Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
The command to lie in wait in the vineyards belongs to the events of Judges 17-21, which occurred early in the history of the judges, while the main story of the book ends with chapter 16. It belongs to the account of the crime at Gibeah and its aftermath, in which the whole tribe of Benjamin was involved. It is part of the account of Israel's yearly feast and solemn dances at Shiloh.
It belongs to a pitiful record of backsliding that brought disgrace and punishment, when the clannish loyalty to a tribe was counted of greater importance than rendering justice and female virtue was counted lower than conventional hospitality. The episode shows Israel's worship sinking toward heathen practices and reveals the nation's deep apostasy during the sanctuary's long stay at Shiloh. The same wrong valuing of tribal loyalty over justice and of hospitality over virtue is seen today, yet there is never an excuse for sin.
The command to lie in wait in the vineyards belongs to the events of Judges 17-21, which occurred early in the history of the judges, while the main story of the book ends with chapter 16. It belongs to the account of the crime at Gibeah and its aftermath, in which the whole tribe of Benjamin was involved. It is part of the account of Israel's yearly feast and solemn dances at Shiloh.
It belongs to a pitiful record of backsliding that brought disgrace and punishment, when the clannish loyalty to a tribe was counted of greater importance than rendering justice and female virtue was counted lower than conventional hospitality. The episode shows Israel's worship sinking toward heathen practices and reveals the nation's deep apostasy during the sanctuary's long stay at Shiloh. The same wrong valuing of tribal loyalty over justice and of hospitality over virtue is seen today, yet there is never an excuse for sin.