Passage

Judges 19

Book: Judges · NASB95

The Levite and his concubine in Gibeah. One of the darkest chapters in the Hebrew Bible: a Levite's concubine is offered to a mob in place of her host's guest, gang-raped through the night, found dead at the threshold, and then dismembered into twelve pieces and shipped through the tribes of Israel as a summons to civil war. The chapter is unflinching. It is also, on a careful reading, condemnatory on every count. Judges' refrain that "there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:25) frames the narrative as moral collapse, not divine sanction.

Key verses

"In those days there was no king in Israel..." (Judges 19:1, NASB95)

"...the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, 'Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him.'" (Judges 19:22, NASB95)

"When he entered his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel." (Judges 19:29, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. 2. And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months. 3. And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly unto her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 4. And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 5. And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way. 6. So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together: and the damsel's father said unto the man, Be pleased, I pray thee, to tarry all night, and let thy heart be merry. 7. And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. 8. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Strengthen thy heart, I pray thee, and tarry ye until the day declineth; and they did eat, both of them. 9. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thy heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 10. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him. 11. When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 12. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah. 13. And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 14. So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 15. And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the street of the city; for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge. 16. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18. And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am now going to the house of Jehovah; and there is no man that taketh me into his house. 19. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man that is with thy servants: there is no want of anything. 20. And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 22. As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him. 23. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this folly. 24. Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not any such folly. 25. But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 27. And 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 was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold. 28. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel. 30. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider it, take counsel, and speak." (Judges 19:1-30, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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.” 6. 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.” 7. The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he stayed there again. 8. 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. 9. 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.” 10. But the man wouldn’t stay that night, but he rose up and departed, and toward Jebus (also called Jerusalem). With him were a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine also was with him. 11. When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Please come and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and stay in it.” 12. His master said to him, “We won’t turn aside into the city of a foreigner that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.” 13. He said to his servant, “Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.” 14. So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15. They turned aside 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. 16. 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. 17. 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?” 18. 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 Yahweh’s house; and there is no one who has taken me into his house. 19. 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.” 20. The old man said, “Peace be to you; how ever let me supply all your needs. Just don’t sleep in the street.” 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder. Then they washed their feet, and ate and drank. 22. As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain base 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!” 23. 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. 24. 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.” 25. But the men wouldn’t listen to him: so the man laid hold of 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. 26. 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. 27. 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. 28. He said to her, “Get up, and let us be going!” but no one answered. Then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place. 29. 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. 30. 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.”" (Judges 19:1-30, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. 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. ^{a concubine: Heb. a woman a concubine, or, a wife a concubine} 2. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. ^{four whole months: or, a year and four month: Heb. days, four months} 3. And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. ^{friendly: Heb. to her heart} 4. And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 5. And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. ^{Comfort: Heb. Strengthen} 6. And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 7. And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 8. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. ^{until afternoon: Heb. till the day declined} 9. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. ^{draweth: Heb. is weak} ^{the day groweth to an end: Heb. it is the pitching time of the day} ^{home: Heb. to thy tent} 10. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. ^{over against: Heb. to over against} 11. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 12. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 13. And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 14. And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 15. And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 16. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18. And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. ^{receiveth: Heb. gathereth} 19. