שופטים, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ז

The leaders of the Israelites face a profound crisis: the looming extinction of the tribe of Benjamin, complicated by a strict national oath forbidding anyone from giving their daughters to Benjaminite men in marriage. The pressing dilemma is how to ensure the surviving remnant's continuity without violating this vow, preventing the total erasure of the tribe [מצודת ציון].

One approach views this challenge as a call to urgent action. Because the tribe's ancestral land sits empty, a strategy must be devised to help the survivors establish families and reclaim their territory, saving the tribe from destruction [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The necessity of maintaining this inheritance is deeply rooted in history, tracing back to the patriarch Jacob, who established that the nation must forever consist of twelve distinct tribes [רד״ק]. The very fact that God allowed six hundred men to survive signals His clear desire that the tribe must not be wiped out. Consequently, the leadership is obligated to invent a creative solution that allows these men to find wives while keeping the rest of the nation from breaking their vow [רלב״ג].

Conversely, another perspective treats the situation not as a desperate search for a new solution, but as a legal conclusion that reinforces the strict oath. The national assembly recognizes that they have already provided the Benjaminites with four hundred young women from Jabesh-gilead, which guarantees a future generation of sons and daughters. Since the tribe is no longer in danger of complete annihilation, the existential threat has been partially lifted. As a result, the primary justification for potentially annulling the national vow—saving the tribe from extinction—is no longer valid. Therefore, there is no longer any justification to provide them with additional wives from the rest of the Israelites [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד].