A Man and His Concubine

Judges 19 (CSB)

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite staying in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine. 2 But she was unfaithful to him and left him for her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for four months. 3 Then her husband got up and followed her to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him to her father’s house, and when the girl’s father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, detained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there. 5 On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go.” 6 So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and enjoy yourself.” 7 The man got up to go, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed and spent the night there again. 8 He got up early in the morning of the fifth day to leave, but the girl’s father said to him, “Please keep up your strength.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate. 9 The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home.”

Once again we are reminded that there is really no one in charge in Israel - no one to lead morally and especially not spiritually.

Although Israel claims to be the people of Yahweh their conduct and their consequent fate contradict this… in other words, they are saying one thing and doing another.

Now we are introduced to a new character and his exploits…

He is a Levite - from the tribe charged with the spiritual leadership of Isreal.

The Levite is unnamed as is everyone else (except Phinehas) - this invites the reader to treat the problem as a general problem (personalities are secondary to the issue they represent).

Here the Levite takes a woman as a concubine - a second class wife literally - we do not see any indication of another wife so not sure why she is granted second class status in the narrative.

The passage says she was unfaithful but be careful taking that to mean she has committed adultery at this point. If seems unlikely at this point that this is what happened based on what happens - it is likely that her “unfaithfulness” is found in the fact that she left him and went back to her father’s house.

Whatever the reason she left the Levite waited for her to return - realizing that she was not making the first move he packed up and headed to Bethlehem to bring her back - based on the passage he cared about her and wanted to win her back in a polite and caring way.

The reunion was pleasant - she received him well and brought the Levite to her fathers house.

The author does not clue us in to why the girls father wanted him to stay for so long - it almost seems like he is trying to create or recreate a wedding feats that lasts several days with lots of drinking - this could have something to do with his daughters status as secondary but this is pure speculation.

What is does to is create tension between the Levite and the father-in-law.

Five days he stayed but he had enough - take note the concubine doesn’t appear in this part of the narrative.

10 But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up, departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). The man had his two saddled donkeys and his concubine with him. 11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, why not let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here?” 12 But his master replied to him, “We will not stop at a foreign city where there are no Israelites. Let’s move on to Gibeah.” 13 “Come on,” he said, “let’s try to reach one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14 So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 They stopped to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night.

It was time to go home - typically you wouldn’t leave later in the day because traveling after dark was dangerous- but he was not staying another night so the left.

Bethlehem and Jerusalem are about 6 miles apart.

The author is using the Gentile names of the cities inhabitants.

The Levite after some discussion with his servant was clear, they were not staying in this town of non-Jews most likely for safety reasons.

They made it to Gibeah.

We are looking at varying degrees of hospitality at play - the father-in-law over did it with his wanting them to stay and party.

Part of Jewish law and custom is to take in visitors that is why they went to the city square but no one would take them in. (and there was no Motel 6).

16 In the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was residing in Gibeah where the people were Benjaminites. 17 When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” 18 He answered him, “We’re traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I’m going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me into his home, 19 although there’s straw and feed for the donkeys, and I have bread and wine for me, my concubine, and the servant with us. There is nothing we lack.” 20 “Welcome!” said the old man. “I’ll take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank.

Finally someone showed up and asked the travelers what they were doing.

After answering the mans questions and pointing out that there is no sense of community among the people of Israel and that he had all he needed and would not be an imposition the old man invited them to stay at his house.

The old man showed hospitality by feeding them, washing their feet and notice he took care of the animals first…

22 While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden, wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!” 23 The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don’t commit this horrible outrage. 24 Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine now. Abuse them and do whatever you want to them. But don’t commit this outrageous thing against this man.” 25 But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go. 26 Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was. 27 When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

You will notice definite parallels between this narrative and that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lets be clear - this story is sick and I don’t pretend to understand how something like this can happen but it does and this is a wicked world we live in.

The men from the city come and demand the Levite because they want to have sex with him - notice they did not ask for the homeowner, the servant or even the concubine.

This issue at hand is that the old man is responsible for his guests but more importantly, the man of the group (especially with a servant and concubine). This is what prompts him to offer his own daughter and the Levites wife - we see homosexuality, rape and adultery all attempted in this story.

It is unclear who threw the concubine out but it appears as though it was the Levite who sent his concubine out to the men of the city based on the fact that the virgin daughter of the old man was not sent.

We are not sure why this appeased the men of the city but they took the concubine instead of pressing for the Levite or anyone else in the house.

They raped her as “they saw fit” and abandoned her to her disgrace by morning.

She crawled back to the mans house and collapsed at the door.

We get a look at how she was really viewed by the Levite as he is now called master instead of husband or even Levite.

He was up early to leave, apparently okay with the knowledge she might be gone or at least he did not seem to care about her at this point but there she was.

His only words to here were “get up lets go” - a man full of concern huh?

It doesn’t say it but the understanding is that the events of the night took their toll on her and she either died there on they way home.

29 When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!”

There is a possibility that the concubine survived all the way home but then looking at this woman the Levite in anger grabbed her and but her up thus being the one who killed her.

While this possibility exists it seems more likely she was already dead.

The Levite was outraged to be sure, ironically he is the one who is started all this - his refusal to stand up and leave earlier from the girls house put them in a precarious position traveling, he refusal to listen to his servant and spend the night elsewhere put them right in the middle of the wicked city, he is the one who tossed her out to the men of the city.

About the only “innocent” person in this story is the girl but to be clear the men of Gibeah perpetrated a wicked and evil act which indicates a lifestyle similar to that of cities God has already destroyed because of the same wickedness,

Still, to cut her up and send body parts to each of the 12 tribes is brutal - this definitely implicates all the tribes in the depth of depravity the people of Israel have fallen to.

This incident got things moving and we will discuss that more next week…