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In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite living on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took for himself a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah.
Verse 1. Ephraim. Some think at Silo, to which place, he says, he was going, (verse 18,) though it might be only out of devotion. Calmet.—A wife. Hebrew “a concubine.” Septuagint joins both together, “he took a harlot to wife.” Bible.
His concubine played the prostitute against him, and went away from him to her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there for four months.
Verse 2. Left him. Hebrew thozne. Now tizne, ( D.) “his concubine, fell into fornication against (Junius improperly translates with) him.” Chal. “She despised went from him.” Septuagint “She was vexed at or she left him.” Calmet.—Josephus, “as he was deeply in love with her on account of her beauty, he was displeased that she did not correspond with his love. Hence a quarrel ensuing, the woman would not bear his continual expostulations, and leaving her husband, after four months, returns to her parents. Hither, overcome by his love for her, he follows, and, by the mediation of her parents, he is reconciled to his wife, both agreeing to lay aside all complaints.” Ant. verse 2.—It is clear that the Septuagint Vulg. and so forth have read the text in a different manner from what we do at present, and their explanation seems more rational than the Hebrew. For, is it probable that a Levite should go to be reconciled to an adulteress, contrary to the intention of the law (Deuteronomy 24:2. Jeremiah 3:1. Proverbs 18:22) and the custom of the Jews, as well as of pagan nations, who looked upon those with contempt, who kept a woman of this character? The word concubine, we have often remarked, signifies a wife without a dowry, and so forth ( Calmet.) such as the Mahometans still maintain as lawful wives. Busbec. ii.—Months. Josephus explain this of the time she had remained with her husband.
Her husband arose and went after her to speak kindly to her, to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young lady saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.
Verse 3. With him. Hebrew “her husband arose and followed her to speak to her heart, to bring her back.” Genesis 34:3. He shewed great condescension and love, ( Bible.) and she received him with suitable sentiments of regard, and did not become more haughty, as women, who perceive themselves to be courted, frequently do. If she had been married to another, she could not have been received by her former husband.
His father-in-law, the young lady’s father, kept him there; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank, and stayed there.
On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning, and he rose up to depart. The young lady’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you shall go your way.”
So they sat down, ate, and drank, both of them together. Then the young lady’s father said to the man, “Please be pleased to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.”
The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he stayed there again.
Verse 7. With him. A beautiful instance of hospitality, like that of the disciples at Emaus. Luc. 24:29. Menochius.
He arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the young lady’s father said, “Please strengthen your heart and stay until the day declines;” and they both ate.
Verse 8. Advanced. Hebrew “and they tarried until the evening.” Septuagint “rest till the day decline.” Bible.—He wishes them to wait till the hear of the day be over. Calmet.—When he had obtained this request, he made the late hour an excuse for detaining them longer. But unhappily, the Levite was too resolute and desirous of returning home.
When the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the young lady’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day draws toward evening, please stay all night. Behold, the day is ending. Stay here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow go on your way early, that you may go home.”
Verse 9. Depart. Hebrew and Septuagint add, “early,” before the sun was up to render travelling incommodious. Bible.
But the man wouldn’t stay that night, but he rose up and went near Jebus (also called Jerusalem). With him were a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine also was with him.
Verse 10. Jebus was about six short miles from Bethlehem, and as many from Gabaa. It had not yet fallen into the hands of Juda ( Calmet.) and Benjamin, ( Bible.) or they had been expelled again, so that the old inhabitants held possession of it at this time, ( Calmet.) as they did of the citadel till the reign of David. See Calmet. 1:6. 21. Bible.—Concubine. She was his lawful wife: but even lawful wives are frequently in Scripture called concubines. See above, chap. 8:31. Challoner.—ver. 2.
When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Please come and let’s enter into this city of the Jebusites, and stay in it.”
His master said to him, “We won’t enter into the city of a foreigner that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.”
He said to his servant, “Come and let’s draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.”
Verse 13. Rama was not so far as Gabaa; so that, if they could not travel to the latter place, they might turn to the former, and lodge all night. They held on their journey, however, till they came not very late, to Gabaa.
So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.
They went over there, to go in to stay in Gibeah. He went in, and sat down in the street of the city; for there was no one who took them into his house to stay.
Verse 15. Lodge. No one invited them in. How much had these people degenerated from the manners of Abraham and of Lot, to imitate those of the men of Sodom! Bible.—There was no inn it seems at Gabaa, though we read of some at Jericho, Gaza, and so forth Calmet. 16:1. Joshua 2:1. Genesis 42:27. Calmet.
Behold, an old man came from his work out of the field at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.
Verse 16. Jemini. That is, Benjamin. Challoner.—Calmet. 3:15.
He lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
Verse 17. Bundles. Hebrew “saw a traveller in,” and so forth
He said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem Judah to the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem Judah. I am going to the LORD’s house; and there is no one who has taken me into his house.
