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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Judges 19:22 - 19:30
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The Shameful Act of the Men of Gibeah
v. 22. Now, as they were making their hearts merry, as they became better acquainted during the evening meal, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, worthless, profitless, vicious fools, among whom, apparently, were also the leaders of the city, beset the house round about, to prevent escape, and beat at the door, becoming more insistent right along, 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. They wanted to commit the same revolting crime of Sodomy or pederasty upon the Levite which had brought destruction upon Sodom, Gen_19:6-8.
v. 23. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, as Lot had done in the same situation, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, being protected by the ancient rules of hospitality, do not this folly.
v. 24. Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, in making them objects of their lust, and do with them what seemeth good unto you; but unto this man do not so vile a thing, in committing an act of infamous immorality.
v. 25. But the men would not hearken to him, for even ordinary fornication did not satisfy their depraved desires; so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them, hoping thereby to save himself, to prevent one sin by committing another; and they, turning their wantonness upon the woman, since no other victim seemed available, knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning, in an orgy of devilish lust; and when the day began to spring, at the first dawn of morning, they let her go.
v. 26. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, just as it was getting light, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord, her husband, was, till it was light, deprived of her life by the beastly treatment accorded her by the mob.
v. 27. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way, considering the idea of ever recovering his concubine as being utterly hopeless in this den of iniquity; and, behold, the woman, his concubine, was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold, her arms stretched out, as though seeking help.
v. 28. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. His wife was dead. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up and gat him unto his place.
v. 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, divided after the manner of slaughtered animals, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel, messengers going forth to explain the meaning of their gruesome burden, according to an ancient custom of inviting men to join in wreaking vengeance upon the perpetrators of such a beastly act.
v. 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; they were to think over the case, to take counsel one with another, and get ready to act in the matter, for it was out of the question that such a horrible deed should go unpunished. That is the result when men forget and forsake the living God—every form of uncleanness and immorality, the most unnatural horrors: Let the heart of every man be firm in the fear of the Lord, lest he take part in deeds of darkness and become a slave of the Prince of Darkness.