Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · Judges · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
THere being but 600 men onelyonly left of all Benjamin, and not one woman; here it is remembred what a vow all the men of Israel had made out of their fury against Benjamin, tending to the utter extirpation of that Tribe, for V. 1.they had vowed not to give any of their daughters unto them to wife, wherein, as Ferus noteth, they did rashly and uncharitably. This their vow was Ferus.therefore sinfull. 1 Because against charity. 2 Without any direction or word from God. 3 Against his order, who had made 12 Tribes, and given them singular blessings, and to the tribe of Benjamin in speciall. Wherefore V. 2.now they repent and are humbled therefore, grieving to thinke, that one of their Tribes was in danger of being quite cut off. With Ferus agreeth Tostatus, Tostatus.holding both the vow to bee unlawfull, and that it ought not to have been kept, because God would have all the 12 Tribes to remaine, and none of them to be quite cut off; and because in denying them wives, when they had no women of their owne, they exposed them to the danger either of fornication, or of marrying Heathen women, and consequently of being drawne to idolatry. But some hold this vow to have been lawfull, because an whole City might bee destroyed for idolatry, and therefore an whole Tribe, for so great Deut. 13.and unheard of abomination made the sinne of all by patronizing the actors of it. I subscribe rather to Ferus, that the vow was rashly made, but in zeale against sinne, they thinking then for ever to extinguish so impious a Tribe; for which yet (because they had no warrant, there being not the like reason of a City and a Tribe, God having some famous instruments of his glory to raise out of every Tribe, according to Prophesies fore-going of them, and Paul in Gen. 49. Deut. 33.speciall out of this Tribe of Benjamin) they now seeing by a singular providence some of this Tribe preserved, begin to consider their errour, and grieve to thinke, that they had laid a foundation against their ever multiplying again, by making so rash a vow, and repent thereof. But because a vow is a sacred tye, and may not bee broken, unlesse the doing of the thing vowed be directly Numb. 30. 1.sinfull, I hold against Tostatus, that they ought to make conscience of keeping this vow, especially there being other wayes to bee excogitated of furnishing these Benjamites with wives, as the sequell declareth. This vow is said to have been made in Mizpeh, v. 1. that is, before the warre began; v. 18. it is said, that they had sworne, Cursed bee hee that giveth his daughter to Benjamin to wife; and v. 5. another vow made at that time is also commemorated, viz. to destroy that City that should not come up to helpe in these warres; so that zeale wrought with them, not onelyonly to cut off the wicked, but such as would not helpe in cutting them off. Being before the Lord now in Shiloh, they weep V. 3, 4.to thinke upon the utter ruine of a Tribe like to bee, and they complaine hereof, and build an Altar, and offer sacrifices; but this was done, saith Lyra, in Lyra.thankesgiving for their victory. But how is the building of a new Altar Qu. justisiable, when as they had one before made by Moses, and it was unlawfull to make another, as wee may see, Josh. 22? Answ. It was not altogether unlawfull, but in any other place besides that where the Tabernacle was, nor so neither at extraordinary times, and upon extraordinary occasions, such as this was, when happily they had direction from the Lord also to doe thus, to shew the greater thankfulnesse. Having done thus, they are againe affected V. 5, 6, 7, 8.with Benjamin's case, and cast about, how they might doe to helpe them to wives, who survived. Then they remember the oath made by them against V. 9, 10.such as came not up to Mizpeh to joyne in these warres, and finding that Jabesh Gilead came not up, they sent against that City 12000 men to destroy them, V. 11, 12. V. 13, 14.their wives and children, onelyonly sparing the virgins that had knowne no man, which were 400, and these they gave to the 600 Benjamites to bee their wives, but yet they were not sufficiently supplyed. The Vulg. Latine for 12000, hath 10000, confessedly erroneously. Here was a wonderfull change in the Israelites, as Ferus noteth, towards the Benjamites surviving, in that all enmity being Ferus.laid aside, they now study and labour to procure their welfare againe; and thus it ought to bee with all that punish offenders, bee angry with their sinnes, and use severity against them, but compassionate their persons being in misery. Note. And in these Benjamites we may see the singular providence of God over his people in their greatest misery and most desperate estate, in that hee turned their enemies to bee their friends, beyond all that they could expect. Jabesh Gilead was a City in Gilead, 52 miles from Shiloh, and therefore farre from Gibeah. H. Bunting Patriar. travailesAnd happily because the men of that City were farre off, and so thought it did not concerne them what was done in Gibeah; or because they had not so much zeale for justice, as to put in for a part in revenging so horrible a fact, they fate still, expecting the event of this warre at home, holding it best to save themselves from a great deale of labour, charge, and danger. But now Qu. they pay deare for