Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

19:1 no king in Israel. See Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background (cf. 17:6; 18:1; 21:25). A concubine was a female servant or slave regarded as part of the family. Her usual function was childbearing to enlarge the family (cf. Abraham's concubine Hagar [Genesis 16]; Jacob's concubines Bilhah and Zilpah [Gen. 30:4-13]). Bethlehem in Judah was also the origin of Micah's priest (Judg. 17:9).

19:3-9 An elaborate and extended ritual of hospitality is played out here: the Levite stayed in the home of his concubine's father for five days, on the insistent urging of the father. Strict codes of hospitality still play a part in many tribal Near Eastern cultures. The elaborate hospitality described here stands in sharp contrast to what follows in the ensuing episodes.

19:10-12 Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). Jerusalem was at this time in the hands of the Jebusites and so is referred to as a city of foreigners (see note on 1:8). Gibeah was about 4 miles (6 km) north of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered a massive-destruction level (c. 1100 b.c.) at the site of Gibeah, which may correspond with the destruction in chs. 19-20. The city was soon rebuilt, with an imposing rectangular fortress dating to the time of Saul (Gibeah was Saul's hometown; 1 Sam. 10:26). The Levite considered Gibeah a safer place to spend the night than Jerusalem, because it was a Benjaminite city (Judg. 19:14, 16); this, however, was a tragically fatal misjudgment.

19:16 old man . . . sojourning in Gibeah. In a striking irony--and a commentary on the degenerate state of affairs in Israel--the Levite found hospitality, not from the residents of Gibeah, but from an outsider, a sojourner. hill country of Ephraim. Cf. v. 1.

19:22-26 The "hospitality" offered by Gibeah was no hospitality at all; it was the "hospitality" of Sodom (cf. Genesis 19), an outrageous affront to the Levite and especially to his concubine. This section closely echoes Gen. 19:4-9; indeed, it is likely that the author intentionally patterned this text after the Genesis account, as if to say, "Things are as bad now as they were in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah!"

19:22 worthless fellows. Literally, "sons of Belial." In the OT, the term "Belial" is used descriptively, speaking of perverted or worthless people (cf. 20:13; 1 Sam. 10:27; 1 Kings 21:13). In intertestamental literature, the term was used of Satan, and this is Paul's sense in 2 Cor. 6:15: "What accord has Christ with Belial?" that we may know him. The word "know" was the normal Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations (cf. Gen. 4:1). The same expression is found in Gen. 19:5, where the men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relations with Lot's guests.

19:27-30 The Levite's matter-of-fact reaction to his concubine's death illustrates his callousness. His gruesome response was to cut her into twelve pieces and send them around to the 12 tribes to rally them against Gibeah. Saul later did the same thing with a yoke of oxen (1 Sam. 11:7); a similar practice is known from Mari, in Mesopotamia. has never happened or been seen. It is unclear what was being referred to here (the outrageous actions of the men of Gibeah or the cutting up of the concubine), but it is more likely the former (cf. Judg. 20:10).

20:1-2 from Dan to Beersheba. This phrase was commonly used to speak of the entire land of Israel, from north to south (cf. 1 Sam. 3:20; 2 Sam. 24:2; 1 Kings 4:25). assembly. The Hebrew word (qahal) denotes a specially summoned gathering, usually for a religious (Num. 16:3; 1 Chron. 28:8) or military purpose (Num. 22:4, "horde"; 1 Sam. 17:47). Here, the Israelites gathered for war against the tribe of Benjamin (see map).

20:9 The tribes agreed to send a tenth of their men (v. 10), chosen by lot. Far from this being a matter of chance, God was always in control of the lot (cf. Num. 26:55; Josh. 14:2; 18:6, 8, 10; Prov. 16:33). However, perhaps significantly, he is not mentioned in this instance.

20:12-14 purge evil from Israel (cf. Deut. 13:5; 17:7; etc.). This evil deed is seen as polluting the whole people. But the Benjaminites would not listen. Benjamin's decision to protect the evildoers sets the stage for further horrors.

20:15-16 26,000 men. The Benjaminite force, large as it was, equaled only a small fraction of the Israelite coalition (400,000 men; v. 17). left-handed. The left-handedness of the 700 expert slingers was an advantage, since their shots would come at an unaccustomed angle. Ironically, the name "Benjamin" means "son of the right (hand)."

20:18 Judah . . . first. As before (1:1-2), Judah took the lead. This is the tribe from which David, the greatest embodiment of the monarchy (what the Israelites most lacked at this time), would come.

20:25-26 The fasting and sacrificing of the Israelites is very rare in this period. See note on 2:5.

20:28 Phinehas. Cf. Num. 25:6-11.

20:35 the Lord defeated Benjamin. Despite Israel's apostasy, God still intervened in its affairs and gave victory.

20:38 ambush. Cf. the ambush set for Ai in Josh. 8:17-22.

20:47 Despite the rout, 600 men of Benjamin survived to become the core of the renewed tribe (21:13-15).

21:1 had sworn. This oath was presumably made when the people gathered together at Mizpah (cf. 20:1).

21:5 great oath. A second, "greater" oath provided the justification for raiding Jabesh-gilead to provide wives for the Benjaminites. No doubt all the tribes were expected to participate, since all 12 had been sent the gruesome remains of the Levite's concubine (19:29).

21:10-11 devote to destruction. This phrase is found throughout the book of Joshua describing the Israelites' destruction of the Canaanites (e.g., Josh. 6:17-18; 10:28, 35, 39, 40-41; 11:11, 20; see note on Deut. 20:16-18). Here, ironically, the total destruction was directed against an Israelite city, not a Canaanite one; Israel acted on its own, without God's command to take such action. The rebuilt city of Jabesh-gilead figures in Saul's history (1 Sam. 11:1-11; 31:11-13).

21:24 every man to his inheritance. The exact same statement is found at the end of Joshua (Josh. 24:28), but now things were far worse.