What does Judges 19:16 mean?
A traveling Levite (Judges 19:13–15) has been forced to hunker down in the city square of Gibeah. With him are his concubine and servant (Judges 19:10). Nobody in the town offered the customary hospitality expected in that culture, even though these travelers are also Israelites.Finally, an old man working in the fields comes through the gate of the city. He is from Ephraim and only temporarily living in Gibeah. Unlike other men of the town, he is not of the tribe of Benjamin. Perhaps the old man had moved to Gibeah for seasonal employment. He will see the travelers and offer them kindness.
As it happens, the man's kindness is more than a formality. He will insist the group not sleep out in the square (Judges 19:20). The old man likely knows Gibeah is more than inhospitable; it's evil (Judges 19:22).