Judges 19:12

12 However, his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; but we will go on as far as Gibeah."

Judges 19:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 19:12

And his master said unto him, we will not turn aside hither
into the city of a stranger
A city of the children of the Gentiles, as the Targum, as the Jebusites were, being one of the seven nations of the land of Canaan, who were to be dispossessed and destroyed; and which, one would think, he would not have so called, had it been inhabited, though but in part, by the children of Judah and Benjamin: by this it appears, that this Levite was a good man, and conscientious, and shunned all appearance of evil, and the company of wicked men, as became his character and profession: and it is added,

that is not of the children of Israel;
which further confirms the above conjecture, that this city was not as yet at all in the hands of the Israelites; or if it had been, was retaken, and now in the hands of the Jebusites:

we will pass over to Gibeah;
which was in the tribe of Benjamin, and inhabited by men of that tribe, and so more agreeable to this Levite, though it proved fatal to him; this was, as Josephus says F18 thirty furlongs, or near four miles from Jebus or Jerusalem; and though it was near sun setting, he chose rather to proceed on to this place, than to lodge at Jebus, and the rather it may be, as it was a Levitical city, ( Joshua 21:17 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F18 De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 1.

Judges 19:12 In-Context

10 But the man was not willing to spend the night, so he arose and departed and came to a place opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem ). And there were with him a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with him.
11 When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone; and the servant said to his master, "Please come, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it."
12 However, his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; but we will go on as far as Gibeah."
13 He said to his servant, "Come and let us approach one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah."
14 So they passed along and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.
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