שופטים, פרק כ״א, פסוק ח׳

The Israelites were in a state of deep sadness over the surviving men of the tribe of Benjamin. Following a national oath forbidding anyone from marrying into the tribe, these men were left without wives, threatening the survival of their entire line. To solve this crisis, the Israelites began to investigate whether any city or family had failed to attend the general assembly at Mitzpah. This search served a dual purpose. First, it allowed them to fulfill a separate oath to put to death anyone who had absented themselves from the war. Second, and most importantly, it offered a potential rescue plan to provide wives for the tribe of Benjamin [מצודת דוד, חומת אנך, מלבי״ם]. The logic was simple: anyone who had not come to Mitzpah had never taken the oath prohibiting marriage with the Benjaminites, meaning their daughters were still permitted to marry them [מלבי״ם].

During their investigation, it became clear that not a single person from the city of Jabesh-Gilead had arrived at the camp [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The leaders decided to punish the city by killing its male inhabitants for their absence, while keeping the young, unmarried women alive to be given to the men of Benjamin [חומת אנך, מצודת דוד].

There was also a deeper ideological justification for this harsh action. The Israelites viewed the residents of Jabesh-Gilead as indirectly responsible for God's anger and the near total destruction of Benjamin, precisely because they had avoided the battle. Therefore, they reasoned it was only fitting that the new foundation meant to rebuild the tribe of Benjamin should grow directly out of the ruins of Jabesh-Gilead [מלבי״ם].