Judges 21:5

Who is there...? — This verse is anticipatory of Judges 21:8.

They had made a great oath. — Another detail which has been omitted up to this point. The spirit of this cherem was exactly the same as that which we find in Judges 5:23 : “Curse ye Meroz... because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” Now that these victories had been so complete, they probably were sick with slaughter, and would not have inquired after any defaulters but by way of finding an expedient to mollify the meaning of their rash oath. We see once more in this narrative both the force derivable from a vow and the folly and wickedness of fierce vows rashly taken in moments of passion. It is obvious that the direct meaning of the vow, taken in connection with the curse under which they had placed the Benjamites, had been to annihilate the tribe.