Judges 21:6-10
Judges 21:6
And
the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There
is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
The
children of Israel were starting to feel a remorse for the harshness which was
done to Benjamin. Since they were
given no wives, the tribe would be facing extinction.
To be cut off was as if they were dead and did not exist.
Judges 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?
No
they were in a quandary because they were not sure what to do with the remaining
men of Benjamin since they swore before the Lord that they would not give their
daughters to be the wives of any Benjamites.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and
let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
(Ecclesiastes 5:2, KJV)
Ecclesiastes gives us good insight about being too quick to utter words before
the Lord.
Judges 21:8
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.
Then
they resumed their discussion concerning anyone who did not come up to Mizpeh
and they found that one did not come up with them and that was from the camp of
Jabesh-Gilead. This town was within
the borders of the half tribe of Manasseh.
This town was located east of the Jordan River.
Judges 21:9
For
the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead there.
They
took a count of all the people who were represented and they did not find one
person from the town of Jabesh-Gilead.
They may have been represented and if they were, they did not come to
Shiloh to offer burnt offerings before the Lord, instead they went straight
home.
Judges 21:10
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.