Judges 21

Judges 21 recounts the difficult aftermath of a civil war in Israel almost wiping out the tribe of Benjamin, focusing on how the Israelites struggled to preserve the tribe’s existence despite a rash oath made not to give their daughters as wives to Benjamites. To remedy this, they first attacked Jabesh-Gilead for having not joined the war, sparing only virgin women to give to Benjamin. Then, realizing that was insufficient, they allowed the Benjamites to abduct women during a festival at Shiloh, a loophole intended to avoid directly breaking their oath.

Key points include:

  • The chapter opens with the Israelites’ oath at Mizpah not to marry their daughters to Benjamin, made in anger after Benjamin’s grievous sin.

  • They soon realize that nearly the entire tribe of Benjamin is extinct, with only about 600 men left and no wives because of the vow, threatening Israel’s tribal completeness.

  • The people sorrowfully plead before God, questioning why this fate has come to pass and acknowledging collective responsibility.

  • To preserve Benjamin, they kill the men of Jabesh-Gilead for not joining Israel’s assembly or army, sparing only virgin women to be wives for the Benjamites—about 400 women.

  • Since that did not provide enough wives, they let the Benjamites abduct women during a religious festival, rationalizing that the oath was against giving daughters but not taking wives by force.

  • The book ends with the phrase underscoring the lawlessness of the era: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” highlighting the chaotic moral and social state without centralized leadership.

This chapter illustrates the cycle of sin and redemption in Judges and the problematic nature of hasty vows and human solutions without explicit divine guidance. It also reflects the severe social disintegration following the civil war.

Scholars note the moral ambiguity and complex realities this story portrays, with humans attempting to fix consequences of violence and rash decisions by further morally questionable actions. The commentary of Dale Ralph Davis compares the societal breakdown in Judges 21 to struggles in modern society, including broken family structures and pressures leading to moral compromise.

Overall, Judges 21 teaches about the dangers of impulsive vows, collective responsibility, flawed human remedies for spiritual and social crises, and the need for godly guidance to avoid repeating the tragic cycles of history.

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