Verse 18. Of God. Septuagint “to my house I return in haste; and no one brings me into his house.” The tabernacle was fixed at Silo in Ephraim. Bible.—Chal. “the house of the sanctuary of God.” Menochius. ver. 1.
Yet there is both straw and feed for our donkeys; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for your servant, and for the young man who is with your servants. There is no lack of anything.”
Verse 19. Straw. It used to be cut small, as hay was very scarce. S. Jerom in Isai. xxv. Hebrew “straw and provender.”
The old man said, “Peace be to you! Just let me supply all your needs, but don’t sleep in the street.”
Verse 20. I will. Hebrew “all thy wants be upon me.” I will furnish all that may be requisite. In this wicked city, there was at least, one generous soul, like Lot in Sodom. Genesis 18 and 19.
So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder. Then they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain wicked fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we can have sex with him!”
Verse 22. That is, and so forth An interpretation of the Vulg. Belial is sometimes rendered “devilish, apostate,” and so forth Septuagint “lawless, or transgressors.” Menochius.—Aquila, “rebels.” Sym. “libertines,” without education or restraint. Calmet.—Josephus lays the blame on some young men, who had been captivated with the charms of the Levite’s wife, whom they had seen in the street. But they seem to have had designs still more criminal, though they were prevailed upon to desist, when she was abandoned to them. Bible.—The demanded the Levite himself. Calmet.
The man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, “No, my brothers, please don’t act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, don’t do this folly.
Behold, here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. I will bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them what seems good to you; but to this man don’t do any such folly.”
Verse 24. I have, and so forth A similar proposal was made by Lot; (Genesis 19:8,) and hence the old man, who was brought up to hard labour, and the young Levite might, through ignorance, suppose it lawful for them to do the like. Menochius.—IT is lawful to advise a man, who is about to commit two crimes, to be satisfied with the less: but we cannot persuade any one to do even the smallest offence, that good may ensue. Romans 3:8. The ignorance or good intention of these people might extenuate, but could hardly excuse their conduct, as it was unjust to the woman, whom the people of Gabaa did not ask for; and they ought rather to have encountered the utmost fury of the populace. Had the latter even come to the extremity proposed, if the Levite had made all possible resistance, his virtue could not have been injured. Calmet.—His crown would have been doubled, as S. Lucy observed when the judge threatened to have her prostituted. Castitas mihi duplicabitur ad coronam. Dec. xiii. Bible.—Perhaps in the agitation of mind, caused by such a brutal proposal, the old man might have been so disturbed, as scarcely to know what he was saying, and he did not afterwards expose his daughter. Calmet.—But the Levite, seeing him in such a dilemma, on his account ( Bible.) took this wife by force. Hebrew and so forth See Tostat. Bonfrere. E. Calmet.—Against nature. Hebrew “unto this man do not so vile a thing.”
But the men wouldn’t listen to him; so the man grabbed his concubine, and brought her out to them; and they had sex with her, and abused her all night until the morning. When the day began to dawn, they let her go.
Verse 25. And abandoned. Hebrew “and they knew her and abused her.” Bible.—Interpreters say in the most unnatural manner. Calmet.
Then the woman came in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, until it was light.
Verse 26. Lord. So wives styled their husbands. 1 Peter 3:5.—Down dead through fatigue, ( Menochius.) shame, and grief. Joseph.—She had not power to knock. Calmet.—Though the former misconduct of this unhappy woman might call for punishment, yet, after she was reconciled to her husband, we cannot but think he used her ill, though he acted through a sort of constraint and ignorance. Bible.—Instances of women dying under a similar treatment, may be found in Herodotus, and in the Russian and Turkish historians. Calmet.
Her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and behold, the woman his concubine had fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
He said to her, “Get up, and let’s get going!” but no one answered. Then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place.
When he had come into his house, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.
Verse 29. Israel. One part, like an epistle, written with blood, to every tribe. Salien.—Some, without reason, think that Benjamin was neglected: but they were to be summoned, to bring their guilty brethren ( Calmet.) to condign punishment, or to share in their fate, as accomplices of the crime. Bible.—The state of the republic authorized the Levite to take this extraordinary method of rousing all to a sense of horror for what had been done. Calmet.—His brethren, dispersed through the country, would no doubt take part in his grief.
It was so, that all who saw it said, “Such a deed has not been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day! Consider it, take counsel, and speak.”
Verse 30. Egypt, that is for the space of eighty years. Salien.—Indeed the annals of all past ages could hardly furnish an instance of such barbarous lust.—Done. In every city, people gathered together to consult how the crime was to be expiated; ( Bible.) and all agreed to assemble before the Lord. Calmet.—Grabe’s Septuagint observes, that the Levite “gave order to the men, to whom he sent, saying, these things shall you speak to every Israelite. If such a word (or thing) has come to pass, from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel out of Egypt, till the present day? Take ye advice concerning it, and speak.” Bible.