Judges 19:3

3 And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father’s house. And when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;

Judges 19:3 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 19:3

And her husband arose
From the place where he lived:

and went after her;
to Bethlehemjudah, where her father lived:

to speak comfortably to her
"or to her heart" ^F12; having heard perhaps that she repented of her sin, or if it was only upon a quarrel between them, his anger might cool and subside, and therefore sought for a reconciliation; and which was the more commendable in him, as he did not put her away, but she departed from him: and

to bring her again;
to his own city, and to his own house and bed, as before:

having his servant with him, and a couple of asses;
one of them for her to ride upon, and the other to carry provisions on:

and she brought him into her father's house;
it seems she met with him before he came thither, in the fields, or in the street; and by this it appears that she was glad to see him, and received him in a loving manner, and introduced him into her father's house, so that things looked well, and promised success:

and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;
having a good opinion of him, and perhaps understood, even by his daughter's story, that she was most in fault, and therefore was well pleased to see him come after her; though he ought before this time to have sent her home, or sought for a reconciliation of her to her husband.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (hbl le) "ad cor", Pagninus.

Judges 19:3 In-Context

1 In those days when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem of Judah.

2 And his concubine committed adultery against him and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehem of Judah and was there four whole months.

3 And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father’s house. And when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;

4 and his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him, and he dwelt with him three days; eating and drinking, and abiding there.

5 And on the fourth day when they arose early in the morning, the Levite rose up to depart; and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterwards ye shall go.