' their Opintens, as well as their Affe&ions, to the more favour:ble ſide.
And ir may be, the LORD, whem they were here conſuiting with upon all their occaſions, gave them a Diſpenſation thus to do, though that be nor expreſſed ; which is the caſe of many o her things which were done, though nor Recorded; as this \ ery Oath was onutted in its proper place, and had not been Recorded if this extra0:dinary occaſion had not been offered
12 And they found among the inhabitants of Tabeſh- gilead, fourkundred + young vi-gins »» that had known + F-hs no man by lying with any male: and they brought ow 14 them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of me: vir. Canaan. .
m Not Married, yet marriageablet it is probable, there were 0- ther and younger Virgins; bur whether they were ſlain or ſpared, Scriprrire determines not, and the L:arned do nor ag-ee. But theſe could not ſerve the preſent and urgent occ tion, nd tie: efore he takes notice only of theſe 400 which were cf 1iper Age.
13 Andthe whole congregation ſent ſome + to ſpeak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rim- ſpate and mon, and to call || peaceably unto them. called.
14 And Benjamin » came again at that time, and | Or mw they gave them wives which they had ſaved alive of the ©” 7: women ot Jabeſh-gilead : and yet ſo they ſufficed them nor. |
» The poor remainders of the Tribe of Benjamin, |
15 And ihe people repented them for Benjamin o, becauſe thar the LORD had made a breach p in the tribes of Iſrael, | |
o Were yet more grieved upon this unhappy diſappointment, for they ſuppoi.d here would have been Wives 1ufficient for them. p The B-njamizes were the only Authors of the Sin, bur GOD was the chief Author of the Puniſhment, and the 1/-aelites were but his Exccuri. ONers.
16 \ Then the elders of the congregation ſaid, How ſhal we do for wives for them that remain 9? ſeing the women are deſtroyed out of Benjamin :
q For the 200 who are yet unprovided of Wives.
17 And they faid, There mu#? be aninhericance for them that be efcaped out of Benjamin r, that a tribe be not deſtroyed out of Iſrael;
7 The inheritance promiſed by Jacob and Moſer, and given by Jo- ſhua to the Tribe of Benjamin, doth all of it belong to thoſe few which remain of that Tiibe, and cannor be Poſſeſled by any other Tribe; and therefore we are obliged to procure Wives for rem all, thar they may make up this breach, and be capable of poſſeſſing and managiag all their Land 2 that this Tribe,and rheir Inheritance may not be confounded with, or ſwallowed up by any of the reſt. Heb: the Inheritance ( to wit, belonging to the whole Tribe of Benjamin ) is, Cr belongs to them that be eſcaped of Benjamin,
18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daugh- ters ; for the children of Iſrael have {worn,ſaying, Cur- ſed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin s.
5 1.6. To this Generation of Benjamites who have made themſelves guilty of this foul wickedneſs ; bur this Oath did not extend to their Poſterity. And ſ-me think it had another exception, to wit, = the ſurviving Benjamites could not otherwite be ſupplied with
LIVES.
19 Then they ſaid, Behold, there & a feaſt of the + Yeb:
T Heb: and
Chap.. XXI
LORD in Shiloh T yearly z, in @ place which &s on #117
the #1) year.
|
Jus
he and
and
pro- , peates
Chap: LF.
Or, to- wards the ſun-riſin3» | Or, 97
| 0
the Three ſolemn Feaſts ; yer :t 1+ apparent, that the Women had liberty to go,and thoſe who were molt devout did uſually go,and c-
from the place cf publick Worſhip, that they came thither in great
K-:6
the north-ſide of Beth-el », || on the eaſt-ſide || of the high-way that goeth from Beth-el to Shechem, and 0; e ſouth of Lebonah. . ” On the three ſolemn Feaſts, in which they uſed ſome honeſt: and holy Recreations 5 amorg Which, Danceing was one, Exod 53 20. 1 Sams 18; 6. and 2 $27. 6: 14. and probably it was the Fealt
———
o
of Tabernacles, which they did Celebrate wich more than ord:nary | þ
o . Lo J Deut3 16; 13, 14, 15. # Heb: Which is on the north of Bets: AD goth not relate ro Shiloh, which was ſo known a place, t'at } it was frivolous to deſcribe ir by ſuch circumſtances, even by pl.c-s much lcſs known than it ſelf; bur to the Feaft, which as to that } part or exerciſe of the Feaſt here, eſpecially concerned and mention» ' ed, to wir, the Danceing of the Virgins, was net cel: brated an $hilob but in a Neighbouring place more convenient fur that pur-, ole. | . 20 Therefore they commanded the children of Ben- jamin, ſaying, Go, and lie in wait in the vineyards: | 21 And ſee, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh
x Come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards y, and catch ye every man his wife of the daughters'of Shiloh z, and go to the land of Benya- |
min, , x By whom he may peſlibly underſtand,not thoſe only who were born or {cttled Inhabitanrs (here, ( as many conceive ) but all thoſe who were come thirt.er upon this cccalicn, and for a timeſo journed there : For although only the Males were obliged to go up to
thers, upon ipecial reatons or occaſions; See 1 Sam: 1 7, 21y 22, 24+ Luke 2: 22, 23, 4h 42» 43o Ad it may be juſtly preſumed, eſpecially concerning thoſe Women,thar lived at uo great diſtance
Numbers. Moreover, the Daughters of Shiloh, ſtri&1v ſo called. are
not only they that lived in tiiat Town or City, bur in the Countrey belonging to it, which oft comes under the name of the City to which it belongs. And theſe may be here parricularly named. be cauſe though orhers might come, yet they were under great vbl:. gations to come, becauſe of their nearn-ſs ro the place. y Which were near to their Danceing-place. z Take them au ay by force or violence: Which thev might the berrer do, becauſe nuxed Dances were not uſed by the P-opl- cf GOD in their Sol mniti*s, bur the
Women danced by themſelves,and therefore were more liable to this | Rape.
thren come uvto us tocomplain, that we wil! fay unto their Bui!dings as their number increafe
: 22 And it ſhal be when their fathers, or their bre-
Wd
| Or, Graa them, || Be favourable unto them @ for our ſakes : be- |
Fhems
forced t> this courſe; yet for our ſakes; and indeed tor your own ſakes ; for both you and we have done them a great injury in pro-
a Paſs by their offence, if not for their ſakes, whom n« ceſſity
ſ:cuting them with ſomuch fury ,as to endanger the urrer extin&ion
PE
*
of the whole Tribe : and therefore this is the leaſt we can do by wa) of Reparation. b Either, Firſt,