Judges 21:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.

NIV: So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

NASB: And the tribe of Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had allowed to live from the women of Jabesh-gilead; but they were not enough for them.

CSB: Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.

NLT: Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them.

KJV: And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

NKJV: So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them.

The Israelites found the six hundred survivors of Benjamin (Judges 20:47–48), all men, and arranged an end to their civil war (Judges 21:13). More than that, the other eleven tribes have told the men of Benjamin they do not want their tribe to become extinct. Of course, the reason the tribe is in danger is because Israel chose to kill all of Benjamin's husbands, wives, children, and family members. This was in addition to a foolish vow, made to God, that the other tribes would not give daughters in marriage to Benjaminites.

To keep the tribe from dying out, Israel has brought four hundred virgins to marry the surviving men. These women are the survivors of yet another morally bankrupt slaughter in Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:8–12), involving yet another ill-considered oath (Judges 21:5).

Modern views on marriage and family make parts of this story more difficult to understand. Women being abruptly given in marriage to men they've never met is an idea alien to modern western culture. Yet that practice was neither unusual nor unexpected in that era. Other aspects of this incident would have been just as inappropriate in that era as in the modern world. Even in the bloody, brutal culture of the time, no indication is given that God sanctioned any part of Israel's plan.

The moral contradictions pile up. Either the Lord wanted Israel to completely wipe out the tribe of Benjamin or He didn't. If He did, then they should kill the six hundred survivors of the battle. If that was not God's intent, they should not have wiped out all the women and children in the territory. If God's will was that they never provide wives for Benjamin, that should be their conviction; if not, the promise never should have been made. Israel is twisting and bending, trying to find a way to declare themselves righteous before the Lord, but without the natural consequences of their choices. The Lord remains silent; what Israel does is according to their own plan.

Since the goal is to repopulate an entire tribe, four hundred brides for six hundred men is not enough. Leaving one third of the men single and childless would result in further chaos and unrest.

Judges 21:8–25 closes the book of Judges by describing a convoluted process. Israel has made several ill-considered vows and gone too far in punishing the tribe of Benjamin. Without a creative way to find wives for the surviving men, the tribe will quickly die out. First, Israel destroys Jabesh-gilead for not joining in the war. The young women are spared and given to Benjaminites. The remaining two hundred men of Benjamin obtain wives through a staged kidnapping near Shiloh, so Israel can claim they never "gave" wives to Benjamin. The book ends with a reminder that Israel was without a king during this era.

Israel grieves the near extinction of the tribe of Benjamin, though the situation is the result of their own excessive force. Worse, the other eleven tribes vowed not to give wives to Benjamin. To prevent the loss of a tribe, two schemes are enacted. First, the Israelites of Jabesh-gilead are wiped out for not sending anyone to support the civil war; the young women are spared and given as wives to Benjamin. Next, the remaining unmarried men of Benjamin stage an arranged kidnapping to "take" wives they cannot be "given." The book ends with another reminder of Israel's lawlessness in this era.

Judges 21 finds the people of Israel reeling after they killed nearly every person in the tribe of Benjamin. This began as an effort to enact justice and turned into a wide-ranging massacre. To keep Benjamin from dying out, Israel's leaders must work around their own mistakes and two ill-considered vows. The book ends with another reminder that Israel was without a king in this era. The nation was literally leaderless, and spiritually rebellious. Soon, the judge-and-prophet Samuel will rise to guide the people into the era of kings.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).