Judges 21:12

_FOR THE PEOPLE WERE NUMBERED, AND, BEHOLD, THERE WERE NONE OF THE INHABITANTS OF JABESH-GILEAD THERE._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

TO SHILOH - Whither, as the usual place of meeting for the national assembly, the Israelites had moved from Bethel (a distance of about 10 miles), during the expedition of the 12,000 to Jabesh-Gilead....

AND THEY FOUND AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF JABESHGILEAD FOUR HUNDRED YOUNG VIRGINS,.... Or damsel virgins e; damsels that were virgins: that had known no man by lying with any male: which was judged of by their age, and by their unmarried state, and by common report, unless it can be thought they were examined by matrons; but how it was that they were not obliged, or did not think themselves obliged by their oath to put these to death, as well as others, is not easy to say; whether they thought the necessity of the case would excuse it, or they had a dispensation from the Lord for it, on consulting him; however, so it was: AND THEY BROUGHT THEM UNTO THE CAMP TO SHILOH, WHICH IS IN THE LAND OF CANAAN; this is observed because that Jabeshgilead was not in the land of Canaan, from whence they were brought, but in the land of Og king of Bashan; only what was on this side Jordan was the land of...

CHAPTER 21 THE REPENTANCE ABOUT BENJAMIN _ 1. Sorrow of the people and Jabesh-Gilead smitten (Judges 21:1)_ 2. The restoration of Benjamin (Judges 21:16) A tribe of the nation was almost entirely exterminated. Then the oath they had made not to give their daughters to wife to the Benjamites left assured the complete extinction of the tribe. The dreadful work they had done dawned suddenly upon them and weeping before Jehovah they said, “Why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?” The answer surely was, it came to pass on account of their departure from God and their sins. Thus people ask when they behold the scenes of bloodshed and war, as we see in our times, why is this? and are even ready to blame God, instead of thinking of sin and

JUDES 21. BENJAMIN SAVED FROM EXTINCTION. Two versions of this story have been editorially combined. The second is evidently the older. It was stated that the children of Israel came together as one man (Judges 20:1; Judges 20:11), but it now appears that Jabesh-gilead, the city that was so loyal to Saul the Benjamite (1 Samuel 11:1 f; 1 Samuel 31:11 f., 2 Samuel 2:5 f; 2 Samuel 21:12 f.), did not send a single man to fight against Benjamin. For this sin, all the inhabi

YOUNG VIRGINS. Hebrew young women, virgins. VIRGINS. Hebrew. _bethulah._ SHILOH. See note on Judges 18:31....

_unto the camp_ From the foregoing one would naturally conclude that the main body of the Israelites was at Beth-el. _to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan_ What can be the point of this remark? -which is in the land of Canaan," by way of contrast to the Israelite territory E. of the Jordan, is intelligible in Joshua 22:9 but not so suitable here. The sentence can hardly have stood originally in B; it looks like an editorial addition designed to prepare the way for A's narrative: all Israel must be brought upon the scene of Judges 21:23. Probably the words were borrowed from Joshua 21:2; Joshua 22:9; cf....

_Wives for the Benjamites Judges 21:8-25_ 8 And 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 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 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. 13 And the whole c

THE MIGRATIONS OF THE DANITES, AND THE FEUD BETWEEN BENJAMIN AND THE OTHER TRIBES (JUDGES 17-21) This concluding section is really an appendix. Instead of describing a further deliverance, it recounts two tribal stories m which the rough manners and primitive religious ideas of the time are shown with most valuable and vivid detail. Redundancies and discrepancies in the narratives (see on Judges 17:3; Judges 18:17) as well as differences in the language, suggest that more than one account has been used in each of the stories. This is no sign, however, that they are not historical; and they must probably be placed earlier rather than later in the general framework of the period. WIVES ARE GIVEN TO THE BENJAMITE SURVIVORS 1-6. The lamentation for Benjamin....

LIFE WITHOUT LAW JUDGES _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 21 V1 *Israel’s men had made this serious promise to the *Lord at Mizpah. ‘We will not allow our daughters to marry a man from Benjamin’s *tribe.’ V2 The people went to Bethel. They sat where God was. They sat there until evening. They were weeping very much. V3 They said this. ‘*Lord God of *Israel’s people, this should not have happened to *Israel’s people. Now one *tribe in *Israel has almost gone.’ V4 Early next morning, the people built an *altar and they offered *burnt offerings and *peace offerings. V5 Then they asked this. ‘Which group from all *Israel’s *tribes did not meet where God was?’ They had seriously promised to kill anyone that did not go to Mizpah. V6 Now the *Israelites were sorry for their brothers,