Judges 19:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing.

NIV: The owner of the house went outside and said to them, 'No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing.

NASB: Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, 'No, my brothers, please do not act so wickedly. Since this man has come into my house, do not commit this vile sin.

CSB: The owner of the house went out and said to them, "Please don't do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don't commit this horrible outrage.

NLT: The old man stepped outside to talk to them. 'No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage.

Judges ends by describing its era as one in which everyone in Israel did whatever they wanted to do, without regard for law or for God (Judges 21:25). In other words, the people stopped following God's commands about what was right and what was evil. They defined right and wrong as they went along, based on what seemed good to them in the moment. This was exactly what God warned would happen if they took on the depraved evils of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 12:29–32). The events of this story tragically parallel those of Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19:2–7).

An old man, not a native of Gibeah, brought a traveling Levite and his concubine into his home for the night (Judges 19:16–21). His intent was obviously to protect them. He was not from Gibeah, but he knew what the men of his town were like. Just as he feared, a mob from the town surrounded his home. They demand he send out the Levite to be raped (Judges 19:22).

The elderly worker appeals to the crowd's sense of morality and hospitality. He calls them "brothers," referring to what they propose as heinous evil. He appeals to their shared culture's deep commitment to caring for visitors. The man has taken responsibility for this traveler and is now obligated to protect him. It would be a vile thing to violate his role as host to this man. This swarm of evil men was described using a Hebrew phrase which literally means "sons of wickedness." The men of Gibeah have decided to define right and wrong according to their own preferences, rather than God's law or the "law" of hospitality.

For his part, the old man suggests a compromise which seems unbelievably cruel and horrifying to a modern reader (Judges 19:24). Fearing for his life, and the life of everyone in the home, he will try to barter with the mob.

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).