Judges 19:23

23 And the eld man went out to them, and said, Do not ye, brethren, do not ye do this evil; for the man hath entered into mine harbour (for the man hath only entered into my house for lodging); and cease ye of this folly.

Judges 19:23 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 19:23

And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them
Opened the door, and went out to converse with them, and talked them after this manner:

and said unto them, nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so
wickedly;
it is plain he understood them in such sense, that they meant not bare knowledge of the man, as who he was but to commit wickedness the most abominable; so great, that it cannot be well said how great it is; and to dissuade from it, he uses the most tender language, and the most earnest entreaties:

seeing this man is come into my house, do not this folly;
he argues from the law of hospitality, which ought not to be infringed; a man being obliged to protect a stranger under his roof; and from the nature of the crime, which was folly, stupidity, and what was abominable to the last degree.

Judges 19:23 In-Context

21 And he brought him into his house, and gave meat to the asses; and after that they washed their feet, he received them into feast. (And he brought them into his house, and gave him food for the donkeys; and after that they had washed their feet, he gave them dinner.)
22 (And) While they ate, and refreshed their bodies with meat and drink after the travail of their way, men of that city came, the sons of Belial, that is, (them) without (a) yoke, and they compassed the old man's house (and they surrounded the old man's house), and began to knock on the doors; and they cried to the lord of the house, and said, Lead out the man that entered into thine house, (so) that we (can) misuse him.
23 And the eld man went out to them, and said, Do not ye, brethren, do not ye do this evil; for the man hath entered into mine harbour (for the man hath only entered into my house for lodging); and cease ye of this folly.
24 I have a daughter virgin, and this man hath a [secondary] wife; and I shall bring out them to you, that ye make low them, and fulfill your lust (I have a daughter who is a virgin, and this man hath a concubine; and I shall bring them out to you, so that ye can make them low, and fulfill your lust); only, I beseech you, that ye work not this cursedness against kind with this man.
25 (But) They would not assent to his words; the which thing the man seeing, he led out his [secondary] wife to them, and he betook to them her to be defouled. And when they had misused her all night, they let go her in the morrowtide. (But they would not assent to his words; and the Levite seeing that, he brought out his concubine to them, and he gave her over to them to be defiled. And when they had misused her all that night, they let her go in the morning.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.