Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: Judges 19:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Jud 19:1	Strong Concordance	And it came to pass in those days [03117], when there was no king [04428] in Israel [03478], that there was a certain [0376] Levite [03881] sojourning [01481] on the side [03411] of mount [02022] Ephraim [0669], who took [03947] to him a concubine [0802] [06370] out of Bethlehemjudah [01035] [03063].
	King James	And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
A LEVITE GOING TO BETHLEHEM TO FETCH HIS WIFE. (Jdg 19:1-15) it came to pass in those days--The painfully interesting episode that follows, together with the intestine commotion the report of it produced throughout the country, belongs to the same early period of anarchy and prevailing disorder. a certain Levite . . . took to him a concubine--The priests under the Mosaic law enjoyed the privilege of marrying as well as other classes of the people. It was no disreputable connection this Levite had formed; for a nuptial engagement with a concubine wife (though, as wanting in some outward ceremonies, it was reckoned a secondary or inferior relationship) possessed the true essence of marriage; it was not only lawful, but sanctioned by the example of many good men.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

A LEVITE GOING TO BETHLEHEM TO FETCH HIS WIFE. (Jdg 19:1-15)

it came to pass in those days--The painfully interesting episode that follows, together with the intestine commotion the report of it produced throughout the country, belongs to the same early period of anarchy and prevailing disorder.

a certain Levite . . . took to him a concubine--The priests under the Mosaic law enjoyed the privilege of marrying as well as other classes of the people. It was no disreputable connection this Levite had formed; for a nuptial engagement with a concubine wife (though, as wanting in some outward ceremonies, it was reckoned a secondary or inferior relationship) possessed the true essence of marriage; it was not only lawful, but sanctioned by the example of many good men.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
A concubine - See the margin. The name does not imply any moral reproach. A concubine was as much the man's wife as the woman so called, though she had not the same rights. See Jdg 19:3-4.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Infamous Crime of the Inhabitants of Gibeah. - Jdg 19:1-14. At the time when there was no king in Israel, a Levite, who sojourned (i.e., lived outside a Levitical town) in the more remote parts of the mountains of Ephraim, took to himself a concubine out of Bethlehem in Judah, who proved unfaithful to him, and then returned to her father's house. הר־אפרים ירכּתי, the hinder or outermost parts of the mountains of Ephraim, are the northern extremity of these mountains; according to Jdg 19:18, probably the neighbourhood of Shiloh. עליו תּזנה, "she played the harlot out beyond him," i.e., was unfaithful to her husband, and then went away from him," back to her father's house.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
A. concubine - Heb. a wife, a concubine, that is, such a concubine as was also his wife: called a concubine, only because she was not endowed. Perhaps he had nothing to endow her with, being himself only a sojourner.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
There was no king in Israel - All sorts of disorders are attributed to the want of civil government; justice, right, truth, and humanity, had fallen in the streets. Took to him a concubine - We have already seen that the concubine was a sort of secondary wife; and that such connections were not disreputable, being according to the general custom of those times. The word פילגש pilegesh, concubine, is supposed by Mr. Parkhurst to be compounded of פלג palag, "to divide, or share;" and נגש nagash, "to approach;" because the husband shared or divided his attention and affections between her and the real wife; from whom she differed in nothing material, except in her posterity not inheriting.

Top

¹ And it came to pass in those days [03117], when there was no king [04428] in Israel [03478], that there was a certain [0376] Levite [03881] sojourning [01481] on the side [03411] of mount [02022] Ephraim [0669], who took [03947] to him a concubine [0802] [06370] out of Bethlehemjudah [01035] [03063].
² And his concubine [06370] played the whore [02181] against him, and went away [03212] from him unto her father's [01] house [01004] to Bethlehemjudah [01035] [03063], and was there four [0702] whole months [02320] [03117].
³ And her husband [0376] arose [06965], and went [03212] after [0310] her, to speak [01696] friendly [03820] unto her, and to bring her again [07725], having his servant [05288] with him, and a couple [06776] of asses [02543]: and she brought [0935] him into her father's [01] house [01004]: and when the father [01] of the damsel [05291] saw [07200] him, he rejoiced [08055] to meet [07125] him.
⁴ And his father in law [02859], the damsel's [05291] father [01], retained [02388] him; and he abode [03427] with him three [07969] days [03117]: so they did eat [0398] and drink [08354], and lodged [03885] there.
⁵ And it came to pass on the fourth [07243] day [03117], when they arose early [07925] in the morning [01242], that he rose up [06965] to depart [03212]: and the damsel's [05291] father [01] said [0559] unto his son in law [02860], Comfort [05582] thine heart [03820] with a morsel [06595] of bread [03899], and afterward [0310] go your way [03212].
⁶ And they sat down [03427], and did eat [0398] and drink [08354] both [08147] of them together [03162]: for the damsel's [05291] father [01] had said [0559] unto the man [0376], Be content [02974], I pray thee, and tarry all night [03885], and let thine heart [03820] be merry [03190].
⁷ And when the man [0376] rose up [06965] to depart [03212], his father in law [02859] urged [06484] him: therefore he lodged [03885] there again [07725].
⁸ And he arose early [07925] in the morning [01242] on the fifth [02549] day [03117] to depart [03212]: and the damsel's [05291] father [01] said [0559], Comfort [05582] thine heart [03824], I pray thee. And they tarried [04102] until afternoon [03117] [05186], and they did eat [0398] both [08147] of them.
⁹ And when the man [0376] rose up [06965] to depart [03212], he, and his concubine [06370], and his servant [05288], his father in law [02859], the damsel's [05291] father [01], said [0559] unto him, Behold, now the day [03117] draweth [07503] toward evening [06150], I pray you tarry all night [03885]: behold, the day [03117] groweth to an end [02583], lodge [03885] here, that thine heart [03824] may be merry [03190]; and to morrow [04279] get you early [07925] on your way [01870], that thou mayest go [01980] home [0168].
¹⁰ But the man [0376] would [014] not tarry that night [03885], but he rose up [06965] and departed [03212], and came [0935] over against [05227] Jebus [02982], which is Jerusalem [03389]; and there were with him two [06776] asses [02543] saddled [02280], his concubine [06370] also was with him.
¹¹ And when they were by Jebus [02982], the day [03117] was far [03966] spent [07286]; and the servant [05288] said [0559] unto his master [0113], Come [03212], I pray thee, and let us turn in [05493] into this city [05892] of the Jebusites [02983], and lodge [03885] in it.
¹² And his master [0113] said [0559] unto him, We will not turn aside [05493] hither into the city [05892] of a stranger [05237], that is not of the children [01121] of Israel [03478]; we will pass over [05674] to Gibeah [01390].
¹³ And he said [0559] unto his servant [05288], Come [03212], and let us draw near [07126] to one [0259] of these places [04725] to lodge all night [03885], in Gibeah [01390], or in Ramah [07414].
¹⁴ And they passed on [05674] and went their way [03212]; and the sun [08121] went down [0935] upon them when they were by [0681] Gibeah [01390], which belongeth to Benjamin [01144].
¹⁵ And they turned aside [05493] thither, to go in [0935] and to lodge [03885] in Gibeah [01390]: and when he went in [0935], he sat him down [03427] in a street [07339] of the city [05892]: for there was no man [0376] that took [0622] them into his house [01004] to lodging [03885].

³ And her husband [0376] arose [06965], and went [03212] after [0310] her, to speak [01696] friendly [03820] unto her, and to bring her again [07725], having his servant [05288] with him, and a couple [06776] of asses [02543]: and she brought [0935] him into her father's [01] house [01004]: and when the father [01] of the damsel [05291] saw [07200] him, he rejoiced [08055] to meet [07125] him.
⁴ And his father in law [02859], the damsel's [05291] father [01], retained [02388] him; and he abode [03427] with him three [07969] days [03117]: so they did eat [0398] and drink [08354], and lodged [03885] there.

¹⁸ And he said [0559] unto him, We are passing [05674] from Bethlehemjudah [01035] [03063] toward the side [03411] of mount [02022] Ephraim [0669]; from thence am I: and I went [03212] to Bethlehemjudah [01035] [03063], but I am now going [01980] to the house [01004] of the LORD [03068]; and there is no man [0376] that receiveth [0622] me to house [01004].