Judges 21

,[CHAI\ XXI; newly gathered their vintage; and then they dwelt in booths, behind which the Benjainites might conveniently lurk, and watch their opportunity to carry away the virgins. This feast of tabernacles, also, was the only season wherein the Jewish virgins were allowed to dance. In a place ivhich is on the north side of Beth-eL] This is not a description of Shiloh, whose situation was better known than any other (being the place where all Israel went to worship), but of the place where they met to dance, -which was not in the city, but in the fields, where they had more liberty, and a freer air. On the east side of the highway that goeth tip from Beth-el to Shechem, and 4 on the south of Lebonah.] This place is thus particularly described, that the Benjamites might know exactly where they might most advantageously lie concealed, to obtain their purpose.

Judges 21:1

jyi OWthe men of Israel had morn in Mizpeh,. When they first assembled there, before they began the war against Benjamin, (xx. 1, &c.) Saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.] They did not think of destroying the whole tribe when they took this oath; but only obliged themselves not to marry with them, no more than with the seven wicked nations of Canaan, because they refused to punish that villanous fact which had been committed among them, and resolved to defend the malefactors..This made the Israelites to abominate them, as people with whom it was not fit to contract an affinity.

Judges 21:2

And the people came to the house of God. Went up to Shiloh. And abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore.] Some days after their fury was over, and they coolly considered what they had done in the heat of war, their joy and triumph for their victory was turned into mourning and lamentation for the loss of so many of their brethren;, for instead of a feast, they seem to have kept a fast; as they did before the last battle, (xx. 2G)

Judges 21:3

And said, O Lord God of Israel, why As this come to pass in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?. This is an usual way of expressing great grief, wherewith they bewail the loss of a whole tribe, which they saw no means how to repair, because there were no women left in the tribe of Benjamin, with whom they in the rock of Rimmon might marry;’ and they had sworn that none of the other tribes should give their daughters to them; so that they must either marry with strange people, which was against the law, or remain unmarried, whereby the tribe would be extinct. They seem also to lament their own excessive wrath; for why should the women be destroyed with the men, who had no share in the management of public affairs;. nor could be supposed guilty of refusing to make satisfaction for the injury done to the Levite’s concubine?

Judges 21:4

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar. There seems to have been no need of this, there being one settled altar at the house of God, according to the law of Moses;.and then it. was unlawful to build another. But some think it was gone to decay in those bad times; which is very improbable, for they lately offered sacrifices there, (xx. 26.) And the daily sacrifice, no doubt, was continued. in Israel, either to the Lord, or the other gods they joined with him. It Js morelikely, therefore, that they erected a new altar upon this present occasion, when such a multitude of sacrifices were, to be offered by all the people of Israel, that the ordinary altar was not sufficient to contain them. Thus Solomon did when he dedicated the temple, 1 Kings vih\ 64. And by the direction of God, it was frequently done* in other places; and not only at the house of God, as by Samuel, 1 Sam. vii. xi. xiv. and David, 2 Sam. xxiv. and> Elijah, 1 Kings xviiL And offered burnt-offerings and’ peace-offerings.] As* they had done before the last battle. For God having made them victorious, they thanked him ifor it, and prayed him to continue his mercy to them * r’ particularly begging his direction, it is probable, in the present strait wherein they were, about restoring the tribe of Benjamin.,

Judges 21:5

And the children of Israel said, Who is thero among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord?. When summons went out to call them together, under a. great penalty upon those whoabsented themselves. (See xx. 1.) For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, Surely he shall be put to death.] This great oath was in the nature of a cherem, as the Hebrews call it; whereby it was lawful for the whole congregation to devote those to destruction, who did not obey public orders in time of war, or great distress- (See upon Lev. xxvii. 29.), This oath, I take it, was>made by the great assembly of their rulers.(called the whole congregation) before they • summoned the people to Mizpeh^ as the other oath (mentioned ver.l.) was made after the people were come thither,, upon the- Benjamites! refusal to do justice.

Judges 21:6

Andtlie children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. They still continued to lament their too* great severity against Benjamin, and, begin to consult how to repair the breach they had made*

Judges 21:7

How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord. The Targum continues its usual stylo, by the Word of the Lord. - That we will not give them, of our daughters to wives?] Tins was tho question debated in their common council, (sco ver. 1G.) how to bring themselves out of this difficulty, into which they were brought by their oath, which, being rashly made, it might bo thought ought not to be kept But they had such a reverence to a solemn oath, that they resolved to do all that was possible to find a way to keep their oath, and yet not to let the Benjamites be without wives.

