Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 21:21

And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

21. to dance in the dances ] For the religious dance on occasions of joy cf. Exo 32:19, 2Sa 6:14, Psa 149:3; Psa 150:4.

catch you every man his wife ] A legend of early Rome tells how Romulus demanded wives from the neighbouring cities for the men whom he had collected. When this was refused, he announced a festival of the god Consus at the foot of the hill he occupied. Sabines and Latins crowded to the spot with their wives and daughters, when the Roman youth rushed upon them and carried off the women to their stronghold: Livy i. 9.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 21. And catch you every man his wife] That is, Let each man of the two hundred Benjamites seize and carry off a woman, whom he is, from that hour, to consider as his wife.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The daughters of Shiloh; by whom he may possibly understand not those only who were born or settled inhabitants there, (as many conceive,) but all those who were come thither upon this occasion, and for a time sojourned there; for although only the males were obliged to go up to the three solemn feasts, yet it is apparent that the women had liberty to go, and those who were most devout did usually go, and others, upon special reasons or occasions: see 1Sa 1:7,21,22 2:1; Luk 2:22,23,41-43. And it may be justly presumed, especially concerning those women that lived at no great distance from the place of public worship, that they came thither in great numbers. Moreover, the daughters of Shiloh, strictly so called, are not only they that lived in that town or city, but in the country belonging to it, which off comes under the name of the city to which it belongs. And these may be here particularly named, because though others might come, yet they were under great obligations to come, because of their nearness to the place.

The vineyards were near to their dancing-place.

Catch ye every man his wife; take them away by force or violence; which they might the better do, because mixed dances were not used by the people of God in their solemnities, but the women danced by themselves, and therefore were more liable to this rape.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

21, 22. daughters of Shiloh come outto dance in dancesThe dance was anciently a part of thereligious observance. It was done on festive occasions, as it isstill in the East, not in town, but in the open air, in someadjoining field, the women being by themselves. The young women beingalone indulging their light and buoyant spirits, and apprehensive ofno danger, facilitated the execution of the scheme of seizing them,which closely resembles the Sabine rape in Roman history. The eldersundertook to reconcile the families to the forced abduction of theirdaughters. And thus the expression of their public sanction to thisdeed of violence afforded a new evidence of the evils anddifficulties into which the unhappy precipitancy of the Israelites inthis crisis had involved them.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances,…. As they used to do at this festival, not along with men, but by themselves; and so might the more easily be taken and carried off; and though only males were obliged to appear from all parts at this feast, yet females might come if they would; and, no doubt, from neighbouring places, at least many did; however, the daughters of Shiloh, who dwelt where the tabernacle was, these always attended the feast with demonstrations of joy, and among the rest with dancing, and that as expressive of spiritual and religious joy, as in the case of Miriam, and the Israelitish women, Ex 15:20 and as in latter times the most religious men used to express their joy at this feast; now the two hundred men in the vineyards, which lay near the field where these virgins used to dance at this time, were to watch and observe when they came out of the city thither, and were engaged in such an exercise:

then come ye out of the yards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin; they are directed to rush out at once upon them, as they were dancing, secure, as they thought, from molestation and danger; and they were to take everyone one, not more, and go off directly with them to their own tribe.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

21. To dance in dances As did the women of the exodus under the leadership of Miriam, (Exo 15:20😉 only they danced for triumph, these for pleasure. “There are not in eastern towns places where assemblies can be held for such festivities. It is, therefore, usual to assemble in such pleasant spots as may be in the neighbourhood in any small valley through which a stream flows, near some secluded fountain, in gardens or plantations. The women especially affect this mode of enjoyment, which agreeably diversifies their somewhat monotonous existence. A few years ago the ladies of Aleppo bribed an astrologer to predict a coming plague, for no other reason than that they might as they knew to be usual in such cases be sent out of the way into the suburban gardens. That these festivities are held by the different sexes apart explains that there were no men present to oppose the Benjamites in carrying off their daughters and their sisters.” Kitto.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments