16 Then the elders of the congregation said , "What shall we do for wives for those who are left , since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin ?" 17 They said , "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin , so that a tribe will not be blotted out from Israel . 18 "But we cannot e give them wives of our daughters ." For the sons of Israel had sworn , saying , "Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin ." 19 So they said , "Behold , there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Shiloh , which is on the north side of Bethel , on the east e side e of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem , and on the south side of Lebonah ." 20 And they commanded the sons of Benjamin , saying , "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards , 21 and watch ; and behold , if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances , then you shall come out of the vineyards and each of you shall catch his wife from the daughters of Shiloh , and go to the land of Benjamin .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 21:16-21
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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.