211 Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin. 2 And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping. 3 And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel? 4 Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. 7 What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives. 8 And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting. 9 For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present. 10 So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones. 11 And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so. 12 Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan. 13 And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace. 14 Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them. 15 And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 21:1-15
Chapter Contents
The Israelites lament for the Benjamites.
Israel lamented for the Benjamites, and were perplexed by the oath they had taken, not to give their daughters to them in marriage. Men are more zealous to support their own authority than that of God. They would have acted better if they had repented of their rash oaths, brought sin-offerings, and sought forgiveness in the appointed way, rather than attempt to avoid the guilt of perjury by actions quite as wrong. That men can advise others to acts of treachery or violence, out of a sense of duty, forms a strong proof of the blindness of the human mind when left to itself, and of the fatal effects of a conscience under ignorance and error.