Judges 21:11
"The congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the little ones."
Key Reflection
In Judges 21:11, the Israelite congregation sends a large contingent of soldiers to exact vengeance upon the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead for their refusal to hand over four Benjaminite women who had fled there after being raped by the Benjamites (Judges 20:48). The original audience would have understood this command as a just and necessary act of retribution, reflecting the cultural and legal values of that time where honor and blood feud were paramount. This action was seen as restoring the honor of the Israelite women and ensuring justice for the broader community, even though it involved a brutal and indiscriminate military strike that would leave no one in Jabesh Gilead spared.
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From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes