Judges21

After nearly annihilating the tribe of Benjamin, the Israelites repented, lamenting the loss of a tribe and their oath not to give their daughters as wives. To provide wives for the remaining 600 Benjamite men, they first destroyed Jabesh-Gilead, taking 400 virgins. When these were insufficient, they devised a plan for the Benjamites to seize wives from the dancing daughters of Shiloh during a feast, thus circumventing their oath.
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Israel Laments the Loss of Benjamin

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

The Judgment on Jabesh-gilead

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

Seeking Wives at the Shiloh Festival

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

Conclusion: Everyone Did What Was Right in His Own Eyes

25
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. ​

Study Notes for Judges 21

Verse 1

The tribes of Israel had sworn a rash vow at Mizpeh, forbidding any intermarriage with the tribe of Benjamin. This oath, made in the heat of war and vengeance, now directly threatens the existence of one of God’s tribes.

Verse 2

The people came to the 'house of God,' likely Shiloh, the location of the Tabernacle. Their intense weeping reflects a genuine, though tragically delayed, remorse over the near-destruction of the tribe.

Verse 3

The irony here is profound: the tribes ask why God allowed this breach, failing to fully acknowledge that their own zealous actions and adherence to a human oath were the immediate cause of the crisis.

Verse 5

The solution to the marriage dilemma is sought through another act of violence. The Israelites prioritize finding a loophole to uphold their oath of vengeance against non-participants over finding a straightforward way to preserve Benjamin.

Verse 8

Jabesh-gilead, located across the Jordan, was identified as the only community that failed to participate in the judgment against Benjamin. According to the prior oath (v. 5), they were now subject to the death penalty.

Verse 11

The command for *herem* (utter destruction) is ruthlessly applied, yet it is modified for pragmatic purposes. Only virgins are spared, demonstrating that the primary motive was not justice alone, but securing biological continuity for Benjamin.

Verse 12

The four hundred virgins provided wives for only two-thirds of the six hundred Benjamite survivors. This insufficiency necessitated the second, more ethically troubling plan later in the chapter.

Verse 13

The survivors of Benjamin had fled to the Rock Rimmon (20:47). Having satisfied their vengeance and secured some wives, the congregation now seeks peace and reconciliation with their brothers.

Verse 15

The repetition of the people's repentance emphasizes the theological gravity of the situation. The preservation of the twelve tribes was essential for the integrity of the covenant nation.

Verse 16

The elders faced a legal dilemma: they must save Benjamin (v. 17) but cannot violate the oath sworn to God (v. 18). This conflict drives them to devise a complex, morally compromising scheme.

Verse 19

The 'feast of the LORD' refers to one of the annual pilgrimage festivals (likely Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths), held in Shiloh, the central location of the Tabernacle during the early period of the Judges.

Verse 21

This plan involves a mass abduction (a 'raid marriage'), justified by the legal loophole created by their earlier oath. They are commanded to 'catch' (or seize) the women while they are dancing outside the city.

Verse 22

The elders rationalize the abduction: since the fathers of Shiloh did not *give* their daughters, they did not violate the oath. This legalistic maneuvering highlights the moral relativism prevalent during the period of the Judges.

Verse 24

The chapter concludes the horrific civil war narrative. The Israelites return home, believing they have successfully resolved the crisis and preserved the tribal structure, though by profoundly flawed means.

Verse 25

This verse serves as the editorial thesis statement for the entire Book of Judges. It explains the cycle of moral decay and violence: without a king (central authority/covenant fidelity), Israel lacked a standard of righteousness, resulting in chaos and self-serving morality.

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