Judges 21:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”

NIV: LORD, God of Israel,' they cried, 'why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?'

NASB: And they said, 'Why, Lord, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe is missing today from Israel?'

CSB: and cried out, "Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today? "

NLT: O Lord, God of Israel,' they cried out, 'why has this happened in Israel? Now one of our tribes is missing from Israel!'

KJV: And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

NKJV: and said, “O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”

Israel has slaughtered nearly the entire tribe of Benjamin. Only six hundred men of the tribe remain hiding in an area known as the "rock of Rimmon" (Judges 20:47–48). God directed Israel to fight against Benjamin (Judges 20:27–28) because of the depraved evils of the city of Gibeah (Judges 20:12–13). Nowhere did God command that Israel obliterate the entire tribe. And yet, the other eleven tribes appeal to God as if He is to blame for what has happened.

It's common for people to make mistakes, then appeal to God, asking "why did this happen?" or "why did you do this to me?" Here, the immediate answer for "why" a tragedy has happened is extremely direct: because that's what Israel chose to do. They clearly went well beyond what was necessary, or commanded, including making unwise promises (Judges 21:1). Yet now, they feel terrible about the looming extinction of one of the twelve tribes of their nation. They have spent the day following the slaughter weeping before the Lord at Bethel, where the ark of the covenant sits (Judges 20:26–27).

God does not answer their question, and the next day the people will convene again to work out a plan. That will be further complicated by a second oath which must be kept, as well (Judges 21:4–5).

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).