Judges 21:10-11

10 And the congregation sent 12,000 * * of the valiant warriors there, and commanded them, saying, "Go and ¹strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead * with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones.

11 "This is the thing that you shall do: you ²shall utterly destroy every man and every woman who has lain * with a man."

Judges 21:10-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 21

This chapter relates how that when the Israelites calmed down, and seriously to reflect on what had passed, they were sore grieved, and much lamented the case of Benjamin, and were particularly concerned what they should do for wives for those few men that remained, that the tribe might be built up again, Jud 21:1-7 and for these they provided wives, partly out of Jabeshgilead, the inhabitants of which came not up to the convention at Mizpeh, and therefore they smote them, men, women, and children, only reserved four hundred virgins, whom they gave to the men of Benjamin, Jud 21:8-15, and partly from among the daughters of Shiloh, taken at a yearly feast there, the taking of whom was connived at, the other number not being sufficient, Jud 21:16-25.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 31:17; Judges 5:23; 1 Samuel 11:7
• 2. Numbers 31:17

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "known lying with"