Judges 21:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.

NIV: The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly.

NASB: So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and raised their voices and wept profusely.

CSB: So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly,

NLT: Now the people went to Bethel and sat in the presence of God until evening, weeping loudly and bitterly.

KJV: And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

NKJV: Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly,

Eleven tribes of Israel have been victorious over the rebellious twelfth tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20:35–36). They overwhelmed Benjamin's army and succeeded in purging Israel of the heinous sins taking place in the city of Gibeah (Judges 20:12–13). That much, at least, had been directed by the Lord (Judges 20:27–28), and He is credited with giving them the victory. What's not recorded is any command from God compelling Israel to massacre all the women, children, and nearly all the men of Benjamin, as well (Judges 20:47–48). Only after the carnage is over does the nation realize what they have done.

No celebration followed this victory. Instead, slaughter was followed by bitter weeping. The people of the other eleven tribes of Israel travel once more to Bethel, where the Lord's presence was represented by the ark of the covenant of God (Judges 20:26–27). They meet for the entire day, mourning the loss of the people of the tribe of Benjamin, whom they had just killed.

Judges 21:1–7 finds Israel mourning. After the other eleven tribes raged through the territory in a civil war, only six hundred men survive from the tribe of Benjamin. Cities, animals, women, and children have been wiped out. Beyond that, the Israelites made an unwise oath not to give wives to Benjamin. The people weep and make sacrifices to God, but He remains silent. Israel's leaders investigate which clans did not send anyone to fight in the war. This might give them a way to honor their oath while sparing Benjamin from extinction.

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).

Accessed 5/3/2024 4:32:14 AM