21 Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.” And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” And the next day the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the people of Israel said, “Which of all the tribes of Israel did not come up in the assembly to the LORD?” For they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” And the people of Israel had compassion for Benjamin their brother and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel this day. What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them any of our daughters for wives?”
And they said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah?” And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction.” And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them. And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.” So they said, “Behold, there is the yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.’” And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
(ESV)
In Judges 21, the Israelites mourned the desolation of the tribe of Benjamin and sought the Lord’s guidance (Judges 21:1-4). They recalled their vow to punish those who did not join the war (Judges 21:5-6) and sought wives for the 600 surviving Benjamites (Judges 21:7). Discovering that Jabesh-Gilead had not participated, they attacked the city, killing its inhabitants but sparing 400 virgins for the Benjamites (Judges 21:8-14). To provide wives for the remaining 200 men, they instructed the Benjamites to seize virgins from the annual feast at Shiloh (Judges 21:15-22). The Benjamites did so and returned to their land (Judges 21:23-25).
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
Judges 21:25 CSB
“Lest the reader fail to grasp the point of the final narrative and the Book of Judges as whole, the narrator concludes with the refrain heard earlier in 17:6. This refrain must be interpreted as a commentary on the events of this chapter. Nothing about the foregoing events is right in Yahweh’s eyes. These are apostate Israelites acknowledging no king, neither divine nor human. But then there is no need for a king in the estimation of the narrator. Wickedness is democratized; everyone does what is right in his own eyes, and the results are disastrous.”
Daniel Block
Old Testament Scholar, Daniel Block in The New American Commentary focuses on the social, historical, and theological implications of Judges 21. Here is a summary:
Socially: Judges 21 exposes the intensification of Canaanite-influenced culture, where women are treated as property. The women of Jabesh-Gilead and Shiloh are violently taken with little regard. This reflects widespread violence against women in Israel (cf. Judges 19–21). This behavior contrasts with biblical male leadership which models self-sacrificial characteristics to those being led (like Jesus).
Historically: Although the tribe of Benjamin is preserved, the Israelites prioritize national unity over covenant faithfulness. Their methods, marked by human schemes and legal loopholes, raise doubts about their wisdom. Yet, in God’s providence, Benjamin later produces key figures like King Saul and the apostle Paul. This shows God’s ability to redeem human folly and bestow grace.
Theologically: God’s silence in Judges 21 emphasizes Israel’s reliance on flawed human solutions rather than divine guidance. Despite Israel’s moral chaos, God’s grace preserves the nation. The book ends with the refrain, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), underscoring the need for godly leadership.
Consider: the nation of Israel showed more commitment to saving the tribe of Benjamin than they did to the following:
Judges 21 begins with a vow.
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: “None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.”
Judges 21:1 CSB
“Now, let me say that most vows, like this one, are stupid. Most of the vows that are given in the Bible are stupid. This is a stupid vow.”
Chuck Smith
After killing off nearly an entire tribe in Judges 20, Israel makes this vow that they will not give any of their daughters to a Benjaminite in marriage. Of course, the main issue here is that the tribe was on its way to extinction without any women. They must save the tribe. So, because the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead didn’t show up to the original battle, they decided that nearly killing off the entire city was a good way to recruit some women for the Benjaminites.
There aren’t enough women. So they decide to steal some during the annual festival at Shiloh.
“…it was wrong, it was stupid but that’s just the way things were going because they had lost their conscienceness of God as King. And so it gives you just a little insight into the civil and religious confusion that existed during the time of the Judges.”
Chuck Smith
These actions, driven by a loss of conscience and divine guidance, contributed to a deep-seated cultural and spiritual decay among the Israelites. Unfortunately, the time of godly leaders like Moses, Joshua, and Caleb feels like a lifetime ago. They had saved the tribe of Benjamin, but many had lost their hearts. And with their hearts went all the intangible blessings that God provides to His children. Wisdom, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The culture we read here is anti-Holy Spirit.
“But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. [2] For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, [4] traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5] holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people. [6] For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions, [7] always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
2 Timothy 3:1-7 CSB