Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXI.

Vers. 1. NOw the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife.] To wit, when they there first agreed to undertake this warre against the Benjamites, chap. 20.8.

The most of Expositours hold, that the drift of this oath was the utter extirpation of the tribe of Benjamin; as indeed all the women of their own tribe being slain, this withholding from them the daughters of Israel, must needs extinguish the tribe, unlesse they would marrie the daughters of the heathen about them, which was not lawfull; but yet the opinion of Expositours differeth about this oath. For some hold, that it was an unlawfull, unadvised, rash oath, thus to bind themselves to cut off a tribe from Israel; and that now they began to see their folly, and repent themselves of it: but then others think that it was lawfull and warrantable; (yea some, that it was not without Gods appointment) because it is not likely, that Phinehas, and others such as he, would else have suffered them publickly to bind themselves with such an oath. Now herein I conceive, that they are on both sides mistaken, in that they think this oath aimed at the extinguishing of the tribe, whereas it appears not that they ever meant wholly to root out all, men, women and children, in the tribe; but onely, that having destroyed utterly all the inhabitants of Gibeah, they would also then send severall companies of their army, to the severall cities of Benjamin, and destroy them also with a great destruction; unto which they then added this oath, in a further manifestation of their detesting this fact of the Benjamites, in maintaining the men of Gibeah, who were guiltie of such a horrible villanie, to wit, that they would not make any marriages with those that should remain of the tribe, to shew that they esteemed no otherwise of them, then of heathens, and such as de∣served not the name of Israelites: which will appear the more probable, if we con∣sider, first, that it is no where expressed, that they vowed to destroy all the men and women in this tribe: secondly, that if they had so vowed, there would have been no place for this vow, of not giving their daughters in marriage to them: thirdly, that the vow being made before the battel, they might have supposed that some of the women might escape, as well as some of the men: and fourthly, that vers. 3. they seem to say, that this danger of losing a tribe, was happened unto them besides their expectation: Why is this come to passe, say they, &c? This seems to be that which trou∣bled them. All the men, women, and children, being in the heat of battel, besides their expectation, every where slain (the Israelites every where falling upon them with extreme furie) those six hundred men onely excepted, that were fled to the rock Rimmon, they now saw that the keeping their oath of not making marriages with them, would tend to the utter extirpation of the tribe; and this did now at last exceedingly perplex them.

Vers. 2. And the people came up to the house of God, &c.] To wit, when they perceived that all the women of Benjamin were destroyed, and none left of that tribe, but onely those six hundred men that were fled to the rock Rimmon, chap. 20.47. for now at length they began to consider into what a strait they were fallen; namely, that having slain all the women of Benjamin, and having withall made a vow, that none of them would give their daughters in marriage to the men of that tribe, either those six hundred men must take them wives from the heathens, and so the holy seed must be polluted; or else a tribe must perish from Israel, (and so their body politick which God had formed, must be dismembred) or themselves must break an oath which they had solemnly taken, as in Gods presence; and so thereup∣on they went with their whole army to the house of God in Shiloh, (and therefore

it is said in the twelfth verse of this chapter, that the camp was in Shiloh) there to be∣wail these difficulties they were fallen into; and to consult together; yea, happely also to enquire of God what they should do.

Vers. 3. O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to passe in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?] As if they had said, Alas Lord, that it should so be, that one tribe should be wholly cut off from thy people: for I conceive the words are onely spoken to bewail the losse of a tribe; but yet more may be im∣plied, for if they destroyed all the women, not by warrant of any command from God, which some think they did, but onely through their own immoderate rage and fury against them; it may well be, that these words were spoken to intimate, by way of excusing themselves, that they did not intend to have destroyed them all; and that this was happened to them besides their expectation, through the secret all-ruling providence of God; and that therefore they would desire the Lord that some thing might be done to prevent this great evil.

Vers. 4. And the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings.] Being at the house of God in Shiloh, what needed they any other altar then that in the Tabernacle? I answer, that either this altar was built as a memoriall of Gods prospering them against the Benjamites, and that their sacrifices were notwithstanding offered on the altar in the Tabernacle; or else that they reared this altar for this present occasion, because the ordinary altar was not sufficient for the offering up of such a multitude of sacrifices, as were now brought in by the people, after they had prevailed against the Benjamites; for the like we see was done, 1. Kings 8.64. The same day did the King hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brazen altar that was before the Lord, was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: and that the rearing of altars, upon such extraor∣dinary occasions was not unlawfull, we may probably gather from Exod. 20.24. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep and thy oxen: In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will blesse thee.

