Judges 19:22-30

Gibeah's Crime

22 As they were ¹making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, ²surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him."

23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brothers, ³do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, ⁴do not do this vile thing.

24 ⁵Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. ⁶Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man ⁷do not do this outrageous thing."

25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.

26 And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light.

27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

28 He said to her, "Get up, let us be going."⁸But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home.

29 And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he ⁹divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

30 ¹⁰And all who saw it said, "Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; ¹¹consider it, take counsel, and speak."

Judges 19:22-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 19

This chapter gives an account of a sad affair of a Levite and his concubine, and of the bad consequence of it, how that she played the whore, and went away from him to her father's house, whither he followed her, and where he was kindly entertained by her father several days, Jud 19:1-9 and then set out on his journey to his own country; and passing by Jebus or Jerusalem, he came to Gibeah, and could get no lodging, Jud 19:10-15, but at length was taken in by an old man, an Ephraimite, Jud 19:16-21 when the house where he was beset by some wicked men in Gibeah, with the same intent as the men of Sodom beset the house of Lot, Jud 19:22-24 and after some expostulation of the old man with them, the concubine was brought out to them and abused by them even unto death, Jud 19:25-28 upon which the Levite her husband cut her into twelve pieces, and sent them into all the coasts of Israel, which was shocking and surprising, Jud 19:29,30 the consequence of which is related in the next chapter.

Cross References

• 1. See ver. 6
• 2. Judges 20:5; [Genesis 19:4]
• 3. Genesis 19:7
• 4. Judges 20:6; Genesis 34:7; Deuteronomy 22:21; 2 Samuel 13:12; [Joshua 7:15]
• 5. [Genesis 19:8]
• 6. Genesis 34:2; Deuteronomy 21:14
• 7. [See ver. 23 above]
• 8. [Judges 20:5]
• 9. Judges 20:6; [1 Samuel 11:7]
• 10. [Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9]
• 11. Judges 20:7