The Skeptics Annotated Bible (253 page)

(21.1-7) After the Israelites heard the Levite’s story (about chopping up his dead concubine and sending her body parts to each tribe of Israel) they vowed not to “give” their daughters to the Benjamites. So now they had a problem: they just finished killing all the Benjamite women and children (Jg 20.48) so there were no women for the surviving Benjamite men to marry. [There were 600 Benjamite men that survived the war with the Israelites. (Jg 20.47)]

21
Now
the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

(21.1)
“The men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.”

2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;

3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

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

7
How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

(21.7)
“How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”

(21.8-11) But they find a great solution. They check their records and find that no one from Jabeshgilead came to the rotting-concubine-body-part meeting. So they go and kill everyone in Jabeshgilead except for the virgin women and give them to the 600 surviving Benjamites.

8 And they said,
What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead
to the assembly.

(21.8)
“What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead.”

9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.

10
And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

(21.10)
“And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.”

11 And this is the thing that ye shall do,
Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

(21.11)
“Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.”

(21.12-14) So the Israelites killed all the non-virgin women and children in Jabeshgilead, bringing back 400 virgin women to give to the Benjamites. But they were still 200 short. Damn!
(21.12)
“They found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins … and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh.”

12 And
they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins
, that had known no man by lying with any male:
and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh
, which is in the land of Canaan.

13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.

14 And Benjamin came again at that time;
and they gave them wives
which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and
yet so they sufficed them not.

(21.14)
“And they gave them
[the Benjamites] wives … yet so they sufficed them not.”

15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

(21.16-23) So they come up with another brilliant plan. Have the Benjamites hide in the bushes and then catch the daughters of Shiloh when they come out to dance. So that’s what they did and everyone lived happily ever after.

16
Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

(21.16)
“Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?”

17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

(21.18)
“We may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin”