1 Samuel 11:3

Send messengers. It would seem that since Israel’s servitude under the Ammonites, Jabesh had more or less withdrawn from association with even nearby tribes such as Issachar, Ephraim, and Benjamin. The city was not more than 30 mi. from Shiloh, and Samuel’s ministry seems to have been limited mostly to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Judah. Could it be that the men of Jabesh-gilead had so long nursed their grudge against the other tribes that they did not know that Samuel was judge? They certainly seem to have known nothing of Saul’s appointment. Probably they had taken no part in the campaigns against the Philistines, but had withdrawn to themselves, unwilling to take their share in tribal responsibilities. They were not even sure that the tribes would make any response to their plea. In sheer desperation they virtually acknowledged their shortcomings and threw themselves upon the mercy of their fellow Israelites, whom they had neglected in the past.