Judges 21:5-14 Meaning: The Oath That Cost a City
5The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up in the assembly to Yahweh?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”
6The children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel today.
7How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?”
8They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, no one came from Jabesh Gilead to the camp to the assembly.
9For when the people were counted, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.
10The 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.
11This is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has lain with a man.”
12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them.
14Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them.
5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7How 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?
8And 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.
9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh–gilead there.
10And 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.
11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh–gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
14And 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.
5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto Jehovah to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.
9For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.
10And 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 little ones.
11And this is the thing that ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole congregation sent and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace unto them.
14And Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.
5And the sons of Israel say, `Who is he that hath not come up in the assembly out of all the tribes of Israel unto Jehovah?' for the great oath hath been concerning him who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, `He is surely put to death.'
6And the sons of Israel repent concerning Benjamin their brother, and say, `There hath been to-day cut off one tribe from Israel,
7what do we do for them--for those who are left--for wives, and we--we have sworn by Jehovah not to give to them of our daughters for wives?'
8And they say, `Who is that one out of the tribes of Israel who hath not come up unto Jehovah to Mizpeh?' and lo, none hath come in unto the camp from Jabesh-Gilead--unto the assembly.
9And the people numbered themselves, and lo, there is not there a man of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.
10And the company send there twelve thousand men of the sons of valour, and command them, saying, `Go--and ye have smitten the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead by the mouth of the sword, even the women and the infants.
11And this is the thing which ye do; every male, and every woman knowing the lying of a male, ye devote.'
12And they find out of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women, virgins, who have not known man by the lying of a male, and they bring them in unto the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And all the company send, and speak, unto the sons of Benjamin who are in the rock Rimmon, and proclaim to them peace;
14and Benjamin turneth back at that time, and they give to them the women whom they have kept alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead, and they have not found for all of them so.
5And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation to Jehovah? For they had [made] a great oath concerning him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpah, saying, He shall certainly be put to death.
6And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day is one tribe extirpated from Israel.
7What shall we do for wives for them that remain? since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters for wives.
8And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpah to Jehovah? And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-Gilead, to the congregation;
9for the people were numbered, and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead there.
10And the assembly sent thither twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, and the women and the children.
11And this is the thing which ye shall do: ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain with man.
12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead four hundred young women that were virgins, who had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp, to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13And the whole assembly sent to speak to the children of Benjamin that were at the cliff of Rimmon, and to proclaim peace to them.
14And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them the wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-Gilead; but even so they found not enough for them.
Meaning in one sentence
In Judges 21:5-14, Israel's oath to punish absent tribes led to the destruction of Jabesh-Gilead.
Context
Judges 21 closes the book with a story as raw as any in Scripture. A civil war against Benjamin has left the tribe nearly wiped out. Only six hundred men survive, hiding at Rimmon Rock. The other tribes had sworn an oath at Mizpah: anyone who failed to join the war against Benjamin would be put to death. Now they grieve. One whole tribe is cut off from Israel, they say, and they realize they need wives for the survivors. But they cannot give their own daughters because of another oath they swore. So they look for the one town that skipped the muster. Jabesh-Gilead sent no one. Twelve thousand men march there, kill every male and every woman who has known a man, and take four hundred virgins back. They give these women to the Benjamites, but it is still not enough. The chapter records a series of human decisions, each meant to fix the previous mistake, and none of them good.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words anchor this passage. First is shevu‘ah hagedolah, “the great oath.” This was a solemn, binding promise made before God. The word carries weight: breaking it meant death. But oaths, even sacred ones, can become traps when made without wisdom.
Second, when the Israelites “grieved” for Benjamin, the verb is vayyinnachamu, from nacham. It can mean to be sorry, to be comforted, or to change one’s mind. Here it is compassion, they feel the loss of brothers. Yet this tenderness does not lead them to repent of their rash vows; instead it drives them toward new violence.
