Annihilation of Benjamin
Modern rationalizations of The annihilation of Benjamin to justify
the establishment of the monarchy, to disguise atrocities carried out by the tribe of Judah against Benjamin, don’t account
for the heavy moral of the tale with the distribution of body parts and simple
polity of treating women well. The rape of men by homosexuals, the violation of
the guest host code, the irrational refusal to give up wrong doers, the
escalation of events, the extremes of the battle, the annihilation of Benjamin
and the slaughter of the men of Jabesh Gilead [Giberah,“giberah,” the queen mother, in 1 Kings 15:13: “He
also removed Maacah his mother from [being] queen mother, because she had made
a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned [it]
at the brook Kidron.”] as remedy are all too extremely
narrated and build to a finish. This might show it contrived, or it might
show narrative unity, that much sought after quality in all tales that prove
them authentic, that is, not patch worked by editors.
About 600 survived--Battle of Gibeah was triggered by the concubine of a Levite
raped and abused by members of the Tribe of Benjamin who later died. The Levite offered
his concubine to the mob in his place but found unresponsive on the doorstep
and cut her body into twelve pieces, and sent the pieces throughout all the
territories of the Israelite tribes.
The
outraged tribes of Israel sought justice, and asked for the miscreants to be
delivered for judgement. The Benjamites refused, so the tribes then sought
vengeance, and in the subsequent war, the members of Tribe of Benjamin were systematically killed,
including women and children; when Benjamin was nearly 'extinguished', it was
decided that the tribe should be allowed to survive, and all the men from
another town, Jabesh Gilead, who
had refused to take part in the punishment of the Tribe of Benjamin, were killed, so that their
daughters could be wed to the surviving men of Benjamin.[1][non-primary
source needed] The first king of
Israel, Saul, was descended from these surviving men.[2] Due to this war, the Tribe of Benjamin was subsequently referred to as
"the smallest of all the tribes.| Gibeah, Gustave Dore |
Judges is a handbook, a code and a prophecy in allegory and symbol of what the world has become. Everyone does what is right in his own eyes, but more subtly, where knives and body parts and tent pegs are replaced by legislatures and secret spy networks a la George Webb and Co.
If the people could hardly pass one generation without falling into idolatry that proves what A. Cohen says, these religions were fascinating and degrading. Solomon proved it when he managed altars to Chemosh, Molech, Milcom and Ashtoreth (I Kings 11, 5,7). Over the top he just could not get enough woman, lust or their gods. The genome saved him because had it not been for David he would have been dead, but face it, David sowed Solomon's seed on the rooftop. The morale must be stay in obscurity to be happy. Suffer as a commoner. Otherwise die in the flesh.
The narrative is intentional not happenstance. It has symmetry and repetition. It has many striking phrases, and set pieces, as for example:
-thumbs and big toes cut off 1.7
-the children of Benjamin did not drive them out 1.21
-an angel of Yahweh...said...you shall make no league with the inhabitants. 2.1-2
-Joshua died at 110. 2.8 and then the children of Israel, served Baalim. 2.11, Baal, Ashtaroth.
-nations left to teach them war 3.2
-Ehud a Benjaminite was left handed 3.15
-he could not draw the dagger out 3.22
-surely he covers his feet. 3.24 [has intercourse]
-Sisera had 900 chariots of iron 4.14
-she gave him milk and covered him 4.19. drugged
-fastened the nail in his temples to the ground 4.21
-- DEBORAH'S SONG:::4.14-5.31
the mountains melted 5.5
-speak ye that ride on white asses 5.10
-lead captivity captive 5.12
-Yahweh made me have dominion over the mighty 5.13
-they handle the pen of the writer 5.14
-the stars in their courses fought against Sisera...horse-hoofs broken by the princing of their mighty ones. 5.20,22
-of Sisera, she put her hand to the nail! She smote off his head when she had pierced through his temples. 5.26
-the mother of Sisera looked out a window...5.28-30.
-Midianites ate the earth bare 6.4
So to enumerate:
1. Who did or did not drive who. wherein Benjamin fails and sums up the whole book. These are kings with thumbs and great toes cut off, but Caleb was the only one to so do, the others compromised with the nations.
2. his make no league with the inhabitants rejected they did take up their Baalim and Ashtaroth and corrupted themselves. The nations left to prove their strength became their corruption and sacred poles.
3. so they served Eglon king of Moab until Ehud sunk his knife in that fat gut.
4. 4--5.Then came Deborah who shepherded Barak against Sisera who has ten tpeged by Jael, which celebration in two parts produced the notable 'horse hoofs broken by the means of the prancing, the prancing of their mighty ones 5.22
5. 6-8 Gideon with his various fleeces and altar busters, and lapping warriors and lights in the bushes, ear rings and camel chains.
6. 9- then Abimelech and the parable of the trees, the olive and fig and vine and bramble, hence fire out of Abimelech until finally he is killed by a woman throwing a mill stone on his head--another female. with Jael and Deborah.
7. then Jephthah the gileadite with the famous word test, shibboleth 12.6
8. 13-16 then Manoah and Samson
9. ending pretty much with the Levite who buys a priest and the concubine annihilation of Benjamin.
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