Funerals and Weddings

What is to be done about Jabesh Gilead? The people of the city did not come to the national assembly called to discuss the sin of the Benjamites. Thus, they placed themselves under the first oath taken by their fellow Israelites—that all not attending the assembly should be destroyed. However, the Israelites are now desirous of helping the remaining Benjamite bachelors, and since the men of Jabesh Gilead also did not swear the Israelites’ second oath—not to marry their daughters to Benjamites—some want to spare Jabesh Gilead and let wedding bells ring. The compromise decision involves carrying out the first oath partially (not as extensively as it was enacted against the Benjamites, but still punishing more than warriors only). In this way, the spirit (though not the letter) of the second oath can be observed and Benjamin can be helped.

A corps of twelve thousand of Israel’s “most valiant men” is sent forth to Jabesh Gilead with orders that appear rather conflicting. “ ‘Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and the children,’ ” the warriors are told. But then a qualifier is added: “ ‘You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.’ ” Though it’s not spelled out explicitly, the context and the ensuing events reveal what is being said: Females old enough to be married but not yet betrothed to a man are to be spared and brought back. There is a precedent for this in Israel’s history—Moses allowed the Israelites to spare unmarried women they had captured in their battle with Midian (Num. 31:17–18).

The Israelite force carries out its mission with no apparent difficulty and returns with four hundred young women who can become wives. Israel then sends a delegation to the six hundred Benjamite men who have been holed up at the rock of Rimmon for four months (20:47), announcing a cessation of hostilities. The Benjamites therefore return to their devastated homeland, the only survivors of the tens of thousands of their tribe. Some four hundred of them are given the consolation of new wives, but there are not enough of the young women of Jabesh Gilead to go around. So the Israelites continue to discuss ways of providing wives for the remaining Benjamites.