Judges 21:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.

NIV: For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

NASB: For when the people were counted, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there.

CSB: For when the roll was called, no men were there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.

NLT: For after they counted all the people, no one from Jabesh-gilead was present.

KJV: For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.

NKJV: For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there.

In the prior chapter, eleven of the twelve tribes of Israel assembled to bring justice to the twelfth tribe, Benjamin (Judges 20:11–13). That conflict resulted in the near-extinction of the Benjaminites (Judges 20:47–48). To make things worse, those present at the assembly vowed never to give their daughters to men of Benjamin (Judges 21:1). With only six hundred males left alive, the tribe is doomed unless a loophole can be found.

One town of Israel, Jabesh-gilead, sent no men to the assembly. That was the subject of another vow, where Israel promised to kill anyone who failed to support the war. While this means the clan is subject to death, it also means they did not join in the vow about marrying their daughters to Benjaminites. This unique situation is an opportunity for the tribe of Benjamin to avoid dying off.

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).

Accessed 5/6/2024 9:33:34 AM