Judges 21:22

22. Come unto us to complain Unto us, the elders and warriors of the nation. It seems that for four months or more (compare Judges 20:47) the elders and the larger part of the army of Israel remained encamped at Beth-el and at Shiloh in order to settle the affairs of Benjamin, and provide against the utter ruin of that tribe. While thus encamped the fathers and brothers of the captured maidens would naturally appeal to them, especially as the children of Benjamin did this act by their command. Judges 21:20.

Be favourable unto them for our sakes That is, for the sake of our common nation and kindred do not seek to recover the captive maidens, or injure their captors, but be favourable unto them. Literally the Hebrew is, Favour us as regards them. Keil thinks that the elders proposed to speak these words in the name of Benjamin, in which case us refers to the Benjamites, and them to the maidens. But this is less natural than to understand that the elders speak in behalf of the common interests of Israel, and with special allusion, perhaps, to the fact that they themselves were personally involved in the seizure of the maidens, having counselled and commanded it.

Because we reserved not Rather, because we did not take each man his wife in the war. That is, in the war with Jabesh-gilead we did not succeed in capturing virgins enough to supply each man of the six hundred Benjamites with a wife.

For ye did not give unto them They were taken stealthily and by force; ye did not give your daughters and sisters unto them, so ye have not broken the oath which we all took that we would not give our daughters unto Benjamin to wife. Judges 21:1.

At this time… ye should be guilty Thus these words should be construed, and not according to the punctuation of our common version. The words might be better rendered, as at the time ye would have been guilty. More is implied than is said. The sense is, If ye had given these maidens freely, ye would have been guilty of violating your oath by which at the time ye were bound. This decision probably satisfied the people of Shiloh.