Judges 21:23
And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
Judges 21:23 belongs to Judges 17 to 21, the pitiful closing record of backsliding and its consequent disgrace and punishment. That closing record centers on the crime at Gibeah and the tribe of Benjamin identifying with its people. Although placed at the end of the book, chapters 17-21 recount events from the early part of the judges period, while the real story of the book ends with chapter 16.
The verse records how the surviving Benjaminites preserved their tribe after it was nearly destroyed because of an infamous immoral crime. They did so by seizing wives according to their number from the maidens dancing at Shiloh, taking by force those whom they caught. This used the custom of maidens dancing to meet returning victors. They then went and returned to their inheritance and repaired the cities and dwelt in them.
The act put the clannish loyalty of a tribe above rendering justice and counted female virtue as less important than custom. For such a sin there is never excuse, and it is still seen today. The backsliding shown gives no ground to think anyone can do the same with impunity. Those whom God used for the deliverance of His people in such a time are not set before us as examples to follow, for God took the very best material at His hand even when it was crude and rough as in the case of Samson.