In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite residing at the other end of the hill country of Ephraim took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
Once his concubine desertedadeserted Lit. “played the prostitute.” him, leaving him for her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah; and she stayed there a full four months.
Then her husband set out, with an attendant and a pair of donkeys, and went after her to woo her and to win her back. She admitted him into her father’s house; and when the young woman’s father saw him, he received him warmly.
Early in the morning of the fourth day, he started to leave; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Eat something to give you strength, then you can leave.”
Early in the morning of the fifth day, he was about to leave, when the young woman’s father said, “Come, have a bite.” The two of them ate, dawdling until past noon.
Then the man, his concubine, and his attendant started to leave. His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is waning toward evening; do stop for the night. See, the day is declining; spend the night here and enjoy yourself. You can start early tomorrow on your journey and head for home.”
But the man refused to stay for the night. He set out and traveled as far as the vicinity of Jebus—that is, Jerusalem; he had with him a pair of laden donkeys, and his concubine was with him.bwas with him Emendation yields “and his attendant.”
Since they were close to Jebus, and the day was very far spent, the attendant said to his master, “Let us turn aside to this town of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.”
They turned off there and went in to spend the night in Gibeah. He went and sat down in the town square, but nobody took them indoors to spend the night.
In the evening, an old man came along from his property outside the town.coutside the town Lit. “in the field.” (This man hailed from the hill country of Ephraim and resided at Gibeah, where the locals were Benjaminites.)
He replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the other end of the hill country of Ephraim. That is where I live. I made a journey to Bethlehem of Judah, and now I am on my way to the House of GOD,dto the House of GOD Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “to my home”; cf. v. 29. and nobody has taken me indoors.
We have both bruised straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and your handmaid,eyour handmaid I.e., my concubine. and for the attendant with your servants.fyour servants I.e., us. We lack nothing.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
וגםתבן
501
גםמספוא
230
יש
310
לחמורינו
350
וגם
49
לחם
78
ויין
76
ישלי
350
ולאמתך
497
ולנער
356
עםעבדיך
216
אין
61
מחסור
314
כלדבר
256
Judges 19:20
Gematria: 2984
ויאמרהאישהזקןשלוםלךרקכלמחסורךעלירקברחובאלתלן
“Rest easy,” said the old man. “Let me take care of all your needs. Do not on any account spend the night in the square.”
While they were enjoying themselves, the townsmen, a depraved lot, had gathered about the house and were pounding on the door. They called to the aged owner of the house, “Bring out that man who’s come into your house, so that we can be intimate with him.”gbe intimate with him In order to humiliate him; lit. “know him.”
The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please, my friends, do not commit such a wrong. Since this fellow has entered my house, do not perpetrate this outrage.
Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. Let me bring them out to you. Use them, do what you like with them; but don’t do that outrageous thing to this fellow.”
But the others would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and pushed her out to them. They rapedhraped Lit. “knew”; cf. v. 22. her and abused her all night long until morning; and they let her go when dawn broke.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ולאאבו
46
האנשים
406
לשמע
440
לו
36
ויחזק
131
האיש
316
בפילגשו
431
ויצא
107
אליהם
86
החוץ
109
וידעו
96
אותה
412
ויתעללובה
559
כלהלילה
130
עדהבקר
381
וישלחוה
365
בעלות
508
כעלות
526
השחר
513
Judges 19:26
Gematria: 4528
ותבאהאשהלפנותהבקרותפלפתחביתהאישאשראדוניהשםעדהאור
Toward morning the woman came back; and as it was growing light, she collapsed at the entrance of the very house where her husband was.
When her husband arose in the morning, he opened the doors of the house and went out to continue his journey; and there was the woman, his concubine, lying at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
When he came home, he picked up a knife, and took hold of his concubine and cut her up limb by limb into twelve parts. He sent them throughout the territory of Israel.
And everyone who saw it cried out, “Never has such a thing happened or been seen from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day! Put your mind to this; take counsel and decide.”