Judges 19:1

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite ¹  living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine ²  from Bethlehem ³  in Judah.

Judges 19:18

19:18 The Levite ⁴  said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem ⁵  in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. ⁶  But no one has invited me into their home.

[19:1]  ¹ tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”

[19:1]  ² sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.

[19:1]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:18]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”