Selections on Judges · §7 · Origen of Alexandria

Why the Benjamites were justly defeated before their victory

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Origen is closing his selections on Judges by explaining the Benjamites' initial defeats as just punishment for a prior cause, with victory coming only after wrath fell on the wrongdoers.

And the sons of Benjamin went out. Why are they justly defeated when they came? It is clear that it was because of a preceding cause. And the psalm says, “When I take the time, I will judge uprightnesses” (Psalm 7 LXX). Then, after they were defeated once and a second time, wrath came upon those who had done wrong, and they win a just victory.

Greek

Καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμίν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡττῶνται δικαίως ἐπελθόντες; Ἥ δῆλον ὅτι διὰ προλαβούσης αἰτίας. Καὶ ὁ ψαλμός φησιν· « Ὅταν λάβω καιρὸν, ἐγὼ εὐθύτητας κρινῶ. » Εἶτα καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἡττηθῆναι, καὶ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν, μετῆλθεν ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας, καὶ νικῶσι δίκαιαν νίκην.

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About this text

Origen's selections on Judges, answering hard passages such as Jephthah's vow and the Shibboleth test.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) wrote these selections on Judges. They are not his homilies on Judges, and they are not his notes on Judges. He addressed them to readers who found certain passages morally troubling or hard to understand. His purpose was to defend the text against objections and to explain difficult words, customs, and objects.

He responds to apparent problems such as Jephthah's rash vow, the pronunciation test used against the Ephraimites, and the temporary barrenness of Samson's mother. Origen argues that divine help and human error can be distinguished in Jephthah's case, and that the Benjamites' early defeats were a just punishment for a prior wrong.

A reader should know that the test word rendered here as "ear of grain" is the Hebrew term behind the famous "shibboleth" episode in Judges 12:6. The "books of Kingdoms" refers to what are now called the books of Samuel and Kings. The "preceding cause" of the Benjamites' punishment is the atrocity described in Judges 19–20. Origen also explains that the ephod was a priestly garment, while the theraphin were idolatrous objects.

Fresh English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Migne PG 12 (1862) (Greek)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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