And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
The closing chapters of Judges, chapters 17 to 21, belong early in the history of the judges, although they are recorded after the account that ends in chapter 16. They contain the account of the crime at Gibeah, the murder of the Levite's concubine there, and the identification of the whole tribe of Benjamin with the men of Gibeah. In the battle that followed that crime eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all described as men of valour.
That fall is part of the record of Israel's backsliding and of the low state into which Israel had fallen before the call of Samuel the prophet, with the disgrace and punishment that followed. Tribal loyalty and custom did not excuse sin. That history of Israel's low condition in the time of the judges stands in mighty contrast to the miracles and teaching of Jesus recorded in Luke, yet both speak of the goodness and mercy of God.
The slaughter nearly exterminated the tribe of Benjamin and left it the least tribe in Israel. Choosing the first king from that weakened tribe showed divine wisdom, since taking a king from so small a tribe removed all grounds for jealousy among the other tribes. Israel ultimately defeated Benjamin only after suffering two humiliating defeats, showing that a setback did not mean the cause was lost and that final victory came after Israel turned to God.
The closing chapters of Judges, chapters 17 to 21, belong early in the history of the judges, although they are recorded after the account that ends in chapter 16. They contain the account of the crime at Gibeah, the murder of the Levite's concubine there, and the identification of the whole tribe of Benjamin with the men of Gibeah. In the battle that followed that crime eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell, all described as men of valour.
That fall is part of the record of Israel's backsliding and of the low state into which Israel had fallen before the call of Samuel the prophet, with the disgrace and punishment that followed. Tribal loyalty and custom did not excuse sin. That history of Israel's low condition in the time of the judges stands in mighty contrast to the miracles and teaching of Jesus recorded in Luke, yet both speak of the goodness and mercy of God.
The slaughter nearly exterminated the tribe of Benjamin and left it the least tribe in Israel. Choosing the first king from that weakened tribe showed divine wisdom, since taking a king from so small a tribe removed all grounds for jealousy among the other tribes. Israel ultimately defeated Benjamin only after suffering two humiliating defeats, showing that a setback did not mean the cause was lost and that final victory came after Israel turned to God.