What does Judges 19:24 mean?

Full context for this verse means piling outrage upon outrage. None of this should be happening among the people of God (Deuteronomy 12:29–32). Upon hearing there is a traveler in town, a throng of men in Gibeah storm the home where he is staying. They demand the stranger be sent out to be raped (Judges 19:18–22). The host has denounced their attempt as horribly evil (Judges 19:23), and now suggests something just as cruel.

Even small details of this situation add to its horrific moral failure. The event closely mirrors what happened in Sodom just before God annihilated the city for their evil (Genesis 19:2–7). The target is a stranger, whom ancient tradition demanded be protected. Further, the man is a Levite (Numbers 3:5–10), so the mob is targeting one of God's representatives to the people of Israel. The proposed solution is to trade innocence for innocence (Proverbs 6:16–19).

Commentators are split on how to judge this older worker (Judges 19:16–17). On one hand, he likely fears for his life, as well as the lives of everyone in the home. He might see this as the only way to avoid everyone in the house from being killed or attacked. On the other hand, he also seems to think it less depraved for the crowd of men to rape a virgin girl and a concubine, instead of a man. That said, disagreement over the man's actions are all shades of the same basic conclusion: every part of this story is repulsive. That is the very point of this story's inclusion in the book of Judges.

The men in this story demonstrate that their commitment to cultural hospitality and self-preservation is greater than their godly calling as fathers and protectors. Incredibly, the men outside the home are even worse; their actions will so shock Israel that it leads to a civil war (Judges 20:8–10).