שופטים, פרק כ״א, פסוק י׳

A military force of twelve thousand men was dispatched to exact severe punishment on the city of Jabesh-Gilead. The soldiers were ordered to completely destroy the city and kill all its inhabitants, including the women and children. This harsh decree was a direct consequence of the city's residents violating a strict communal oath. They had refused to join the rest of the nation at the central camp, ignoring the explicit requests of the leaders [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Although the original instructions explicitly called for the death of all the women, the young virgin women were kept alive. The goal was to provide wives for the surviving men of the tribe of Benjamin. However, this action did not entirely resolve the crisis. Only four hundred young women were found in Jabesh-Gilead, which was not enough for all the surviving Benjaminites. Because of this shortfall, the remaining two hundred men had to find an alternative solution, eventually securing wives by capturing the young women of Shiloh who came out to dance [רלב״ג].