21:1
The sorry saga of a list of sorry sagas comes to an end. The futility that arises when man tries to live without God is clearly demonstrated, with tragic consequences for men and women. We see a mixture of some good motives, seeking to address the results of their decision to attack the Benjaminites. But then their “solution” is far from ideal, to say the least, and results in more people, in this case young women, being badly treated.
The attitude of the Bible towards oaths is somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand it is stressed that vows should be treated seriously, and honoured. On the other hand there are numerous examples of men making foolish vows with awful and unforeseen consequences. Here they had vowed that no one should give their daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.
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