Annotations on Judges

ORIGEN'S SELECTIONS ON JUDGES. 17.37 CHAPTER 15. Verse 19. And God broke the hollow place that was in the jaw, and water came out of it. Instead of: He broke the ground with the blow of the jawbone, and waters came out. CHAPTER 20. Verse 21. And the sons of Benjamin came out. For what reason are they defeated, having gone forth justly? Or clearly, because of preceding causes. And the psalm says: When I shall find an opportune time, I will judge uprightly. Then after being defeated both a first and a second time, the wrath passed over to the wrongdoers, and they win a just judgment. But it is worthy to marvel at the multitude of the Israelites, that, having justly gone against the Benjamites, and being defeated, they did not think anything evil against God, but rather they did not even cease from weeping before him, until they received justice against the wrongdoers. They did not blame God and say: This is enough. They supplicated to learn the way. The saying: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil, is fulfilled here. For indeed having conquered first, he became at last the food of the people. 17.40 CHAPTER 21. Verses 20, 21. Why then did the sons of Israel command the two hundred of Benjamin to snatch and marry from the virgins dancing in Shiloh? The women of their tribe had all been slaughtered; and they themselves had sworn an oath, not to give in marriage their own daughters to them. Therefore, lest being forced by necessity they should take foreign women, they found a solution for their impasse, and devised the abduction.

Adnotationes in Judices

ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΑΙ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΚΡΙΤΑΣ. 17.37 ΚΕΦ. ΙΕʹ. Στίχ. ιθʹ. Καὶ ἔῤῥηξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ τραῦμα τὸ ἐν σιαγόνι, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὕδωρ. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· Ἔῤῥηξε τῇ πληγῇ τῆς σιαγόνος τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὕδατα. ΚΕΦ. Κʹ. Στίχ. καʹ. Καὶ ἐξῆλθον υἱοὶ Βενιαμίν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡττῶνται δικαίως ἐπεξελθόντες; Ἢ δηλονότι διὰ προλαβούσας αἰτίας. Καὶ ὁ ψαλμός φησιν· Ὅταν λάβω καιρὸν, ἐγὼ εὐθύτητας κρινῶ. Εἶτα μετὰ τὸ ἡττηθῆναι καὶ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν, μετῆλθεν ἡ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας, νικῶσι δικαίαν δίκην. Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, ὅτι, δικαίως τοῖς Βενιαμίταις ἐπελθόντες, καὶ ἡττηθέντες, οὐκ ἐνενόησάν τι πονηρὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον οὐδὲ ἐπαύσαντο προκλαίοντες, ἕως ὅτε δίκην ἔλαβον κατὰ τῶν ἠδικηκότων. Οὐ καταμεμφόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶπον· Ἀλλὰ ἀπόχρη τοῦτο. Τρόπον μαθεῖν ἱκέτευον. Τό· Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ· πρωῒ ἔδεται, καὶ τὸ ἑ. διαδώσει τροφὴν, ἐνταῦθα πληροῦται. Καὶ γὰρ πρότερον νικήσας, ἔσχατον βρῶμα τοῦ λαοῦ γέγονε. 17.40 ΚΕΦ. ΚΑʹ. Στίχ. κʹ, καʹ. Τί δήποτε προσέταξαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς διακοτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ Βενιαμὶν ἐκ τῶν, ἐν Σηλὼμ χορευουσῶν παρθένων ἁρπάσαι τε καὶ γῆμαι; Αἱ τῆς φυλῆς αὐτῶν γυναῖκες ἅπασαι κατεσφάγησαν· αὐτοὶ δὲ ὀμωμόκεσαν, μὴ κατεγγυῆσαι αὐτοῖς τὰς ἑαυτῶν θυγατέρας. Ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ βιασθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἀλλοφύλους γυναῖκας ἀγάγωνται, πόρον εὗρον ἐν ἀπόροις, καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν ἐπενόησαν.