Judges 21:8

And they said, Wliat one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not np to the Lord to Mizpeh?. Some in the council proposed to make an inquiry into all their tribes, whether they could find any that had not regarded the other oath they had made, (ver. 5.) And it appeared (as the next words tell us) that, Behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead to the assembly. Ver. 9/For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there.] A rare instance of piety, that none of the whole congregation of Israel (who. were now numbered) departed home, till they had been at the house of God, to give thanks for the victory.he had given them.

Judges 21:10

And the congregation sent thither twelve thou sand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying.* This.was the first result of their consultations. Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword.] This was a city on the other side of Jordan, in the tribe of Manasseh; who were ordered to be slain, as public enemies, because they had not obeyed the order of the whole congregation; and, by refusing to join with them against the Benjamites, had made themselves partakers of their crimes.’ ■;« With the women and the children.] In this, their anger, transported them again beyond reason; for these had not offended. And if it be said they were all under the clxerem, I do not see how they could justify their sparing all virgins, as we find they did by a public decree; unless we suppose, that. God (before whom they now were) dispensed in this case, because of the public necessity.

Judges 21:11

And this is the thing that ye slialldo, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. The Hebrew doctors here raise a difficult question, as they account it, how they could know those’who had lain with man, from those that had not; D. Kimchi fancies, that all the women were ordered to pass before the ark, and they who were stopped there, and could go no further, were taken for virgins. Others, that they passed before the crown of the high-priest, and they who had known a man, turned yellow or pale. But these are idle conceits, and I will mention no more of them, which are still more extravagant; when the plain account is, That they slew such as were not commonly reputed to be virgins, and saved those that were. (See Wagenseil, in his Confutation of Lipman’s Carmen Memoriale, p. 400.)

Judges 21:12

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh- Gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with any male; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh. Which shews, that the making them pass before the ark is a foolish.conceit; for they were looked upon as virgins before, they came to Shiloh, where the ark was. \ Which isin the land of Canaan.] Which the city of Jabesh-Gilead was not; but in tho land taken from the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og.

Judges 21:13

And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rockRimmon, and to call peaceably to them. To give them the public faith, that they might safely return, and be received kindly by the Israelites.. t

Judges 21:14

And Benjamin came again at that time. All the six hundred men, who had saved themselves in that fortress. And they gave them wives ) which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead.] Which they -thought they might lawfully do, notwithstanding their oath, because it obliged those only who were present in the assembly where it was made, not the absent, as they of Jabesh-Gilead were-. And yet so they sufficed them not.] For still two hundred wanted wives. > 1

Judges 21:15

And the people repented themselves for Benjamin. This gave occasion to a new lamentation, whereby ^ they testified to the Benjamites how sorry they were for what had been done…-> tWu Because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes 6) Israel.] For the punishment of their crime was approved by God, though they executed it with too much severity.

Judges 21:16

Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?. This made them enter into a new deliberation in the council of the elders, how to get wives for the two hundred men remaining, since there were none in the tribe of Benjamin, and no more to be found among themselves, without breaking their oath. •

Judges 21:17

And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a Mbe be not de? stroyed out of Israel. These words, there must be, are not in the Hebrew, where the words run thus, The inheritance of them that are escaped, is for Benjamin, &c. That is, the children of Benjamin must have that part of the country which was given them by the Divine lot for their inheritance, and we must not give it to any other persons; for then a tribe would be lost in Israel. This was all that some in the council said, who proposed no means whereby this tribe should be restored, but only asserted it must be done, leaving others to consider how.

Judges 21:18

Ilowbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sivorn, saying, Cursed be he thai giveth a wife to Benjamin. These perr sons, who spake next in tho council, only increased the difficulty, by putting tbcm in mind not to think to help their brethren by breaking their oath.

Judges 21:19

Then they said. Then some rose up in the council, after a long debate, and gave the following advice. Behold, there is a feast of the Lord’iu Shiloh yearly.] All the three great festivals were to be. observed in the place where God settled his habitation, which was now at Shiloh; where all the people assembled to praise God, and to feast one with another. And though some think the feast of the Passover to be here meant, yet it is more commonly, and with more reason, concluded^to be the feast of tabernacles, which was a time of exceeding great joy, because they had

Judges 21:20

Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin. They had some authority who made this order; and Josephus calls them the yspovala, the senate of the elders, whom Bertram makes bold to call the Seventy, as if the great Sanhedrin (as the Jews call them) was now settled: but I have shewn elsewhere that is not probable, though it be certain, from ver. 16. that there were some chief persons in every tribe, whom the people obeyed when there was no judge in Israel, who all seem to have been assembled on this occasion. Saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards.] Which were nigh to the place beforementioned, and, it is likely, encompassed the place where they danced.

Judges 21:21

And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances. As they supposed they would, because it was the custom to express their joy in this manner: and though the women were not bound to come up to these solemn feasts, but only the men, yet some devout women did voluntarily frequent them, as w r e learn from the story of Hannah. And they that lived at Shiloh, and the places adjacent, no doubt, observed such times, as the men did, being near to the house of God; though it must be confessed, that parents were not wont to bring young virgins unto these feasts. • * Then come ye out of the vineyards.] When they saw them so engaged. And catch ye every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh.] By the daughters of Shiloh, perhaps, are not meant only such " as lived in that city, but thereabouts, who all met on this occasion. And go ye to the land of Benjamin.] Carry them away to your own country; which they might the more easily do, because men and women did not, in those days, dance together, but women by themselves. Thus they thought they kept their oath, because they did not give them wives, but only suffered them to take them, and to keep them when they had them. The great Grotius endeavours to acquit them of violating their oath by this rule. That the signification of an oath is not to be extended, " ultra receptum loquendi morcm," beyond the received manner of speaking; therefore they were not perjured, who, when they had sworn not to give wives to the Benjamites, permitted those who were stolen to live with those that carried them away. * Aliud enim est dare; aliud amissura non repetere:" For it is one thing io give, another not to demand that which is taken away to be restored. (See lib. ii. de Jure Belli et. Pacis> cap. 13. sect. 5.) But this seems to me to be far from justifying them in this matter; for they did not merely permit them to take these virgins, but advise and direct, nay, order and command (as the word is in the foregoing -verse), to take and cany them away. And, therefore, what Josephus saith to salve this business is not true, that it was done, ourc irpoTpzirouivtov oure kwXvovtwv, th$ Israelites neither exhorting to it, nor prohibiting it.

Judges 21:22

And it shall be; when their fathers or their brethren. Any of their nearest kindred. Come unto ns to complain.] Desiring them to do them right; which shews they were men of authority. That we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for onr sake.] Do not prosecute them tor what they have done, because it was by our advice, who did not know otherwise how to provide them with wives. Because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war.] If there be any fault it is ours, whose rage carried the slaughter too far, and left no women to preserve their tribe. They advise them therefore to let their anger cease now (as Josephus speaks), because they had let it break out ajU£rpo>c, beyond all bounds already. For ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye shoidd be guilty.] They put them in mind, that if there was any guilt, it was not in them that had kept their oath, and did not give wives to the Benjamites, nor could help their taking them. How Josephus came here to add to this speech, that they said they would tell them, they should have taken care to set a better guard upon their daughters, I cannot imagine; for, at such time of mirth, they always thought themselves secure from danger.

Judges 21:23

And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught. That is, they carried away two hundred, for so many they wanted. With this is commonly compared, by interpreters, the rape of the Sabine virgins by Romulus: but there was a great deal of difference; for those were strangers, over whom Romulus had no power,’ and therefore was the cause of a war; but these were Israelites, subject to the authority of the elders,’ and was done to make peace and quiet. Though the truth is," the elders, in advising this, did wrong to those parents, whose* children were taken away without their consent; but. this they thought better than directly breaking, their oath, or letting the title perish; for the preservation of which they were constrained to do some hard things: but in one thing they did very well, that they permitted them to take wives only according to their number; that is, every man a wife, and no more. " So that though polygamy was tolerated, yet they did not advis$ or countenance it; no, not for the more speedy restitution of a tribe. It might happen, some of these young virgins were heiresses, and so’their estates would be translated into another tribe: but the Jews say, that law against marrying into another tribe* and inheriting land in another tribe, did not belong to future ages, but only tQ that wherein the division of the land was made. (See our great Selden, de Success, ad Leges Hebr. cap. 18. where he alleges this very example of it, fol. 59.) And they went and returned unto their inheritance.] In the land of Benjamin. And repaired their cities, and dwelt intjiern-] And tilled the land, as Josephus adds; so that in time this tribe was Microsoft® [chap. J. restored, cJc nporlpav tvSa^ovfav, to its former flourishing condition. Vcr. 24. And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe, and to his family; and they went out from thence, every man to his inheritance.’] To look after his own private affairs, the public concerns being now at an end.

