Judges 19
1 A Levite goes to Beth-lehem to fetch home his concubine.
16 An old man entertains him at Gibeah.
22 The Gibeonites abuse his concubine to death.
29 He divides her into twelve pieces, and sends them to the twelve tribes.
king <04428> [when there.]
hill country <02022> [mount.]
acquired <0802> [a concubine. Heb. a woman, a concubine, or, a wife, a concubine.]
Bethlehem <01035> [Beth-lehem-judah.]
angry <02181> [played.]
[four whole months. or, a year and four months. Heb. days, four months.]
<03212> [went.]
hoping <01696> [speak.]
convince .... return <03820 07725> [friendly unto her. Heb. to her heart.]
return <07725> [to bring.]
servant <05288> [his servant.]
energy <05582> [Comfort. Heb. Srengthen.]
bite <06595> [with a morsel.]
time <03820> [let thine heart.]
[until afternoon. Heb. till the day declined.]
Merely that they might avoid the heat of the day, which would have been very inconvenient in travelling.
day .......... day <03117> [the day.]
<07503> [draweth, etc. Heb. is weak. the day groweth to an end. Heb. it is the pitching time of the day, Jer 6:4.]
That is, it was near the time in which travellers ordinarily pitched their tents, to take up their lodging for the night. In the latter part of the afternoon, eastern travellers begin to look out for a place for this purpose. So Dr. Shaw observes, "Our constant practice was to rise at break of day, set forward with the sun, and travel to the middle of the afternoon; at which time we began to look out for encampments of Arabs; who, to prevent such parties as ours from living at free charges upon them, take care to pitch in woods, valleys, or places the least conspicuous."
tomorrow <04279> [to morrow.]
home <0168> [home. Heb. to thy tent.]
<05227> [over against. Heb. to over against. Jebus.]
Jebusite <02983> [the Jebusites.]
Gibeah <01390> [Gibeah.]
Gibeah, a city of Benjamin, and the birth-place of Saul, was situated near Rama and Gibeon, according to Josephus, thirty furlongs north from Jerusalem; or, according to Jerome, about two leagues.
Gibeah <01390> [Gibeah.]
one <0376> [no man.]
There was probably no inn, or house of public entertainment in this place; and therefore they could not have a lodging unless furnished by mere hospitality. But these Benjamites seem to have added to their other vices, avarice and inhospitality, like the inhabitants of Akoura in mount Lebanon, mentioned by Burckhardt.
work <04639> [his work.]
<03212> [whither.]
heading <01980> [I am now.]
The LXX. read, [eis ton oikon mou ego poreuomai:] "I am going to my own house;" which is probably the true reading, as we find (ver. 29) that he really went home; yet he might have gone previously to Shiloh, or to "the house of the Lord," because that was also in mount Ephraim.
home .......... home <01004> [the house.]
invited <0622> [receiveth. Heb. gathereth.]
straw ... grain <04554 08401> [straw and provender.]
In those countries principally devoted to pasturage, they made little or no hay: but as they raised corn, they took great care of their straw for cattle, which by their mode of threshing was chopped very small. See note on Ge 24:32.
just fine ..... care ...... But <07965 07535> [Peace be.]
needs <04270> [let all thy wants.]
Here was genuine hospitality: "Keep your bread and wine for yourselves, and your straw and provender for your asses; you may need them before you finish your journey: I will supply all your wants for this night; only do not lodge in the street."
spend ....... square <03885 07339> [lodge not.]
brought <0935> [So he brought.]
washed <07364> [they washed.]
good time <03820> [they were.]
<0582> [the men.]
good-for-nothings <01121 01100> [sons of Belial.]
Send out <03318> [Bring forth.]
man ....................... man <0376> [the man.]
do .... disgraceful thing <06213 05039> [do not this folly.]
daughter <01323> [Behold.]
The rites of hospitality are regarded as sacred and inviolable in the East: and a man who has admitted a stranger under his roof, is bound to protect him even at the expense of his life. On these high notions only, the influence of which an Asiatic mind alone can appreciate, can the present transaction be either excused or palliated.
send ... out ........ do .... whatever you like .... do <03318 06213 05869> [them.]
abuse .... do ......... do <06031 06213> [humble ye.]
disgraceful thing <05039 01697 02063> [so vile a thing. Heb. the matter of this folly.]
raped .... abused <03045 05953> [knew her.]
abused <05953> [and abused.]
master ....... light <0113 0216> [her lord was.]
response <06030> [But none.]
carved ... up <05408 06106> [divided her.]
It is probable, that with the pieces he sent to each tribe a circumstantial account of the barbarity of the men of Gibeah; and that they considered each of the pieces as expressing an execration. That a similar custom prevailed in ancient times is evident from 1 SA 11:7. It had an inhuman appearance, thus to mangle the corpse of this unhappy woman; but it was intended to excite a keener resentment against so horrible a crime, which called for a punishment proportionally severe.
<06106> [with her bones.]
Take careful <07760> [consider.]
