1 Now the men H376 of Israel H3478 had sworn H7650 in Mizpeh, H4709 saying, H559 There shall not any H376 of us give H5414 his daughter H1323 unto Benjamin H1144 to wife. H802
Then all the children H1121 of Israel H3478 went out, H3318 and the congregation H5712 was gathered together H6950 as one H259 man, H376 from Dan H1835 even to Beersheba, H884 with the land H776 of Gilead, H1568 unto the LORD H3068 in Mizpeh. H4709
Be not rash H926 with thy mouth, H6310 and let not thine heart H3820 be hasty H4116 to utter H3318 any thing H1697 before H6440 God: H430 for God H430 is in heaven, H8064 and thou upon earth: H776 therefore let thy words H1697 be few. H4592
Take heed H8104 to thyself, lest thou make H3772 a covenant H1285 with the inhabitants H3427 of the land H776 whither thou goest, H935 lest it be for a snare H4170 in the midst H7130 of thee: But ye shall destroy H5422 their altars, H4196 break H7665 their images, H4676 and cut down H3772 their groves: H842 For thou shalt worship H7812 no other H312 god: H410 for the LORD, H3068 whose name H8034 is Jealous, H7067 is a jealous H7067 God: H410 Lest thou make H3772 a covenant H1285 with the inhabitants H3427 of the land, H776 and they go a whoring H2181 after H310 their gods, H430 and do sacrifice H2076 unto their gods, H430 and one call H7121 thee, and thou eat H398 of his sacrifice; H2077 And thou take H3947 of their daughters H1323 unto thy sons, H1121 and their daughters H1323 go a whoring H2181 after H310 their gods, H430 and make H2181 thy sons H1121 go a whoring H2181 after H310 their gods. H430
And when the LORD H3068 thy God H430 shall deliver H5414 them before H6440 thee; thou shalt smite H5221 them, and utterly H2763 destroy H2763 them; thou shalt make H3772 no covenant H1285 with them, nor shew mercy H2603 unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages H2859 with them; thy daughter H1323 thou shalt not give H5414 unto his son, H1121 nor his daughter H1323 shalt thou take H3947 unto thy son. H1121
And Jephthah H3316 vowed H5087 a vow H5088 unto the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 If thou shalt without fail H5414 deliver H5414 the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 into mine hands, H3027 Then it shall be, that whatsoever H3318 cometh forth H3318 of the doors H1817 of my house H1004 to meet H7125 me, when I return H7725 in peace H7965 from the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 shall surely be the LORD'S, H3068 and I will offer it up H5927 for a burnt offering. H5930
And we will take H3947 ten H6235 men H582 of an hundred H3967 throughout all the tribes H7626 of Israel, H3478 and an hundred H3967 of a thousand, H505 and a thousand H505 out of ten thousand, H7233 to fetch H3947 victual H6720 for the people, H5971 that they may do, H6213 when they come H935 to Gibeah H1387 of Benjamin, H1144 according to all the folly H5039 that they have wrought H6213 in Israel. H3478
And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 said, H559 Who is there among all the tribes H7626 of Israel H3478 that H834 came H5927 not up with the congregation H6951 unto the LORD? H3068 For they had made a great H1419 oath H7621 concerning him that came not up H5927 to the LORD H3068 to Mizpeh, H4709 saying, H559 He shall surely H4191 be put to death. H4191
How shall we do H6213 for wives H802 for them that remain, H3498 seeing we have sworn H7650 by the LORD H3068 that we will not give H5414 them of our daughters H1323 to wives? H802
And the men H376 of Israel H3478 were distressed H5065 that day: H3117 for Saul H7586 had adjured H422 the people, H5971 saying, H559 Cursed H779 be the man H376 that eateth H398 any food H3899 until evening, H6153 that I may be avenged H5358 on mine enemies. H341 So none of the people H5971 tasted H2938 any food. H3899
Then answered H6030 one H376 of the people, H5971 and said, H559 Thy father H1 straitly H7650 charged H7650 the people H5971 with an oath, H7650 saying, H559 Cursed H779 be the man H376 that eateth H398 any food H3899 this day. H3117 And the people H5971 were faint. H5774 Then said H559 Jonathan, H3129 My father H1 hath troubled H5916 the land: H776 see, H7200 I pray you, how mine eyes H5869 have been enlightened, H215 because I tasted H2938 a little H4592 of this honey. H1706
And thou shalt swear, H7650 The LORD H3068 liveth, H2416 in truth, H571 in judgment, H4941 and in righteousness; H6666 and the nations H1471 shall bless H1288 themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. H1984
And G2532 he sware G3660 unto her, G846 Whatsoever G3754 G3739 G1437 thou shalt ask G154 of me, G3165 I will give G1325 it thee, G4671 unto G2193 the half G2255 of my G3450 kingdom. G932
And G1161 when it was G1096 day, G2250 certain G5100 of the Jews G2453 banded together, G4160 G4963 and bound G332 themselves G1438 under a curse, G332 saying G3004 that they would G5315 neither G3383 eat G5315 nor G3383 drink G4095 till G2193 G3757 they had killed G615 Paul. G3972
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Judges 21
Commentary on Judges 21 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 21
Jud 21:1-15. The People Bewail The Desolation of Israel.
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.
6. There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day—that is, in danger of becoming extinct; for, as it appears from Jud 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.
8. 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 (Jud 21:11) that, besides acting in fulfilment 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.
Jud 21:16-21. The Elders Consult How to Find Wives for Those That Were Left.
16. the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain—Though the young women of Jabesh-gilead had been carefully spared, the supply was found inadequate, and some other expedient must be resorted to.
17. There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin—As they were the only rightful owners of the territory, provision must be made for transmitting it to their legitimate heirs, and a new act of violence was meditated (Jud 21:19); the opportunity for which was afforded by the approaching festival—a feast generally supposed to be the feast of tabernacles. This, like the other annual feasts, was held in Shiloh, and its celebration was attended with more social hilarity and holiday rejoicings than the other feasts.
19. on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem—The exact site of the place was described evidently for the direction of the Benjamites.
21, 22. daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances—The dance was anciently a part of the religious observance. It was done on festive occasions, as it is still in the East, not in town, but in the open air, in some adjoining field, the women being by themselves. The young women being alone indulging their light and buoyant spirits, and apprehensive of no danger, facilitated the execution of the scheme of seizing them, which closely resembles the Sabine rape in Roman history. The elders undertook to reconcile the families to the forced abduction of their daughters. And thus the expression of their public sanction to this deed of violence afforded a new evidence of the evils and difficulties into which the unhappy precipitancy of the Israelites in this crisis had involved them.