This most depressing section of scripture; from Judges 19 thru 21 can be best summarized in the last verse of chapter 21- "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
Chapter 19 gives the miserable story of a man and his servant traveling with what had become his wayward concubine. Such a tradition of concubines was never really mentioned by God; it apparently was tolerated although hardly sanctioned as a marriage covenant was; or even as multiple wives was recognized despite the many troubles ensuing from such relationships. In any case; as we get to chapter 20; there is a narrative almost identical to that of Sodom; where the men decide to want to have relations with other men; and the "collateral damage" ends up being the concubine. This time there is no angelic reprieve and she is raped by multiple men; and left dead at the man's doorstep. The act of these "men of Belial" who are either a subset of the Benjamites themselves or integrated into their community bring the wrath of the rest of Israel after the concubine is cut into twelve pieces and sent out to the tribes. It is clear with the great casualties on both sides that it was not like the battles of old; although Israel was declared to have eventual victory; probably because of this tolerance of the Sodomites in the land. This left the perdicament of chapter 21 where it was promised no women would be given as wives to the Benjamites from other tribes. This left the kidnapping routine during a festival dance as the only way to obtain a wife for them. This is truly a sad period of time in Israel.
Chapter 19 gives the miserable story of a man and his servant traveling with what had become his wayward concubine. Such a tradition of concubines was never really mentioned by God; it apparently was tolerated although hardly sanctioned as a marriage covenant was; or even as multiple wives was recognized despite the many troubles ensuing from such relationships. In any case; as we get to chapter 20; there is a narrative almost identical to that of Sodom; where the men decide to want to have relations with other men; and the "collateral damage" ends up being the concubine. This time there is no angelic reprieve and she is raped by multiple men; and left dead at the man's doorstep. The act of these "men of Belial" who are either a subset of the Benjamites themselves or integrated into their community bring the wrath of the rest of Israel after the concubine is cut into twelve pieces and sent out to the tribes. It is clear with the great casualties on both sides that it was not like the battles of old; although Israel was declared to have eventual victory; probably because of this tolerance of the Sodomites in the land. This left the perdicament of chapter 21 where it was promised no women would be given as wives to the Benjamites from other tribes. This left the kidnapping routine during a festival dance as the only way to obtain a wife for them. This is truly a sad period of time in Israel.
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