Judges 21:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead faced dire consequences, as the entire nation of Israel had pledged an oath of great severity: anyone who refused to join in the fight against immorality would face execution. There, twelve thousand soldiers met their end, resulting in the tragic demise of all men and women, with only the young women who had not yet entered into marriage remaining unharmed. After the fall of Jabesh, merely four hundred virgins survived the slaughter.