Judg 21:1-4 | Clarke | STEP | The Israelites mourn because of the desolation of Benjamin, and consult the Lord, . They inquire who of Israel had not come to this war, as they had vowed that those who would not make this a common cause should be put to death, , . They consult how they shall procure wives for the six hundred men who had fled to the rock Rimmon, . Finding that the men of Jabesh-gilead had not come to the war, they send twelve thousand men against them, smite them, and bring off four hundred virgins, which they give for wives to those who had taken refuge in Rimmon, . To provide for the two hundred which remained, they propose to carry off two hundred virgins of the daughters of Shiloh, who might come to the annual feast of the Lord, held at that place, . They take this counsel, and each carries away a virgin from the feast, . Verse 1 Now the men of Israel had sworn - Of this oath we had not heard before; but it appears they had commenced this war with a determination to destroy the Benjamites utterly, and that if any of them escaped the sword no man should be permitted to give him his daughter to wife. By these means the remnant of the tribe must soon have been annihilated.

Judges 21:1-4

Introduction

The Israelites mourn because of the desolation of Benjamin, and consult the Lord, Jdg 21:1-4. They inquire who of Israel had not come to this war, as they had vowed that those who would not make this a common cause should be put to death, Jdg 21:5, Jdg 21:6. They consult how they shall procure wives for the six hundred men who had fled to the rock Rimmon, Jdg 21:7. Finding that the men of Jabesh-gilead had not come to the war, they send twelve thousand men against them, smite them, and bring off four hundred virgins, which they give for wives to those who had taken refuge in Rimmon, Jdg 21:8-14. To provide for the two hundred which remained, they propose to carry off two hundred virgins of the daughters of Shiloh, who might come to the annual feast of the Lord, held at that place, Jdg 21:15-22. They take this counsel, and each carries away a virgin from the feast, Jdg 21:23-25.

Verse 1

Now the men of Israel had sworn - Of this oath we had not heard before; but it appears they had commenced this war with a determination to destroy the Benjamites utterly, and that if any of them escaped the sword no man should be permitted to give him his daughter to wife. By these means the remnant of the tribe must soon have been annihilated. Verse 2

The people came to the house of God - Literally, the people came בית־אל to Bethel; this is considered as the name of a place by the Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Septuagint.

And wept sore - Their revenge was satisfied, and now reflection brings them to contrition for what they had done. Verse 3

Why is this come to pass - This was a very impertinent question. They knew well enough how it came to pass. It was right that the men of Gibeah should be punished, and it was right that they who vindicated them should share in that punishment; but they carried their revenge too far, they endeavored to exterminate both man and beast, Jdg 20:48. Verse 4

Built there an altar - This affords some evidence that this was not a regular place of worship, else an altar would have been found in the place; and their act was not according to the law, as may be seen in several places of the Pentateuch. But there was neither king nor law among them, and they did whatever appeared right in their own eyes.