191 Now it came about in those days , when there was no king in Israel , that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim , who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah . 2 But his concubine played the harlot against him, and she went away from him to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah , and was there for a period of four months . 3 Then her husband arose and went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back , taking with him his servant and a pair of donkeys . So she brought him into her father's house , and when the girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4 His father-in-law , the girl's father , detained him; and he remained with him three days . So they ate and drank and lodged there . 5 Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning , and he prepared to go ; and the girl's father said to his son-in-law , " Sustain yourself with a piece of bread , and afterward you may go ." 6 So both of them sat down and ate and drank together ; and the girl's father said to the man , "Please be willing to spend the night , and let your heart be merry ." 7 Then the man arose to go , but his father-in-law urged him so that he spent the night there again . 8 On the fifth day he arose to go early in the morning , and the girl's father said , "Please sustain yourself , and wait until afternoon e "; so both of them ate . 9 When the man arose to go along with his concubine and servant , his father-in-law , the girl's father , said to him, "Behold now , the day has drawn to a close ; please spend the night . Lo , the day is coming to an end ; spend the night here that your heart may be merry . Then tomorrow you may arise early for your journey so that you may go home ." 10 But the man was not willing to spend the night , so he arose and departed and came to a place opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem ). And there were with him a pair of saddled donkeys ; his concubine also was with him. 11 When they were near Jebus , the day was almost gone ; and the servant said to his master , "Please come , and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it." 12 However, his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel ; but we will go on as far as Gibeah ." 13 He said to his servant , "Come and let us approach one of these places ; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah ." 14 So they passed along and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin . 15 They turned aside there in order to enter and lodge in Gibeah . When they entered , they sat down in the open square of the city , for no one took them into his house to spend the night .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 19:1-15
Chapter Contents
The wickedness of the men of Gibeah.
The three remaining chapters of this book contain a very sad history of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, in Benjamin. The righteous Lord permits sinners to execute just vengeance on one another, and if the scene here described is horrible, what will the discoveries of the day of judgment be! Let each of us consider how to escape from the wrath to come, how to mortify the sins of our own hearts, to resist Satan's temptations, and to avoid the pollutions there are in the world.