Third, “cut off” translates nigda‘, from gada, to hew down like a tree. The image is stark: one tribe chopped out of the forest of Israel. They speak of it with regret, but they themselves held the axe.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions read this passage as a warning about human presumption, not as a model to imitate. Protestant commentators like Matthew Henry note that the Israelites “repented for Benjamin” but still acted out of their own wisdom rather than seeking God’s direction. Catholic interpreters often see here the tragic consequences of treating a rash oath as more binding than mercy. Orthodox readers may focus on the corporate nature of sin and its ripple effects. All agree that the book of Judges ends with a people adrift: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This story shows how far they have fallen.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume that because Israel acted in the Lord’s name and invoked the language of “devoting to destruction,” God commanded the attack on Jabesh-Gilead. In fact, the text never says God told them to do this. The Israelites invented the plan themselves to satisfy their own oath. The word for destroy here (tacharimu) is the same word used for holy war, but the people apply it to a city that merely missed a meeting. Their zeal exceeds God’s instruction. The story shows what happens when we mistake our schemes for divine will.
Living This Out
Think about a decision you made in a hurry to fix a mess, only to create a bigger one. That is what happens in this passage. The Israelites feel sorry for Benjamin, so they attack Jabesh-Gilead to get wives. Compassion becomes violence. This week, when you feel the urge to solve a problem with another hasty promise or action, pause. Ask yourself: Am I trying to fix my own mistake, or am I asking God what He wants? Sometimes the hardest wisdom is simply to stop, admit you are stuck, and wait for better guidance.
Main takeaway: Even well-intentioned oaths cannot justify cruelty, and trying to fix one sin with another only deepens the wound.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The people made a promise they should not have made. Then they broke another rule to keep that promise. They did wrong things and called it right. God wants us to say sorry and ask Him what to do next.
For ages 9, 12
This story shows what happens when we let a promise, even a big one, make us do cruel things. The Israelites felt sad about Benjamin, but instead of praying, they attacked an innocent town. They thought they had to keep their oath no matter what. But God never asks us to hurt others to keep a promise. Sometimes the bravest thing is to admit a mistake and ask for help instead of making things worse.
Questions People Ask
Why did Israel attack Jabesh-Gilead in Judges 21?
Israel had sworn a solemn oath that anyone who failed to join the war against Benjamin would be put to death (Judges 21:5). When they discovered that no one from Jabesh-Gilead came to the assembly, they saw themselves bound to enforce that oath. But they also had another motive: they needed wives for the six hundred surviving Benjamites, and killing the men and non-virgin women of Jabesh-Gilead gave them four hundred young women to offer.
Was God commanding the attack on Jabesh-Gilead?
The text does not say God commanded this attack. The Israelites acted on their own initiative to fulfill an oath they had made without consulting the Lord. Throughout Judges, especially its final chapters, the people act according to their own judgment. The phrase “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” frames the entire period. The attack on Jabesh-Gilead is a tragic human decision, not a divine mandate.
What is the significance of the oath in Judges 21?
The oath at Mizpah (Judges 21:1) bound all the tribes to assemble for war against Benjamin under penalty of death. After the war, the Israelites regret their severity but still consider the oath unbreakable. This shows how a sacred promise, made in anger and without wisdom, can trap people into further sin. The Bible elsewhere warns against rash vows (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5), and this story illustrates the danger.
Why did only 400 virgins survive from Jabesh-Gilead?
The twelve thousand soldiers were ordered to kill every male and every woman who had been with a man. They spared only young women who were virgins, four hundred in total. This was a deliberate plan to provide wives for the six hundred Benjamites, while still enforcing the death oath against the community for not joining the war. The survivors were not innocent; they were simply useful.
How does this story end in the book of Judges?
The chapter goes on to show that the four hundred women were not enough for the six hundred Benjamites (Judges 21:14). The elders then devise another plan: they allow the remaining two hundred Benjamites to seize women dancing at the feast of Shiloh (Judges 21:19-23). The book ends with the refrain that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), leaving a dark portrait of God’s people without a king and without direction.
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