threatened destruction of the missing tribe, and build up the six hundred who remained. To give a practical expression to this wish, they built an altar the next morning, and offered burnt-offerings and supplicatory offerings upon it (see at Jdg 20:26), knowing as they did that their proposal would not succeed without reconciliation to the Lord, and a return to the fellowship of His grace. There is something apparently strange in the erection of an altar at Bethel, since sacrifices had already been offered there during the war itself (Jdg 20:26), and this could not have taken place without an altar. Why it was erected again, or another one built, is a question which cannot be answered with any certainty. It is possible, however, that the first was not large enough for the number of sacrifices that had to be offered now.
Verses 5-8
The congregation then resolved upon a plan, through the execution of which a number of virgins were secured for the Benjaminites. They determined that they would carry out the great oath, which had been uttered when the national assembly was called against such as did not appear, upon that one of the tribes of Israel which had not come to the meeting of the congregation at Mizpeh. The deliberations upon this point were opened (Jdg 21:5) with the question, “Who is he who did not come up to the meeting of all the tribes of Israel, to Jehovah?” In explanation of this question, it is observed at Jdg 21:5, “For the great oath was uttered upon him that came not up to Jehovah to Mizpeh: he shall be put to death.” We learn from this supplementary remark, that when important meetings of the congregation were called, all the members were bound by an oath to appear. The meeting at Mizpeh is the one mentioned in Jdg 20:1. The “great oath” consisted in the threat of death in the case of any that were disobedient. To this explanation of the question in Jdg 20:5, the further explanation is added in Jdg 21:6, Jdg 21:7, that the Israelites felt compassion for Benjamin, and wished to avert its entire destruction by procuring wives for such as remained. The word ויּנּחמוּ in Jdg 21:6 is attached to the explanatory clause in Jdg 21:5, and is to be rendered as a pluperfect: “And the children of Israel had shown themselves compassionate towards their brother Benjamin, and said, A tribe is cut off from Israel to-day; what shall we do to them, to those that remain with regard to wives, as we have sworn?” etc. (compare Jdg 21:1). The two thoughts, - (1) the oath that those who had not come to Mizpeh should be punished with death (Jdg 21:5), and (2) anxiety for the preservation of this tribe which sprang from compassion towards Benjamin, and was shown in their endeavour to