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 20. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 22. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 23. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 24. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. ^{so vile: Heb. the matter of this folly} 25. But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 27. And 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 was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 30. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds." (Judges 19:1-30, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. And it cometh to pass, in those days, when there is no king in Israel, that there is a man a Levite, a sojourner in the sides of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he taketh to him a wife, a concubine, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah; 2. and commit whoredom against him doth his concubine, and she goeth from him unto the house of her father, unto Beth-Lehem-Judah, and is there days, four months. 3. And her husband riseth and goeth after her, to speak unto her heart, to bring her back, and his young man [is] with him, and a couple of asses; and she bringeth him into the house of her father, and the father of the young woman seeth him, and rejoiceth to meet him. 4. And keep hold on him doth his father-in-law, father of the young woman, and he abideth with him three days, and they eat and drink, and lodge there. 5. And it cometh to pass, on the fourth day, that they rise early in the morning, and he riseth to go, and the father of the young woman saith unto his son-in-law, 'Support thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye go on.' 6. And they sit and eat both of them together, and drink, and the father of the young woman saith unto the man, 'Be willing, I pray thee, and lodge all night, and let thy heart be glad.' 7. And the man riseth to go, and his father-in-law presseth on him, and he turneth back and lodgeth there. 8. And he riseth early in the morning, on the fifth day, to go, and the father of the young woman saith, 'Support, I pray thee, thy heart;' and they have tarried till the turning of the day, and they eat, both of them. 9. And the man riseth to go, he and his concubine, and his young man, and his father-in-law, father of the young woman, saith to him, 'Lo, I pray thee, the day hath fallen toward evening, lodge all night, I pray thee; lo, the declining of the day! lodge here, and let thine heart be glad, and ye have risen early to-morrow for your journey, and thou hast gone to thy tent.' 10. And the man hath not been willing to lodge all night, and he riseth, and goeth, and cometh in till over-against Jebus (It [is] Jerusalem), and with him [are] a couple of asses saddled; and his concubine [is] with him. 11. They [are] near Jebus, and the day hath gone greatly down, and the young man saith unto his lord, 'Come, I pray thee, and we turn aside unto this city of the Jebusite, and lodge in it.' 12. And his lord saith unto him, 'Let us not turn aside unto the city of a stranger, that is not of the sons of Israel, thither, but we have passed over unto Gibeah.' 13. And he saith to his young man, 'Come, and we draw near to one of the places, and have lodged in Gibeah, or in Ramah.' 14. And they pass over, and go on, and the sun goeth in upon them near Gibeah, which is to Benjamin; 15. and they turn aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah, and he goeth in and sitteth in a broad place of the city, and there is no man gathering them into the house to lodge. 16. And lo, a man, an aged one, hath come from his work from the field in the evening, and the man [is] of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he [is] a sojourner in Gibeah, and the men of the place [are] Benjamites. 17. And he lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the man, the traveller, in a broad place of the city, and the aged man saith, 'Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?' 18. And he saith unto him, 'We are passing over from Beth-Lehem-Judah unto the sides of the hill-country of Ephraim, thence I [am], and I go unto Beth-Lehem-Judah; and to the house of Jehovah I am going, and there is no man gathering me into the house, 19. and both straw and provender are for our asses, and also bread and wine there are for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man with thy servants; there is no lack of anything.' 20. And the old man saith, 'Peace to thee; only, all thy lack [is] on me, only in the broad place lodge not.' 21. And he bringeth him in to his house, and mixeth [food] for the asses, and they wash their feet, and eat and drink. 22. They are making their heart glad, and lo, men of the city, men, sons of worthlessness, have gone round about the house, beating on the door, and they speak unto the old man, the master of the house, saying, 'Bring out the man who hath come unto thine house, and we know him.' 23. And the man, the master of the house, goeth out unto them, and saith unto them, 'Nay, my brethren, do not evil, I pray you, after that this man hath come in unto my house, do not this folly; 24. lo, my daughter, the virgin, and his concubine, let me bring them out, I pray you, and humble ye them, and do to them that which is good in your eyes, and to this man do not this foolish thing.' 25. And the men have not been willing to hearken to him, and the man taketh hold on his concubine, and bringeth [her] out unto them without, and they know her, and roll themselves upon her all the night, till the morning, and send her away in the ascending of the dawn; 26. and the woman cometh in at the turning of the morning, and falleth at the opening of the man's house, where her lord [is], till the light. 27. And her lord riseth in the morning, and openeth the doors of the house, and goeth out to go on his way, and lo, the woman, his concubine, is fallen at the opening of the house, and her hands [are] on the threshold, 28. and he saith unto her, 'Rise, and we go;' and there is none answering, and he taketh her on the ass, and the man riseth and goeth to his place, 29. and cometh in unto his house, and taketh the knife, and layeth hold on his concubine, and cutteth her in pieces to her bones, into twelve pieces, and sendeth her into all the border of Israel. 30. And it hath come to pass, every one who seeth hath said, 'There hath not been, yea, there hath not been seen like this, from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt till this day; set your [heart] upon it, take counsel, and speak.'" (Judges 19:1-30, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: anonymous narrator
Audience: post-monarchy Israelite readership reflecting on the pre-monarchic chaos
Location: Ephraim, Bethlehem-Judah, Gibeah of Benjamin
Time period: pre-monarchy, late period of the Judges; composed sometime after the rise of the monarchy (the refrain "in those days there was no king in Israel" presumes a kingless past)

