Judges 21:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead faced severe judgment, as the entire nation of Israel had made a solemn vow: anyone who refused to join in the effort to eliminate wickedness would face death. In that conflict, twelve thousand warriors lost their lives, resulting in the tragic death of all the married couples, leaving behind only the young women who had not yet known a man. As the people of Jabesh of Gilead were defeated, merely four hundred maidens survived.