Judges 19:2

2 But she was unfaithful to[a] him and left him for her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for a period of four months.

Judges 19:2 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 19:2

And his concubine played the whore against him
Was unfaithful to him and his bed, and broke the covenant and agreement between them; or "with him" F9, while she was with him in the house; or "before him" F11, of which he had knowledge and proof; though some think this is not to be understood of whoredom or adultery, but of her ill usage of him, and departure from him. The Targum is, she despised him; so Kimchi and Ben Gersom interpret it of her declining and turning aside from him, and returning to her father's house, as follows: and indeed, had she been guilty of such a crime, one would think he would never have sought after her to reconcile her, and take her again, since she not only deserved to be put away, but to be put to death according to the law of God:

and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehemjudah;
where she was received, as she knew she should, having a parent perhaps too indulgent, and which was an encouragement to her to leave her husband:

and was there some whole months
or a year and four whole months, according to Ben Gersom; so Kimchi and Ben Melech observe the copulative "and" is wanting, which is expressed in ( 1 Samuel 27:7 ) and "yamim, days", is so the times used for a year, ( Judges 14:8 ) ( 15:1 ) ( 21:19 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (wyle) "apud eum", Pagninus, Piscator; "cum eo", Junius & Tremellius.
F11 "Conspectu ejus", Vatablus; "coram eo", Drusius.

Judges 19:2 In-Context

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite living in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine.
2 But she was unfaithful to him and left him for her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for a period of four months.
3 Then her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back. His servant and a couple of donkeys were with him. So she brought him to her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there.
5 On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Have something to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go."

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. LXX, Vg read was angry with
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.