Judges 19:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all who saw it said, "Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak."

NIV: Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!"

NASB: All who saw it said, 'Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, make a plan, and speak up!'

CSB: Everyone who saw it said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!"

NLT: Everyone who saw it said, 'Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And so it was that all who saw it said, “No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!”

When trapped by a mob, a traveling Levite coldly forced his concubine outside, where she was brutally raped to death (Judges 19:25–28). His response to her death is outrageous (Judges 19:29), but it achieves his desired effect. He has dismembered the corpse of the murdered woman, cutting it into twelve pieces. He has sent those pieces, likely by messenger, throughout Israel. Perhaps a piece was sent to each of the twelve tribes. His symbolic action seemed a call to all of Israel to hold the men of Gibeah responsible for the blood of this woman. Perhaps, as a Levite meant to represent the Lord (Numbers 3:5–10), he meant to rouse his people to stand against all the outrageous, evil practices of their fellow Israelites (Deuteronomy 12:29–32).

Throughout Israel, everyone who saw a part of the woman's body was indeed shocked. The writer of Judges records something to the effect of "we haven't seen this kind of evil since we left Egypt." That context is important, since what happened to the concubine closely parallels Lot's experience in Sodom just before God destroyed it (Genesis 19:2–7). The corrupted depravity of the men of Gibeah is like that of Sodom in the days of Abraham. The people resolve that something must be done.

While it's good that the people are seeking justice in response to a crime, it's important to note what's not said. The name of Yahweh—the Lord God of Israel—has not been mentioned in any of this. The people will eventually begin to consult Him in the following chapter. The Levite, though responsible for sparking this reaction, is not shown to be especially wise or compassionate. Nor is he said to speak on behalf of God.

Judges 19:22–30 finds a Levite traveler and his concubine spending the night in the home of an old man in the Israelite town of Gibeah. Suddenly, the house is surrounded by a mob of men demanding the Levite be handed over so they can rape him. In desperation, the Levite sends out his concubine to save himself. The mob violates and beats her until morning, after which she is found dead. The Levite carries her body home and sends a graphic message to all of Israel: cutting her into twelve pieces and sending them throughout the tribes. This sparks outrage against Gibeah leading to a civil war (Judges 20:8–10), and infamy (Hosea 9:9)

A Levite man travels to reconcile with his runaway concubine. On their way back home, they spend the night in the city of Gibeah, in the home of an old man. The wicked men of the town form a mob, demanding the Levite be handed over to be raped. Instead, the Levite forces his concubine outside; the mob rapes and beats her until sunrise. The Levite finds her body, carries it home, and cuts it into twelve pieces. He sends these pieces throughout Israel. This shocks the entire nation into demanding some action be taken against Gibeah.

This chapter's stomach-turning depravity provides another example of the great wickedness in Israel, in an era when everyone did whatever they wanted to without regard for law or God (Judges 21:25). A mob of rapists murders a Levite man's concubine. He sends pieces of her body throughout the nation. This shocks the people into demanding justice. In the following chapters, the tribe of Benjamin refuses to hand over their guilty members. Israel is plunged into civil war.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).