Judges 19:2

2 But she quarreled with him and left, returning to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there 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 It was an era when there was no king in Israel. A Levite, living as a stranger in the backwoods hill country of Ephraim, got himself a concubine, a woman from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 But she quarreled with him and left, returning to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there four months.
3 Then her husband decided to go after her and try to win her back. He had a servant and a pair of donkeys with him. When he arrived at her father's house, the girl's father saw him, welcomed him, and made him feel at home.
4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, pressed him to stay. He stayed with him three days; they feasted and drank and slept.
5 On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.