Why Israel was defeated before justice came
Origen is commenting on Judges 20:21, where the sons of Benjamin go out and defeat the Israelites, and he explains the defeat as due to earlier causes before wrath came on the wrongdoers.
Verse 21: “And the sons of Benjamin went out.” Why are they defeated when they went out justly? Clearly, it is because of earlier causes. And the psalm says, “When I take the time, I will judge uprightnesses” (Psalm 75:2, LXX 74:3). Then he says: after being defeated once and then a second time, wrath came upon the wrongdoers, and they win a just justice.
The multitude of the Israelites is worthy of admiration, because, having gone out justly against the Benjaminites and having been defeated, they did not think anything evil against God, but rather did not cease weeping beforehand until they obtained justice against the wrongdoers.
They did not say, finding fault with God, “But this is enough.” They were begging to learn the manner. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours, and in the evening he distributes food” (Genesis 49:27) is fulfilled here. For having conquered first, he became food of the people at the last.
Greek
(74) Στίχ. κα΄. Καὶ ἐξῆλθον υἱοὶ Βενιαμίν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἡττῶνται δικαίως ἐπεξελθόντες; Ἢ δηλονότι διὰ προλαβούσας αἰτίας. Καὶ ὁ ψαλμός φησιν· Ὅταν λάβω καιρὸν, ἐγὼ εὐθύτητας κρινῶ. Εἶτα dicit : μετὰ τὸ ἡττηθῆναι καὶ μίαν καὶ δευτέραν, μετῆλθεν ἡ ὀργὴ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας, νικῶσι δικαίαν δίκην(75). Θαυμάσαι δὲ ἄξιον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, ὅτι, δικαίως τοῖς Βενιαμίταις ἐπελθόντες, καὶ ἡττηθέντες, οὐκ ἐνενόησάν τι πονηρὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον οὐδὲ ἐπαύσαντο προκλαίοντες, ἕως ὅτε δίκην ἔλαβον κατὰ τῶν ἠδικηκότων.
Οὐ καταμεμφόμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶπον· Ἀλλὰ ἀπόχρη τοῦτο. Τρόπον μαθεῖν ἱκέτευον. Τό Βενιαμὶν λύκος ἅρπαξ· πραῒ ἔδεται, καὶ τὸ ἑ. (76) διαδώσει τροφὴν, ἐνταῦθα πληροῦται. Καὶ γὰρ πρότεροννικήσας, ἔσχατον βρῶμα τοῦ λαοῦ γέγονε.