And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.
And this is what you must do: You must completely destroy every male, and every woman who has been with a man.
The writer is recording harsh military instructions to kill all men and non-virgin women in a conquered city.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Judges, which describes a tumultuous period in Israel's history after their conquest of Canaan, the tribes of Israel were dealing with internal conflicts and a lack of centralized leadership. This verse comes from the aftermath of a civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, sparked by a brutal crime in Gibeah, leading the other tribes to make vows that nearly wiped out Benjamin. As part of their efforts to preserve the tribe without breaking their oaths, the Israelites commanded the destruction of certain inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead to provide wives for the surviving Benjamites.
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