Judges 21:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

NIV: At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

NASB: And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one departed from there to his inheritance.

CSB: At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.

NLT: Then the people of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

The Benjaminites have returned home with their wives, obtained in a staged form of kidnapping (Judges 21:19–23). The writer wraps up this episode in Israel's history as the remaining tribes return to their territories and resume life as usual. This short series of events has included overt cowardice (Judges 19:22–25), gang rape (Judges 19:26–28), reliance on the Lord (Judges 20:1, 18, 23, 28), judgment for wickedness (Judges 21:11–13), the slaughter of tens of thousands of people (Judges 20:47–48), and more killing (Judges 21:10–11) and kidnapping (Judges 21:19–22) to satisfy the letter of hastily made oaths (Judges 21:18). In the end, everyone in Israel went back home and life went on. The scars remained, however, for generations to come.

Commentators say it is likely these events happened within a generation or so of the death of Joshua, before the later judges like Gideon and Samson. One example of evidence supporting this view is the mention of Phineas, grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:28) who was alive and serving as priest at the time. These events may have contributed to the willingness of Israel to tolerate the worship of the false gods of Canaan and nations around them. As seen in the other stories recorded in the book of Judges, God did not remain entirely silent. He brought judgment on His people repeatedly, giving them opportunity after opportunity to repent and be faithful to Him (Judges 2:16–19).

Eventually, Israel would enter a new era in their relationship with the Lord. This new phase will be marked by the ministry of the judge-and-prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 7:15–17) and the beginning of a monarchy (1 Samuel 8:19–22).

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).