Judges 21:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day.

NIV: Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. 'Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,' they said.

NASB: And the sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin, and said, 'Today one tribe is cut off from Israel!

CSB: But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, "Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.

NLT: The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, 'Today one of the tribes of Israel has been cut off.

KJV: And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

NKJV: And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today.

The writer of Judges notes that the rest of Israel had compassion for the tribe of Benjamin. They were brokenhearted that the people of Benjamin were so near to extinction, leaving a gap in the twelve tribes of Israel. The words used here are poignant and interesting: Benjamin's tribe is spoken of fondly as a "brother." At the same time, what happened to them is described using a Hebrew word literally meaning "hacked" or "chopped." Of course, it was the rage of the eleven tribes, in response to Benjamin's resistance (Judges 20:12–13) which led them to nearly annihilate the entire region (Judges 20:47–48).

It's natural to read this passage with a sense of confusion, or even irritation, at the Israelites' thinking. In eagerness to purge evil, they seem to have taken two hasty oaths. They'd promised God to do seemingly foolish things, then gone well beyond His command to attack the guilty men of Gibeah (Judges 20:27–28). Scripture never indicates God intended them to wipe out every man, woman, and child of Benjamin. The only reason Benjamin has any hope at all is because six hundred men had escaped the slaughter and were hiding in caves. Yet the people have wept while asking, "how did this happen?" (Judges 21:1–3) and seeking a solution.

Now, a second day after the disaster, the eleven tribes are looking for a solution which will allow them to keep their vows, while also sparing the tribe of Benjamin from disappearing (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).