Judges 21:14
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.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
Jabesh-gilead was a city in Gilead (Transjordan) with later significance in Israel's history—it was the city Saul rescued from Ammonite siege (1 Samuel 11:1-11), creating lasting loyalty between Benjamin and Jabesh-gilead. The men of Jabesh-gilead later honored Saul by retrieving his body from Philistine desecration (1 Samuel 31:11-13).
The slaughter of Jabesh-gilead for not participating in the Benjamin war demonstrates the breakdown of proportional justice during this period. The original offense—protecting Gibeah's rapists—was Benjamin's sin. Jabesh-gilead's neutrality, while perhaps cowardly, hardly merited total destruction. Israel's escalating violence reveals moral disintegration where each attempted solution required fresh injustice.
Questions for Reflection
- How do pragmatic solutions to spiritual problems often create new injustices while failing to address root issues?
- What does the destruction of Jabesh-gilead teach about how zealous enforcement of covenant obligations can itself violate covenant principles?
- How can we recognize when our attempted solutions to problems are compounding sin rather than promoting genuine restoration?
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Analysis & Commentary
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. The remnant of Benjamin accepted the peace terms and received wives which they had saved alive from Jabesh-gilead's destruction (21:8-12). The phrase "saved alive" (chayah, חָיָה) reveals the brutal context—Israel had executed all male inhabitants and married women of Jabesh-gilead for failing to join the war against Benjamin (21:10-11), sparing only 400 virgins. This "solution" involved genocide against a fellow Israelite city.
The tragic phrase and yet so they sufficed them not (velo matsu lahem ken, וְלֹא מָצְאוּ לָהֶם כֵּן) indicates the 400 women were insufficient for 600 Benjamite men, requiring another violent "solution"—kidnapping 200 women from Shiloh (21:19-23). From a Reformed perspective, this demonstrates how sin compounds when people seek pragmatic solutions rather than repentance. Israel's rash oath created a dilemma they "solved" through escalating violence against innocent parties.
Theologically, this exposes the bankruptcy of human wisdom apart from God's guidance. Proverbs 14:12 warns: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Israel's scheme preserved Benjamin technically while violating fundamental covenant principles of justice and mercy.