their being so worldly wise; but whether the Israelites did well in taking this severe revenge upon them and their innocent children, is a question, but Ferus resolveth it rightly, because they separated themselves from Ferus.the community of Israel, in seeking to be revenged upon so great abomination, they were worthily counted enemies, and destroyed; inferring hereupon, that such Christians as in the publique affaires of the Church, wherein there is need of their helpe, withdraw themselves, and helpe not their mother the Church, with all their might, are not worthy to bee counted sonnes of the Church, but enemies, and to bee proceeded against accordingly. Moreover, the Israelites had bound themselves by oath hereunto, and as Josephus hath it, the men of Jabesh being sent unto, refused to come to this warre. For other questions made here, how they knew the virgins, and whether they spared any, but Qu. such as were now marriageable? To the first, Lyra answereth, that they made them to passe before the Arke, and by a sign given there they were knowne. Lyra.Tostatus, that they they used the helpe of ancient women to distinguish them. Tostatus.And to the other question, that all Virgins were spared, as well those that were yet children, as the marriageable, these being given to the Benjamites to wife, and those reserved, to bee afterward marryed within their owne Tribe. But because they are bidden to destroy all the women and children, except the Virgins that had knowne no man: I thinke it plaine, that it was meant onelyonly such should bee spared as were of age, but yet unmarryed, and these might be known by their habit and manner of going, and by the relation of their mothers and friends, before that they had killed any of the females, or discovered the end of their enquiry hereabout.
The next project for the Benjamites, which yet wanted, to get them wives, V. 19, 20.was, that they should lye hid in the Vineyards, and observe upon the Feast day of the Lord, when the daughters of Shiloh should come out to dance, and then suddenly come upon them, and catch every man a wife, and goe away with them to their owne Countrey. And in doing thus, saith Lyra, it was not sinned, either by the Elders that gave this counsell, for they had sworne onelyonly, Lyra.not to give them any of their daughters to wife, or by the men of Shiloh, because although they had their daughters, yet it was without their giving them, neither were they acquainted with this project; or by the Benjamites, because they did onelyonly as they were directed by those that had authority. Ferus confesseth Ferus.it to have been an evill to take, and carry away, and marry other mens daughters against the will of their parents; yea, and worse then theft; for which cause by the civill law a greater punishment is appointed therefore, viz. death. But it seemeth good at this time unto them, rather to tolerate this, then that the oath of the Lord should bee broken, and so his Name bee in danger of being made contemptible amongst the common sort of people. I cannot but thinke with Ferus, that this catching up of other mens daughters was a fault, and out of this case punishable, but now necessity requiring it, tolerable; especially, if their consent, and the good will of their Parents was forthwith obtained, as was most probable it should bee, they having such mediators to speake for them, as the Elders of Israel, who were then of greatest power in that Common-wealth. But what Feast was this, and what dancing was that of the Virgins at it? Tostatus holdeth it to have been some feast at a Fair Tostatus.once a yeare, or some festivall of that place for the pleasure and recreation of the inhabitants, as many Cities and Villages have in some Countreys their peculiar feasts; and to justifie this, he alledgeth Josephus, who saith, thrice in a yeare they came to Shiloh, their wives and daughters followed ad mercimonium, that is, to buy wares. But the words of Josephus, are foreign, signifying Bonfrerius.rather, ad publicum conventum aut solennitatem. And because it is said three times in the yeare, Bonfrerius gathereth, that this feast was one of the three generall feasts of the Passeover, Pentecost, or feast of Tabernacles; as also because it is called a feast of the Lord, and was kept in Shiloh, where the Arke now abode, to which place therefore all the people were bound to come up these three times in the yeare to keep these feasts. I am not of Tostatus his minde, that it was a Faire-feast, or some other time of merry meeting upon pleasure, because it is called a feast of the Lord: Neither doe I thinke with Bonfrerius, that it was one of the three generall solemnities; for then they would not have said, there is a feast of the Lord yearly in Shiloh, as if it were kept onelyonly by the inhabitants of that place, their daughters onelyonly going out in dances and singing into the fields in praising God, because although the males onelyonly were bound to come to those three solemnities, yet many women and virgins came also from all parts of the Land, and being there, without doubt would bee ready to joyne with the daughters of Shiloh, in any act to the praise of God; and if so, they also should have been in danger to bee taken as well as the Siloan women. Whereas Josephus saith in his Greek Copy, three times a yeare, which giveth occasion to this conceit, that it must bee one of the three most solemne