‘ However, we may not give them wives of our daughters.' For the children of Israel had sworn saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'
The latter phrase was probably literally part of the wording of the covenant made at Mizpah. Blessings and cursings regularly accompanied covenants. The repetition of the former (Judges 21:1; Judges 21:7) was to remind the hearers of the narrative when it was read, and may also indicate their continual repetition to themselves because of the headache they had caused themselves.