Judges 21 - Introduction

How the Benjamites were saved from extinction

The Israelites had bound themselves by oath not to intermarry with the men of Benjamin; but the tribe had been nearly annihilated in the conflict, and unless wives could be found for the survivors it would become extinct. Plow was such a disaster to be prevented without a violation of the oath? We have a double version of the way in which the problem was solved. According to one account, an excuse was found for a holy war against Jabesh-gilead, and 400 virgins were saved in the destruction of the city (Judges 21:2; Judges 21:16a, Judges 21:24-25 from the B narrative); according to the other, the Benjamite survivors, acting on a plan recommended by the Israelites, captured wives for themselves from the daughters of Shiloh who came to dance at the yearly festival (Judges 21:1; Judges 21:15, in the main, from A). Editorial attempts to harmonize the two narratives may be detected in Judges 21:14; Judges 21:16; Judges 21:22.