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. There were elders, (vcr. 1G.) who had some authority, and there was a high-priest; (xx. 28.) yet for want of a king (as our great primate Usher observes, in his book of the Power of the Prince) all things went to wreck, and were in great confusion: and by a king, as Corn. Bertram observes, (dc Rep. Jud. cap. 9.) is meant a supreme governor, such as Moses and Joshua were, and after them the judges: so this word is used Deut. xxxiii. 5. The meaning of these words therefore is, That in those days there was none who had so much power over all the Israelites as to keep them in order, and not only admonish them of their duty, but make all their tribes observe it, by punishing all public wrongs, and all whoredoms, and idolatries: and, consequently, there was no great Sanhedrin, as the Jews speak of in future times, which they would fain find in all ages foregoing. Everyman did that ivtych wa$ right in fiis own eyes.] J?or want of such a supreme authority, every tribe, and every city; nay, which is more, every private man (?is Bertram there glosses) committed many horrid things, which were not publicly punished. This was the causp of Micah’s idolatry, as was noted before, (xvii. G.) and of the Benjamites’fillhines$,(xix.l.) and now of these enormous things done by all the Israelites, in killing all the Benjamites without distinction, when the law required the children should not suffer for their parents’ offence; in binding themselves by such a rash oath, to give them none of their daughters to be their wives; in killing all the women of Jabesh-Gilead, who were not.virgins; and now in permitting, nay, ordering this rape, rather than break a rash oath; which should tefich pien to be thankful for that authority which is over them, to preserve them from such-like enormities: for which end (as the same primate there observes) the custom was, among the ancient Persians, to let the people loose to do what they list, for five days after their king died, that, by the disorders which were then committed, they might see the necessity of having a king to govern them, and when they had one, to bo more obedient to him. THE BOOK OF RUTH. A HIS book is a kind of appendix to the book of Judges, and a manuduction to the book of Samuel; and therefore fitly placed between them. It hath its title from the person whose story is here principally related; which, indeed, is wonderful. For she left her own country, kindred, and relations, which. the Jews say (though I confess without any ~ood proof of, it) were not only honourable, but royal, out of her great affection to her mother-in-law, and her religion; to live with her in the land of Israel, in a poor and mean condition. It is very probable, the same person who WTOte the book of Judges was the author of this also, viz. Samuel; who, by adding this to.the end of that book, brought down the history unto his own times; and gave us withal, the genealogy of David, from Pharez the son of Judah, that it might evidently appear Christ sprang out of that tribo, according to Jacob’s prophecy, Gen. xlix. 10. but by a gentile woman (that all nations might hope in his mercy); full of faith, and of earnest desire to enter into that family; which made her despise the pride of her own nation, and choose to live despicably among the people of God.

So all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew sword. For they slew in the first conflict eighteen thousand; and in several parties, as they fled towards the rock Rimmon, seven thousand more, which make up this sum. (See ver. 15.) All these were men of valour.’] Who would not surrender themselves, but chose rather to be killed.

But six hundred men turned, and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon. These seem to have turned into some nearer way unto the stronghold than the rest: or, being with the foremost, and more nimble than others (for it was accounted a rare quality in a soldier to be swift of foot), got thither before the Israelites could overtake them.. * » And’ abode in the rock Rimmon four months.] From whence they durst not adventure to stir, unless it Ayere to fetch provisions; which they might easily do, the rage of the Israelites being in a little time slaked by so great a destruction, and.turned into compassion.

And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin. Left their pursuit of them in the wilderness, and turned towards the country of Benjamin.; And smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city as the beast.] Those beforementioned were men that drexv the sword; that is, soldiers. But there were a great many husbandmen, and shepherds, and others; whom, in their fury, they also slew. And all that came to hand.] Even women and children. For they had devoted to destruction all that came not up to Mizpch, when they were summoned, (xxi. 5.) which none of the Benjamites did; for which reason they slew the men^ women, and children, of Jabesh-Gilead, (xxi. 10.) Also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.] This was as terrible an execution, as if they had been gross idolaters, whom they were commanded thus to punish. (See Deut. xiii. 10, 16,)