211 tte cities that * they came to. _ od deſtroyed choſe that came to Gibeah, and into the field, now they follow them nome tv their ſeveral habirations. « Com- pichenſively t.ken, ſo as to inciude Women and Children. It this ieem harſh anc bloody, either it may be aſcribed ro Military Fury; or rather, it may be juſtified ; partly, from thar high guiir brought upon the wrole Tribe, 1 which it is no wonder if their Infanrs ſuffered, which was not uſual in ſuch caſes, as Numb; 31: 17. 1 Sam: 15: 3- Iiſb; 7: 15- partly, from that Command of God in a Paral- Jcl caſe, D:ur. 13: 15. and partly from that ſolemn Oath by which they »ad Anathemariſed or devoted ro D-ath all that came not up to Mizpeh, Judges 21: 5+ which none of the Benjamires did ; for which c ute allo they deſtroyed all the Men, Women, and Children of
Jabeſb-Gilead, Judges 21: 10.
CHA P, XAL Lb
1 the Deſolation of Benjamin, 1 ——— 7. Ihe Inhavirants 0
..——- "Sug not 4 are « x rhis Battel, are all deflroyed ; Excepting 400 Damſels: Weom the Iſraelites beftow for Wives on the remaining
Benjemites,8 — 1 ceThey advile the reſt to ſeize 01 the dancing Maidens
at the feaſt in Shi\ch. And to carry away as many as they had need of,
16 — 21. The Anſwer wherewith they ſbould pacifie cheir Relations,
2 _ ws - o
Ow the men of Iſrael had ſworn « in Mizpeh,ſay- ing, There ſha! —_—_ of us give his daugh- ter unto Benjamin to wite 5. :
s [n the Nig of this War, after the whole Tribe h:d eſpouſ- ed the quarre] of the Men of Gibeah, Judges 20; 13, 14- b They do nor ( as ſome ſuppoſe ) here ſwear the urter extirpation of rhe Tribe, which fell out beyond their expeQarion, Judges 21: 3, 6. bur only not to give their Daughters to thoſe Men who ſhould ſur- vive; juſtly eſteeming them for their barbarovs villany, to be as Þ:d as the worſt of Hecathens, with whom they were forbidden to Marry. In this Caſe the Benjamites might have Married among themſelves, if any of their Menand Women were lefr alive.
2, And the people came to the houſe of God c, and
abode there till even before God,and lift up their voices
and wept ſore. - c Partly to mourn for the cn 1 PR : and partly, to ask coun- ſel from God ab ur the r-pairing of it- ; 1 And faid, O LORD God of lfrael, Why is this come to paſs in Iſrael, that there ſhould be to day one
tribe lacking in Ifrael d ? |
d Why h rhou given them up to ſuch wickedneſs, and us to ſuch rage, that the whele Tribe ſhould be in a manner loft ! Hence ir appear, thar th.y did nor ſwear to root them all our, as is fur- ther manifeſt from the d fferenr matrer and words of this Oath, werſe 1. which only denied them their Daughrers in Marriage ; and that conce.ning the pecp'e of other Trib-s who joyned not with them in this buſineſs, which was, that they ſhoul: be put to death, w:5 And thei: ſparing of thſe 600 Men »n tie Rock Rimmon, v. 2,14. pliinly ob be - hat they were-not obliged by any Oath or Vow to ex*:rpate themes |
4 And it came to paſs on the morrow, that the peo- pz roſe early, and builr there an altar e, and offered
burnt-offerings, and peace-ofterings.
e Not for a Monument of the Viftory, as ſome ſ:y, but for $a- erifices as the nexr words ſhew. Qu. What nced was there of this, when the ordinary A'tar was there, to which alſo they ſeem to be reſtrained, D-ut:16: 2? Anſw, They are not there reſtrained to one A'rar.but to one place of Worfhip, as1s expreſſed; and therefore there might be in that place more Altars than one, when the mul- titude of $:crifices ſo required, which was the caſey 1 Kings 8. 64, and probably at this rime, when all the Tribes being mer, they had many Sacrifices to ff-r, ſome in common for all, ard ſome peculiar to every Tribe. Nay, other Altars might be, and oft-times were Ereced in other, places, by q hry papa] +: Diſpenſation ; as
wages 6: 24, 26. 1 Sam 79, 17. and 11315-and 16:21 5, , Y And the children of Iſrael ſaid, Who there among
| all the tribes of Iſrael, that came not up with the con- gregation unto the LORD ? for they had made a great oath f concerning him that came not up to the
LORD to Mizpeh, ſaying, He ſhall ſurely be put to — ſ-lemn Oath joyned with ſome terrible Execration a-
lint the Off:nders h-rein. g Becauſe by refuſing to exccure the | xraltancld due to ſuch Maleta&ors, rhey were juſtly preſumed gvilry of the Crime, and theretore able ro the ſame Puniſhmeit, «s was the caſe of rhat City That would not deliver up an Idolater
dwelling among them, to Juſtice-
«4
|
WU'DGES
6 And the children of Iſrael] repented them for Ben- jamin their brother þ, and ſaid, There is 'one tribe cut off from Iſrael this day :
hþ Not forthe War which was juſt, and neceſſary, and gond ; bur for their immoderate ſeverity in the Execution of it, aud for the
' dreadfu] conſequences of it.
7 How hal we do for wives for them that remain, ſeing we have ſworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives ?
8 And they ſaid, What one # 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.
i A City in Gilead, and in the Tribe of Mmzſeh ; of which ſee 1 Sam: 11; 1y 3. 9, Oc. and 313 11, Oc.
g For the peopie were numbred,and behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeih-gilead there.
io And the congregation ſent thither twelve thou- ſand men of the valianteſt, and commanded them, {ay- ing, Go, and mite the inhabitants of Jabeſh-gilead with the edge of the ſword, with the women and the cniidren &,
k Who in ſuch publick and ſcandalous Crimes were for the greater Terror of ſuch Tranſgreſſors, and prevention of the like Sins, « fe involved in the ſame Puniſbent with the men, as Dew: 1 3: 15. Job: 7: 24. Oc.
11 And this z the thing that ye ſhal do,' * Ye ſhal * Numb utterly deltroy every maie, and every woman that Þ 313 17. hath lien by man /. 7 Heb,
T Bur not the Virgins, as appears from the next Verſes. It is que= ſtionable, whether they were not obliged to deſtroy theſe allo by vertue of their Oath, acl of GOD'S expreſs Commind concerning Devored Perſons, ſuch as theſe certainly were, that they ſhould ſurely be put to death, Levit: 273 29. which was a'ſo particularly en. joyned and prattited in ſuch caſes, as Deur? 13. J:ſh: 7, &&c. But rhe natural and neceſſary duty of preſerving a Tribe from tors] Ruine, might ſeem to render the caſe difficult and Coubrful, ard incline
knoweth the lying with 1 Alle