What is the meaning of Judges 21:18? Setting the stage The closing chapters of Judges describe the near-extermination of the tribe of Benjamin after its defense of wickedness in Gibeah (Judges 19–20). Only six hundred Benjamite men survive (Judges 20:47), leaving Israel torn between righteous indignation and covenant loyalty to all twelve tribes (Deuteronomy 33:1–5). Their dilemma frames Judges 21:18. “But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” • The elders see that Benjamin must be preserved, yet they state a hard limit: no Israelite daughter may be offered to the remnant. • Their words echo Exodus 34:12–16, where intermarriage is forbidden when it leads to idolatry; here, though, the prohibition flows from a prior vow. • The confession reveals sincerity—“we cannot”—not “we will not.” They recognize both the need for brides (Genesis 2:18) and the restraint imposed by their oath. “For the Israelites had sworn” • Numbers 30:2 teaches, “When a man makes a vow to the LORD … he must not break his word.” The nation has bound itself publicly before God, so the vow carries divine weight (Ecclesiastes 5:4–5). • The collective oath also recalls Joshua 9:15–20, where Israel honored an ill-advised covenant with the Gibeonites because it had been sworn “by the LORD.” Even a rash promise is sacred once spoken. “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.” • The wording parallels Deuteronomy 27:15–26, where the Levites pronounce “Cursed is the one who…” and all Israel responds “Amen.” Such formulae invoke God’s own enforcement (Proverbs 26:2). • By attaching a curse, Israel made personal participation costly. Anyone breaking the vow would invite divine discipline, much like Saul’s oath in 1 Samuel 14:24–28 that nearly trapped Jonathan. • The severity underscores how seriously Israel viewed covenant purity after the moral collapse that led to civil war. The tension between compassion and commitment • Compassion: They long to rebuild Benjamin so “a tribe of Israel will not be cut off today” (Judges 21:6). God’s design from Genesis 49:28 is twelve tribes. • Commitment: They will not violate an oath spoken to the LORD. Psalm 15:4 praises one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.” • Result: Israel seeks alternative solutions—first the destruction of Jabesh-gilead to obtain virgin women (Judges 21:10–14), then permission for the Benjamites to seize dancers at Shiloh (Judges 21:19–23). Each maneuver avoids direct violation of the vow while exposing the tragic spiral of doing “what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Lessons for today • Guard the tongue: James 3:5–10 warns how small words produce great flames. Better to weigh promises prayerfully than rush into binding oaths (Matthew 5:33–37). • Uphold integrity: Psalm 24:3–4 links clean hands with a pure heart; honoring commitments reflects God’s faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22–23). • Seek God-directed compassion: Galatians 6:2 calls believers to “carry one another’s burdens,” yet never at the expense of obedience (John 14:15). • Grieve the cost of sin: Israel’s civil war and the resulting vow show how communal sin devastates families and futures (Romans 6:23). Only turning back to the Lord restores life and unity (2 Chronicles 7:14). summary Judges 21:18 records Israel’s admission that their own vow—“Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite”—now blocks them from supplying brides to the surviving men of Benjamin. The verse reveals a nation torn between compassion for a decimated tribe and unwavering commitment to a sacred oath. It warns us to think before we speak, to honor every promise made before God, and to pursue solutions that embody both truth and mercy. |
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