feasts; Gelenius his Translator hath it not so, but every yeare we have a custome in Shilo to come together to a celebrity, correcting Josephus herein by the Scripture, which speaketh not of three, but of one feast kept by that people in the yeare, wherein they had this singular custome, that their daughters went out to dance. And it seemeth even by the relation of Josephus, that this was not a thing knowne generally how they kept this solemnity, because hee saith, the Elders being in a study for the Benjamites that yet wanted wives, one came unto them and said, wee have a custome every yeare in Shiloh, &c. whereas if this feast had been one of the three, their custome had been generally knowne, because they came from all parts to those feasts. It seemeth therefore to mee, that this was the feast of blowing Trumpets the first of the seventh MonethMonth, being a time of Numb. 29. 1. Numb. 10. 10.great mirth and joy above all other new Moones, especially where the silver Trumpets were kept, which place now was Shiloh, where the Tabernacle abode. For the people came not together from all parts to keep this Feast, but each City kept it by it selfe. Or rather some singular feast kept in Shiloh onelyonly to the honour of God, in way of thankfulnesse for choosing it to place his Tabernacle there, and that happily upon the day that it was first set up there from yeare to year. The dancing of the daughters of Shiloh now was not in levity and wantonnesse, nor in the company of men, but modest and holy in praising God, as Miriams dancing, Exod. 15. 20. for if young men had been amongst them, the Benjamites could not so easily have taken them and carryed them away. Shiloh here described by Bethel, and the way to Shechem and Lebanon is said by Jerome to bee in the tribe of Ephraim, and neare Hieron, de loc. Hebr.to the lot of Benjamin, and therefore the fittest place that they could have been appointed to get them wives.
Now to encourage the Benjamites to this enterprize, the Elders tell them, V. 22.That if their fathers or brethren come to us to complaine, wee will say, Bee favourable to them for our sakes, because wee reserved not to each man his wife in the warre; for yee did not give unto them at this time that yee should bee guilty. The Vulgar Latine hath it, Non rapuerunt eas more bellantium atque victorum, sed rogantibus, ut acciperent, non dedistis, & à vestra parte peccatum est. This reading, howsoever different from the Hebrew, is first expounded by Lyra, and then it Lyra.is rendred according to the Hebrew, and so expounded. For this, they have not taken them away by the right of warre, &c. that is, as if they were taken captive to use them hardly as servants and slaves, but lovingly and kindly as wives: but because yee gave them not unto them asking, yee have sinned, that is, having bound your selves by oath not to give them, yee have sinned, for that yee looked no better to them, to keep them from being stolne away. For the other truer reading according to the Hebrew, which is in our new Translation, Wee reserved not to each man his wife in the warre; Wee tooke not Lyra.for each man a wife in the warre, that is, in the warre which wee made against Jabesh Gilead; Neither have yee given unto them, as though in time yee should bee blamed; that is, now that they have taken your daughters, if yee be content with it, and so give them as it were unto them, yee shall be are no sinne of going contrary to your oath in so doing, because they were taken without your knowledge or consent, for it is not likely that the men of Shiloh knew any thing of this project, till that it was put in execution. Junius Junius.hath the first clause thus, Wee reserved not to each man his wife in the warre; that is, when we fought against Benjamin wee destroyed the wives of these men amongst others; and the second clause thus, Nam vos non dedistis neque jam rei eritis, expounding it as before; thus also others. But the Hebrew being rendred word for word, is thus, Wee tooke not for each man his wife in the warre, because yee have not given them unto them at this time yee have sinned, and thus almost goeth the Geneva Translation. According to which the meaning must bee, because yee expostulate about them at this time, and are not yet moved in compassion to your brethren in this their necessity to let them have them, yee make your selves guilty of the sinne of inhumanity and want of brotherly affection, howsoever yee thinke, that in regard of your fore-passed oath, yee should bee guilty in permitting them to goe away with them; for the clause before-going, I subscribe to Lyra, because the word properly signifieth we tooke not. Besides these, there is another reading, with a supply of one word, thus, Because yee gave them not unto them according to the time, wherein yee should sinne; for Hebr. it is foreign according to the time, that is, yee need not feare being guilty of sinne by reason of your oath, although now yee consent, because your oath bindeth you not at this time, seeing the case is diverse, yee doe not directly give them, but in pity consent now, that they are by the direction of authority taken and carryed away. Let the judicious reader follow which of these expositions he pleaseth.
This being done, the Benjamites depart to their possessions, and rebuild their V. 23, 24.Cities, and all the rest of the Israelites returne every one to his Tribe and to his family.