The northern leaders' response — 'So the armed men left the captives and the booty before the officers and all the assembly. And the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and with the booty they clothed all that were naked among them; they provided them with food and drink, offered them oil to anoint themselves, put all the weak ones on donkeys, and brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees' (וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַגִּבֹּרִים אֶת־הַשְּׁבוּיִים וְאֶת־הַשָּׁלָל לִפְנֵי הַשָּׂרִים וְכָל־הַקָּהָל). The northern leaders accede to Oded's moral appeal. They designate officers to restore the captives, providing food, drink, clothing, and transport. The humanitarian treatment — including anointing for wellness and carrying the weak — represents an unexpected covenantal conscience among the victorious northerners.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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