Judges 19:10

10 But the man was not willing to spend the night, so he arose and departed and came to a place opposite ¹Jebus (that is, Jerusalem ). And there were with him a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with him.

Judges 19:10 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 19:10

But the man would not tarry that night
He was determined upon his journey; he perceived there was no end of the solicitations of his father-in-law, and did not know how long he intended to detain him, and therefore was resolved not to hearken to him any longer:

but he rose up and departed;
rose up from his seat, took his leave of his father-in-law, and proceeded on his journey:

and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem;
which was then called Jebus, because inhabited by the Jebusites, as appears from the following verse; this was about six miles from Bethlehem ^F16; so far they were come on in their journey homewards:

and there were with him two asses saddled;
which he brought with him when he came to Bethlehem, ( Judges 19:3 ) now said to be "saddled", either for him and his concubine to ride on; or they were bound or girt, as the word signifies, being loaded with bread, and wine, and provender; or it may be one of them was for him and his concubine to ride on by turns, and the other to carry the provisions:

and his concubine also was with him;
matters being now made up between them, she had agreed to go with him, and did, which was the end of his coming to her father's house; and therefore this is observed on that account, as well as for what follows in the tragical part of this history.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 89. E.

Judges 19:10 In-Context

8 On the fifth day he arose to go early in the morning, and the girl's father said, "Please sustain yourself, and wait until afternoon "; so both of them ate.

9 When the man arose to go along with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Behold now, the day has drawn to a close; please spend the night. Lo, the day is coming to an end; spend the night here that your heart may be merry. Then tomorrow you may arise early for your journey so that you may go home."

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."

Cross References

• 1. 1 Chronicles 11:4, 5