Theological reading

Judges 19 is the canonical inverse of Genesis 18 to 19. In Genesis the strangers come to Sodom, hospitality fails, the city demands the guests, the host (Lot) offers his daughters, and divine fire follows. In Judges 19 the strangers come to Gibeah inside Israel, hospitality fails, the city demands the guest, the host offers his daughter and the concubine, and the result is civil war that nearly extinguishes the tribe of Benjamin. The narrator does not need to add moral commentary: he says only that Israel had become Sodom. Judges 17:6 and 21:25 (the book's framing refrains) classify everything in chapters 17 through 21 under "every man did what was right in his own eyes." That refrain is condemnation, not endorsement.

The Levite is not portrayed as a hero. He is a Levite (a religious functionary) who keeps a concubine, drinks for five days in his father-in-law's house, throws his concubine to the mob to save himself, finds her dead and gives no lament, dismembers the body with the same matter-of-fact tone with which he had eaten the night before, and then in chapter 20 reframes the story to omit his own role. The text is a sustained indictment of every male character in it: Levite, host, mob, tribe. Old Testament law explicitly condemns the acts narrated here, against rape (Deuteronomy 22:25 to 27), against assault on a guest (the entire ANE hospitality code), and against treating a wife as property (Exodus 21:10). The narrative shows what Israel looks like when its own law is ignored.

The apologetic significance is decisive. Skeptical readings often treat Judges 19 as proof the Bible endorses misogyny and rape. The opposite is the case: the chapter is the Bible's most graphic depiction of what happens in the absence of covenant law and kingship, embedded in a book whose entire structure is a downward spiral. See Negative-Example Narratives in Judges for the descriptive-versus-prescriptive distinction, Old Testament Difficult Texts for the wider category, and Imago Dei for the underlying anthropology that makes the chapter's horror legible.

Key words

H3820 - lev, lev (heart, 19:6, 9, 22), the Hebrew word for the seat of will and intent; the host's repeated invitation to "make your heart merry" frames the irony of the chapter
H6918 - qadosh, qadosh (holy), by contrast; Israel's vocation to holiness (Leviticus 19) is exactly what Gibeah has abandoned

Theological themes

Negative-example narrative. Judges is structured as a downward moral spiral; chapter 19 is its nadir. Descriptive, not prescriptive
Sodom-Gibeah parallel. The narrator deliberately replays Genesis 19 inside Israel to show that the people of God have become indistinguishable from the city judged by fire
Failure of covenant kingship. "There was no king in Israel" is the book's structural diagnosis; the chapter is part of the Old Testament's argument for righteous rule, anticipating both the Davidic monarchy and ultimately the messianic king
The dignity of women, by reverse witness. The narrator names no woman in the chapter; this anonymity is itself condemnation. The reader feels the absence the characters do not

Cross-references

Genesis 19 (when the stub exists), the Sodom narrative the chapter deliberately mirrors
Deuteronomy 22 cluster (rape laws), against which the chapter's events are explicitly criminal
Judges 20 to 21, the civil-war fallout
1 Samuel 11:7, Saul's later parallel act of dismembering oxen to summon Israel; Saul is from Gibeah, the connection is pointed

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.