In 21.10-11 the Israelite soldiers are given orders to go out and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh because they had not participated in the war against the tribe of Benjamin. In this verse the narrator skips several steps, including the soldiers’ departure for Jabesh and their killing of all the males, every woman who was not a virgin, and all the children. In some languages it will be necessary to make this information explicit. Contemporary English Version begins this verse with “The warriors attacked Jabesh in Gilead….” We may also say “So the warriors went to Jabesh-gilead and killed the people there….”
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins …: Though the text says the Israelites found 400 virgins, the situation is slightly more complicated. When they had finished killing the people of Jabesh, 400 virgins “were left.” Among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead tells where the soldiers found these virgins. This detail is important because they specifically went to where the people did not take a vow to the LORD concerning their daughters (see verse 21.1). Some languages may prefer to put this phrase at the beginning of the sentence, for example, “Among the people living in Jabesh-gilead, four hundred young virgins were left…” or “… they found four hundred young virgins….”
Four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with him is literally “400 young woman virgin who did not know a man to bed of a male.” This expression is very specific and repetitive in Hebrew. For the Hebrew word meaning “young woman” (naʿarah), see verse 19.3, where it is translated “girl.” Since the Hebrew word for virgin refers primarily to a young woman who still lives at her father’s house (see verse 19.24), the narrator makes it clear that these are women who had not known man, that is, they had never had sexual relations (see verse 11.39). This description is further emphasized by saying these women had never been “in the bed of a male,” with the Hebrew word for “male” being the same one used in verse 21.11. The text does not say how the soldiers actually determined who was a virgin and who was not. If possible, translators should try to preserve the narrator’s style and emphasis. Once again this extensive detail may be a form of strong irony. Those who did not hesitate to kill their own kinsmen went to great lengths to get “pure wives” for men who had clearly defiled Israel. New International Version offers a good model with “four hundred young women who had never slept with a man,” while Contemporary English Version‘s “four hundred young women” is not accurate and should not be followed.
And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh: The Israelite soldiers brought the 400 virgins to their military camp (see verse 7.1), which was located in the town of Shiloh (see verse 18.31). Like Bethel, Shiloh was a religious center, which later became the location of the ark of the covenant. The irony continues as a place of worship becomes the backdrop of a whole series of misguided acts.
Which is in the land of Canaan seems a rather odd note at this point. However, it seems to indicate that the Israelite soldiers crossed back from the east of the Jordan River with the young women to take them to their camp in Canaan. The land of Canaan refers to the area west of the Jordan River. Once again this detail shows to what lengths the Israelites went to repair their wrong and ensure that the tribe of Benjamin had descendants.
This account is full of details, but no mention is made of the slaughter of all the men, women and children of Jabesh, as if they are of no account. The storyteller highlights the biting irony here by omitting this detail.
Translation models for this verse are:
• Among those who lived in Jabesh-gilead, the Israelites found 400 young women who were virgins, who had never slept with a man. They rounded them up and took them back to their camp in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
• In Jabesh in Gilead, the Israelite soldiers found 400 young women who had never had sexual relations. The soldiers brought them back to their camp in Shiloh in [the land of] Canaan.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .