Judges 21: Problem Solved!

You really have to give the Israelites credit.  They had unwittingly placed themselves in a real bind but were able to find a creative way out of their dilemma.

Here's the first problem: the Israelites had been so efficient in slaughtering their kinsmen, the Benjaminites, in chapter 20 to avenge the crimes of Gibeah in chapter 19 that they had reduced the number of Benjaminite men to only 600 and had killed all the Benjaminite women.  Realizing that they almost caused the extinction of the tribe of Benjamin, Israel is filled with remorse and soul-searching.  How can they make sure that there are wives enough for Benjamin so the tribe may continue?  Give them women, of course!

Here's the second problem: the Israelites had already sworn an oath at Mizpah at the start of all this warfare that none of them would ever give their daughters in marriage to a Benjaminite (vs. 1).  [See the tale of Jephthah to find how one does not simply break one's vow to the Lord.]  With only 600 Benjaminite men left and no women for them, what were they to do?

Here's their creative solution: there was one town that did not rally to the cause of Israel during their war with Benjamin, Jabesh-gilead. It was decided that this ancient "Switzerland" must be punished for their neutrality.  The Israelites swept in, killed all the men, women and children of Jabesh-gilead - but saved the young virgin girls for the men of Benjamin.  In the end, they rounded up 400 of them.

Problem solved, right?  Not quite.

Here's the third problem: even after taking these virgin daughters of Jabesh-gilead for the Benjaminites, they were still short of virgins!  The Israelites still needed some way to come up with more virgin girls without being culpable in the giving of their own daughters to Benjamin, thus breaking their vow.

Somewhere along the way, a rhetorical genius realized that their oath didn't bind them when the girls were "taken from them!"  Sure, they couldn't just give their daughters to Benjamin, but they had never said anything about keeping Benjamin from taking their women from them!  So, in a scene worthy of stone-age cavemen, a new plan is orchestrated.  Word is passed to the Benjaminites that they may come and carry off any of the young dancing girls at the next festival in Shiloh.  The Israelites will smooth any ruffled feathers from the families of the girls who are taken, explaining that they are helping to save a tribe of Israel without incurring any guilt before the Lord.

Finally, problem solved!  (Except for all these virgin girls, I guess...)