Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
Now the men of Israel had made a solemn promise at Mizpeh, saying, 'None of us will give our daughters in marriage to men from the tribe of Benjamin.'
The writer is explaining that all the other Israelite tribes had sworn an oath refusing to let their daughters marry men from the tribe of Benjamin.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Judges, during a time of tribal conflicts in ancient Israel, the men of Israel gathered at Mizpeh after a brutal civil war against the tribe of Benjamin, which stemmed from the horrific events in Gibeah where a Levite's concubine was abused. They swore this oath as a punitive measure to isolate Benjamin, reflecting the era's lack of centralized leadership and the rash decisions that often led to further chaos. This vow highlighted the consequences of inter-tribal divisions in a society governed by judges rather than a king.
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