of
the human mind! That they should imagine the Divine Majesty would be more
honoured and pleased by an action quite contrary to, and abhorrent from, his
essential nature and attributes, than if they had implored his pardon for a rash
oath, and honoured him by not keeping it! Would to God that this had been the only
time that the human race have thought to honour God by acts which are the most
hateful to him! The cruel havocs made by religious persecution in different ages and
countries have, alas! too fully witnessed how far the mind of man is capable of
erring in this respect! O shocking blindness and infatuation! that men should think
that the God of love, he who is love itself, can be pleased or honoured by acts of the
most barbarous cruelty!
As Jabesh-gilead was beyond Jordan, and at a great distance, it is probable the
inhabitants thereof had not heard of the vow which the Israelites had made. “But if
they had been guilty of neglect and disaffection to the common cause,” as Mr. Scott
argues, “they had not assisted the Benjamites: and yet when the people were
lamenting the desolations of that tribe, they proceeded to treat those who were far
less criminal with equal rigour!”
12 They found among the people living in Jabesh

Gilead four hundred young women who had
never slept with a man, and they took them to the
camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
BAR ES, "To Shiloh - Whither, as the usual place of meeting for the national
assembly, the Israelites had moved from Bethel (a distance of about 10 miles), during
the expedition of the 12,000 to Jabesh-Gilead.
GILL, " Gill speculates on just how this was done: "Or damsel virgins, damsels that
were virgins: that had known no man by lying with any male: which was judged of
by their age, and by their unmarried state, and by common report, unless it can be
thought they were examined by matrons; but how it was that they were not obliged,
or did not think themselves obliged by their oath to put these to death, as well as
others, is not easy to say; whether they thought the necessity of the case would
excuse it, or they had a dispensation from the Lord for it, on consulting him;
however, so it was:" The fact is, we don't have a clue.
Gill adds, "..this is observed because that Jabeshgilead was not in the land of
Canaan, from whence they were brought, but in the land of Og king of Bashan; only
what was on this side Jordan was the land of Canaan, and in that Shiloh was, to
which they were brought; and this shows that not the city Bethel, but Shiloh, was
the place whither the people or army of Israel came to offer sacrifice after the war
was ended."
"Our hearts cannot fail to be touched with the heartbreak, apprehension and fear
which undoubtedly filled the hearts of these four hundred young women. They had
witnessed the destruction of their city, the ruthless butchering of their sisters,
mothers, fathers, and brothers by the overwhelming army that descended in fury
upon their helpless village, and they could have had no clear idea whatever of what
was to be their fate."
ELLICOTT, "Verse 12
(12) They brought them.—It can hardly be doubted that the “them” means the
young virgins, although the pronoun is masculine (otham), as in Judges 21:22. If so,
the idiom is like the Greek one in which a woman speaking of herself in the plural
uses the masculine (Brief Greek Syntax, p. 61). There is no other trace of this idiom
in Hebrew, but we can hardly suppose that many Jabesh-Gileadite captives were
brought to Shiloh, and then put to death in cold blood in accordance with the ban.

Unto the camp to Shiloh.—The Israelites, now that the war with Benjamin was over,
appear to have moved their stationary camp to Shiloh, the normal and more central
seat of the tabernacle at this period (Judges 18:31).
Which is in the land of Canaan.—We find the same addition in Joshua 21:2; Joshua
22:9. Perhaps there was another Shiloh on the east of the Jordan; but see ote on
Judges 21:19. The mere fact of Jabesh being in Gilead does not seem sufficient to
account for it.
TRAPP, "21:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead 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.
Ver. 12. That had known no man by lying with any male.] At least that any one else
knew of: for many pass for virgins that are not so. See Proverbs 30:18-20. But what
a base slander is that of Sylvester Petrasancta the Jesuit, who saith that among the
Protestants few maids are married that have not been first lain with by other men!
(a) Jesuits of all others may hold their tongues with shame enough, as being noted
for Connubi, sanctifugae, commeretricitegae.
Unto the camp to Shiloh, which is.] Which lieth within the land of Canaan, and not
beyond Jordan, as Jabeshgilead did. Or thus it may be rendered, Unto Shiloh to the
camp, which abode in the land of Canaan, and went not over Jordan to fight against
Jabeshgilead.
13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace
to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.
The war was over and all that they people of Israel wanted now was to get the tribe
of Benjamin back on its feet and growing. They sent a message of peace to the 600
soldiers of the Benjamites who were hiding for their lives at the rock of Rimmon.
Come out and live in peace with us, for you no longer need to hide in fear. In fact,
we are going to give you fresh brides so you can start your families in this time of
peace.

Judges 21 commentary

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Judges 21 commentary