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1. Had sworn. No mention of this oath has been made in the preceding record. Evidently the tribes entered into it soon after they first assembled at Mizpeh, before any open hostilities began. The ancients regarded an oath as inviolable (see on chs. 11:30; 17:1, 2).

Although such oaths could not be broken or withdrawn, the Israelites, especially in later times, found many ways to keep the letter of an oath but break the spirit by trickery or some other evasion. However, no one is under obligation to keep his pledged word if it requires him to commit a wrong act.

Give his daughter. The oath was probably sworn under a curse as in Acts 23:14. The action of the Benjamites in supporting the evil men of Gibeah aroused the anger of the Israelites to the extent that they vowed not to intermarry with the Benjamites, in the same manner as they had been commanded by the Lord not to intermarry with the seven heathen nations of Canaan (Deut. 7:1-4).