What do Israel’s elders command the Benjamites who still have no wives to do at Silo?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

They tell them to hide in the vineyards and, when Silo’s daughters come out to dance, suddenly seize a wife each and go to Benjamin’s land. They promise to answer complaints from the women’s fathers and brothers.

Chapter breakdown

Israel had sworn at Maspha that none would give a daughter as wife to Benjamin. All come to the house of God at Silo and sit before him until evening, raising their voices in lament and weeping. They ask the Lord God of Israel why such a great evil has come upon his people, that one tribe should be taken away that day. Early next morning they build an altar and offer holocausts and victims of peace. They ask who among the tribes did not come with the Lord’s army: at Maspha they had bound themselves by a great oath that any who were absent should be killed. Moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, they say one tribe is taken away and ask where it will find wives, since all have sworn not to give their daughters.

They again ask who failed to come to the Lord at Maspha and find the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad were not in that army; none of them is found at Silo either. They send ten thousand of the most valiant men with a command to put Jabes Galaad’s inhabitants, wives and children to the sword. The specific rule is to kill every male and every woman who has known a man, but save the virgins. They find four hundred virgins who have not known a man’s bed and bring them to the camp at Silo in Chanaan. Messengers go to the Benjamites at the rock Remmon, commanding them to receive them in peace. Benjamin comes, and wives are given from Jabes Galaad’s daughters, but no others can be given in the same manner. All Israel is very sorry and repents for the destruction of one tribe.

The elders ask what to do for the rest who have no wives, because all Benjamin’s women are dead. They say every care and great diligence must be used to prevent a tribe’s destruction. Their own daughters cannot be given because of the oath and curse against anyone who gives Benjamin a daughter as wife. Taking counsel, they point to the Lord’s yearly solemnity at Silo, north of Bethel, east of the road from Bethel to Sichem and south of Lebona.

They command Benjamin to hide in the vineyards. When the daughters of Silo come out to dance, as is the custom, the men are to come out suddenly, catch a wife each from among them and go to Benjamin’s land. The elders say that when the women’s fathers and brothers come complaining and chiding, they will ask them to have pity on the men. Their proposed reply says the men did not take the women by right of war or conquest; when they asked to have them, the families did not give them, and the fault was on the families’ part.

The Benjamites do as commanded and, according to their number, carry off a wife each from the women dancing. They go into their possession, rebuild their cities and live in them. Israel also returns by tribes and families to its dwellings. There is no king in Israel in those days, and everyone does what seems right to himself.

The story inside

The prohibition on giving daughters to Benjamin stands alongside Israel’s grief for the threatened loss of a tribe. The remembered oath against absentees leads to the discovery that Jabes Galaad did not join the army or appear at Silo. The command sent with ten thousand men distinguishes those to kill from the virgins to save. Four hundred are brought to Silo and given as wives after messengers reach Remmon, but the shortage remains. The elders repeat the oath and curse, then point to Silo’s yearly solemnity. Their command to seize dancers includes a promised response to complaints by fathers and brothers. Benjamin follows the command, returns and rebuilds; Israel returns to its dwellings. The final no-king statement is retained without declaring the plan lawful or endorsed by God.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The two oaths matter to the sequence. One forbids giving daughters to Benjamin; the other assigns death to those absent from the assembly. The chapter records the people’s use of both, their grief and their question about wives, without calling the resulting actions a lawful solution.
2
The Jabes Galaad command has a stated exception. Every male and women who have known men are to be killed, while virgins are saved. Four hundred are brought to Silo and given to Benjamin; the later question about the rest shows the remaining need.
3
The elders’ answer to families is a promise, not a recorded settlement. They tell the men to seize dancers and say what they will tell complaining fathers and brothers. The account then records carrying off women, rebuilding and return, without narrating those complaints or confirming the excuse.

Test your recall

How do the two oaths lead to the action against Jabes Galaad, why do the elders seek another way to obtain wives, and what do they command and promise at Silo?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 27644–27670
Judges Chapter 21 The tribe of Benjamin is saved from being utterly extinct, by providing wives for the six hundred that remained. 21:1. Now the children of Israel had also sworn in Maspha, saying: None of us shall give of his daughters to the children of Benjamin to wife. 21:2. And they all came to the house of God in Silo, and sitting before him till the evening, lifted up their voices, and began to lament and weep, saying: 21:3. O Lord God of Israel, why is so great an evil come to pass in thy people, that this day one tribe should be taken away from among us? 21:4. And rising early the next day, they built an altar: and offered there holocausts, and victims of peace, and they said: 21:5. Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the army of the Lord? for they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were in Maspha, that whosoever were wanting should be slain. 21:6. And the children of Israel being moved with repentance for their brother Benjamin, began to say: One tribe is taken away from Israel. 21:7. Whence shall they take wives? For we have all in general sworn, not to give our daughters to them.
Lines 27672–27698
21:8. Therefore they said: Who is there of all the tribes of Israel, that came not up to the Lord to Maspha? And, behold, the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad were found not to have been in that army. 21:9. (At that time also when they were in Silo, no one of them was found there,) 21:10. So they sent ten thousand of the most valiant men, and commanded them, saying: Go and put the inhabitants of Jabes Galaad to the sword, with their wives and their children. 21:11. And this is what you shall observe: Every male, and all women that have known men, you shall kill, but the virgins you shall save. 21:12. And there were found of Jabes Galaad four hundred virgins, that had not known the bed of a man, and they brought them to the camp in Silo, into the land of Chanaan. 21:13. And they sent messengers to the children of Benjamin, that were in the rock Remmon, and commanded them to receive them in peace. 21:14. And the children of Benjamin came at that time, and wives were given them of the daughters of Jabes Galaad: but they found no others, whom they might give in like manner. 21:15. And all Israel was very sorry, and repented for the destroying of one tribe out of Israel.
Lines 27700–27713
21:16. And the ancients said: What shall we do with the rest, that have not received wives? for all the women in Benjamin are dead. 21:17. And we must use all care, and provide with great diligence, that one tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 21:18. For as to our own daughters we cannot give them, being bound with an oath and a curse, whereby we said: Cursed be he that shall give Benjamin any of his daughters to wife. 21:19. So they took counsel, and said: Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord in Silo, which is situate on the north of the city of Bethel, and on the east side of the way, that goeth from Bethel to Sichem, and on the south of the town of Lebona.
Lines 27715–27727
21:20. And they commanded the children of Benjamin and said: Go, and lie hid in the vineyards, 21:21. And when you shall see the daughters of Silo come out, as the custom is, to dance, come ye on a sudden out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife among them, and go into the land of Benjamin. 21:22. And when their fathers and their brethren shall come, and shall begin to complain against you, and to chide, we will say to them: Have pity on them: for they took them not away as by the right of war or conquest, but when they asked to have them, you gave them not, and the fault was committed on your part.
Lines 27729–27740
21:23. And the children of Benjamin did as they had been commanded: and, according to their number, they carried off for themselves every man his wife of them that were dancing: and they went into their possession, and built up their cities, and dwelt in them. 21:24. The children of Israel also returned by their tribes, and families, to their dwellings. In those days there was no king in Israel: but every one did that which seemed right to himself.