Judges 21

King James Version

Full text for Judges Chapter 21

1¶ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

3And 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?

4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5And 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.

6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

7How 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?

8And 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.

9For the people were numbered, and, behold, [there were] none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

10And 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.

11And this [is] the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

12And 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.

13And the whole congregation sent [some] to speak to the children of Benjamin that [were] in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

15And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

17And they said, [There must be] an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [be] he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

19Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

20Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

21And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

22And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, [that] ye should be guilty.

23And the children of Benjamin did so, and took [them] wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

24And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

25In those days [there was] no king in Israel: every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

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.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with the Israelites repenting their near-destruction of the tribe of Benjamin and mourning the potential loss of a tribe from Israel. They were also bound by a solemn oath not to give their own daughters to the Benjamites as wives. To address this dilemma, the congregation sought out any tribe that had not participated in the war against Benjamin, identifying Jabesh-Gilead. A force was sent to utterly destroy Jabesh-Gilead, saving only four hundred virgins to be given to the Benjamites. As these were insufficient, the elders devised a second plan. They instructed the remaining Benjamites to lie in wait at the annual feast of the LORD in Shiloh. When the daughters of Shiloh came out to dance, the Benjamites were to seize them as wives, thereby acquiring wives without the Israelites directly breaking their oath. The Benjamites executed this plan, took their wives, and returned to their inheritance, concluding the account of this tumultuous period.

Long Summary

Judges 21 details the Israelites' efforts to preserve the tribe of Benjamin after their near-annihilation in the preceding conflict. The chapter begins with the men of Israel gathered at Mizpeh, lamenting the loss of a tribe and weeping before the LORD, having sworn an oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin in marriage. To find wives for the six hundred surviving Benjamite men without violating their oath, the congregation sought out any tribe that had failed to join the assembly against Benjamin. They discovered that no one from Jabesh-Gilead had come to Mizpeh. Consequently, twelve thousand valiant men were dispatched to Jabesh-Gilead with a command to utterly destroy all inhabitants, saving only young virgins who had not known man. From this expedition, four hundred virgins were brought to Shiloh and given to the Benjamites who had returned from the rock Rimmon. However, these wives were insufficient to provide for all the remaining Benjamites. The elders of the congregation, still repenting for Benjamin and acknowledging the "breach" in Israel, devised a second strategy. They instructed the Benjamites to lie in wait in the vineyards near Shiloh during the yearly feast of the LORD. When the daughters of Shiloh came out to dance, the Benjamites were to rush forth and seize wives for themselves. The elders promised to intercede with the families of the abducted women, arguing that this act did not constitute the Israelites "giving" their daughters, thus circumventing the initial oath. The children of Benjamin followed these instructions, took wives from among the dancers, and returned to their inheritance, rebuilding their cities. The chapter concludes with the poignant statement that in those days, "there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes," highlighting the moral chaos of the period.

Core Concepts

  • Preservation of a TribeThe Israelites' deep concern and actions to prevent the complete extinction of the tribe of Benjamin, despite their previous war against them, demonstrating a desire to maintain the twelve tribes of Israel.
  • The Oath and its CircumventionThe Israelites were bound by an oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin, leading them to devise indirect methods, such as the destruction of Jabesh-Gilead and the abduction of women from Shiloh, to provide wives without directly violating their vow.
  • Collective Guilt and RepentanceThe people of Israel expressed profound sorrow and repentance for the devastation inflicted upon Benjamin, recognizing the "breach" that had occurred within the tribes of Israel.
  • Punishment of Jabesh-GileadJabesh-Gilead was utterly destroyed, with only virgins spared, because its inhabitants failed to join the congregation of Israel at Mizpeh, highlighting the strict enforcement of communal obligations.
  • Abduction of Shiloh's DaughtersTo further provide wives, the Benjamites were instructed to ambush and seize dancing maidens from Shiloh during a feast, a pragmatic solution to circumvent the Israelites' oath.
  • Absence of Central AuthorityThe chapter concludes by reiterating that "there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes," underscoring the lack of unified leadership and the resulting moral ambiguity of the period's actions.