# Judges 21 📖: Wives for Benjamin [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Judges Overview]] | [[Judges 20]] | [[Ruth 01]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Six Hundred Brides for Six Hundred Brothers [[#Verse 01.]] The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.”  [[#Verse 02.]] So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably.  [[#Verse 03.]] They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel? An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!” [[#Verse 04.]] The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace.  [[#Verse 05.]] The Israelites asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the Lord?”They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must certainly be executed.  [[#Verse 06.]] The Israelites regretted what had happened to their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire tribe from Israel!  [[#Verse 07.]] How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.” [[#Verse 08.]] So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.  [[#Verse 09.]] When they took roll call, they noticed none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.  [[#Verse 10.]] So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors against Jabesh Gilead. They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.  [[#Verse 11.]] Do this: Exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has experienced a man’s bed. But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed.  [[#Verse 12.]] They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead 400 young girls who were virgins who had never been intimate with a man in bed. They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. [[#Verse 13.]] The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed.  [[#Verse 14.]] The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. [[#Verse 15.]] The people regretted what had happened to Benjamin because the Lord had weakened the Israelite tribes. [[#Verse 16.]] The leaders of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.  [[#Verse 17.]] The remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out.  [[#Verse 18.]] But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed.’  [[#Verse 19.]] However, there is an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah.”  [[#Verse 20.]] So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards, [[#Verse 21.]] and keep your eyes open. When you see the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin.  [[#Verse 22.]] When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, we’ll say to them, ‘Do us a favor and let them be, for we could not get each one a wife through battle. Don’t worry about breaking your oath! You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” [[#Verse 23.]] The Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted 200 of the dancing girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down.  [[#Verse 24.]] Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. [[#Verse 24]] Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property.  [[#Verse 25.]] In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24 ###### Verse 25. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Israel swore at Mizpah not to give their daughters as wives to Benjamin (21:1). 2. Jabesh Gilead (21:8), east of the Jordan, was punished for not coming to Mizpah. 3. Four hundred young women from Jabesh Gilead were given to Benjamin (21:12). 4. This family tie may help explain why Saul, a Benjaminite, rescued Jabesh Gilead (1 Samuel 11) and why its men later honored his body (1 Samuel 31:11-13). 5. Shiloh (21:19) was where the tabernacle stood, and its yearly festival included dancing in the vineyards. 6. The remaining 200 Benjaminites took wives from the dancers at Shiloh (21:21-23). 7. Israel kept the letter of their oath because the fathers did not "give" their daughters (21:22). 8. The tribe of Benjamin survived and later produced King Saul and the apostle Paul (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5). 9. Judges ends with the same refrain found in 17:6, framing the final chapters. 10. In the Hebrew Bible's order, the next book is Samuel, which tells how Israel received its kings. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the King who restores what His people have broken. Judges ends with no king and everyone doing what was right in their own eyes (21:25), a longing fulfilled in Jesus, the King who reigns in righteousness (Isaiah 32:1; Luke 1:32-33). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Israel made a rash oath and then tried to get around it (21:1, 7, 18). How do quick promises made in anger create bigger problems? 2. Israel grieved that a tribe was missing (21:3, 6). How should we respond when part of God's family is broken? 3. The book closes with everyone doing what was right in their own eyes (21:25). What would it look like to let God be King in your life? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 3: Israel asks the Lord why a tribe is missing. - 📖 verse 15: The people grieve because the Lord has made a gap in the tribes. - 📖 verse 25: There was no king, and each man did what he thought was right. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Judges 17#Verse 06.|Judges 17:6]] - There was no king in Israel. - 🔗 [[Deuteronomy 17#Verse 14.|Deuteronomy 17:14-15]] - God's instructions for a king. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 32#Verse 01.|Isaiah 32:1]] - A king will reign in righteousness. - 🔗 [[Philippians 03#Verse 05.|Philippians 3:5]] - Paul of the tribe of Benjamin. - 🔗 [[1 Samuel 11#Verse 01.|1 Samuel 11:1-11]] - Saul rescues Jabesh Gilead. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Judges 21 - SOAP|Don’t Trust Yourself. Trust God]] ## 📂 Internal Notes