Vers. 5. For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.] This cannot be meant of every particular man, but it must be meant of every citie, or town, that sent none to help them against the Benjamites; and the oath they had taken concerning these, is called a great oath, partly, because it was generally taken by all the people in a solemn manner; and partly, because it was taken with some severe execration against any, that should dare to break it, as is expressed concerning the other oath, vers. 18. Howbeit, we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Vers. 11. Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lien by man.] For even against these inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, they thought they were bound to proceed as against men devoted, who were to be all destroyed; and that because they came not forth to help their brethren against the Benjamites. See the note in the former chapter, vers. 48.

Vers. 12. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead, foure hun∣dred young virgins that had known no man, &c.] To wit, such as were marriageable, and not yet married; the Israelites gave them order onely to save such as these, not doubting but of these there would have been six hundred found, for the six hundred Benjamites that were left alive; but there were onely four hundred such found: and the rest being killed, there were not wives enough for them: for which the Israelites afterwards blamed themselves, vers. 22. Be favourable unto them for our sakes, be∣cause we reserved not to each man his wife in the warre.

Vers. 12. And they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.] Because they brought them from Jabesh-Gilead, which was without Jordan; therefore it is said, that they brought them to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan; for the land within Jordan was more peculiarly called the land of Canaan.

Vers. 14. And they gave them wives which they had saved alive, of the women of Jabesh-Gilead.] Wherein they conceived they brake not their oath, because they were not their own daughters.

Vers. 19. Then they said. Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly, &c.] Having hitherto onely provided four hundred wives for four hundred of the Benja∣mites that were fled to the rock Rimmon; now they pitch upon another way where∣by the other two hundred should be supplyed with wives, that so that tribe that was almost wholly destroyed, might the sooner grow up again: namely, that at the time when there was a feast of the Lord kept yearly in Shiloh, these two hundred Benja∣mites should hide themselves in the vineyards there abouts, and so when the daugh∣ters of Shiloh came forth to dance, they should then catch every man his wife, and so carry them away. A great question it is, what feast it was in Shiloh when this was to be done; some conceive it was some civill festivity, and time of rejoycing which they kept in that town, either because of some fair or time of extraordinary concourse for traffique or some such like occasion; but others again think that it was one of those three solemne feasts, when all the males of Israel were to come up to the Taber∣nacle of the Lord, Deut. 16.16. and indeed because the Tabernacle was now in Shi∣loh, and because it is called a feast of the Lord; this seems the more probable: one∣ly in regard the women used to come up voluntarily from all parts of the land at these feasts to the Tabernacle, (though onely the males were bound to come up by the Law) it may be thought that they should also joyn in these dances, and then it may be questioned how they should propound to the Benjamites the taking away the daughters of Shiloh onely; but for this we must consider, that it seems it was a known custome, that onely the inhabitants the daughters of Shiloh used to go forth in dances; at least in that place where the Benjamites were appointed to lie in wait for them, and hence was this plot laid for the taking of the daughters of Shiloh one∣ly. As for this course which the Israelites took to provide wives for the Benjamites, without breaking the oath the oath they had taken, it may justly seem strange that they should satisfie their consciences therewith: for what difference was there between giving the Benjamites wives of any of the daughters of their tribes; and appointing them with their consent to go and take them by force? doubtlesse this was but a de∣vice to delude conscience, when they found their oath could not be kept without suf∣fering a tribe to perish; how much better had it been to condemne the rashnesse of

their oath, and so to take the liberty which was given them of God? But when men have a desire to do what is causelessely scrupled, they are naturally more inclinable to stop the mouth of conscience with some groundlesse device or excuse, then to see their own folly, and to judge themselves for their former errour.

Vers. 21. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, &c] Hereby it appears, that in those dayes dancing was one of the wayes whereby they expressed their joy, even when it was holy and spirituall, as we see likewise, Exod. 15.20. And Miriam the prophetesse the sister of Aaron took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances; but then withall we must note, that the virgins danced apart by them∣selves, for had their been men with them, the Benjamites could not ••o easily have snatched them away: mixed dancing is very dangerous, and was not it seems used in those times by the people of God.

Vers. 22. Be favourable unto them for our sakes, because we reserved not to each man his wife in the warre, &c.] By two arguments, the Elders of Israel do here un∣dertake to perswade the men of Shiloh not to be offended with the Benjamites for taking away their daughters; to wit, first, because their was an errour committed by the Israelites, in that they reserved not to each man his wife in the warre, that is, in the warre against Jabesh-Gilead: and secondly, because it was no breach of their oath, that the Benjamites had taken them wives of their daughters, ye did not (say they) give unto them at this time, that you should be guilty, as if they should have said, ye have not broken the oath ye took, because ye gave them not your daughters, but they took them by force.

Vers. 25. In those dayes there was no king in Israel, &c.] See the note, chap. 17.6.