And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
So the men of Benjamin did exactly that. They took wives for themselves from among the dancing women they captured, taking only as many as they needed. Then they returned to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down to live in them.
The writer is describing how the tribe of Benjamin finally got wives and was able to rebuild their communities after nearly being wiped out.
📚 Historical Context
This verse concludes the tragic story of the civil war between Benjamin and the other Israelite tribes, which began when Benjamin refused to punish men who committed a terrible crime. After Benjamin was almost completely destroyed in the war, the other tribes felt obligated to help them survive as one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This unusual solution of taking wives from a festival was their desperate attempt to preserve Benjamin without breaking their oath never to give their own daughters to Benjamin in marriage.
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