Judges 19:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home.

NIV: He said to her, 'Get up; let's go.' But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

NASB: And he said to her, 'Get up and let’s go,' but there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out and went to his home.

CSB: "Get up," he told her. "Let's go." But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

NLT: He said, 'Get up! Let’s go!' But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.

KJV: And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

NKJV: And he said to her, “Get up and let us be going.” But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place.

Context from the surrounding verses indicates the woman lying on the doorstep of a home in Gibeah is already dead. During the night, her husband-master had sacrificed her—his concubine (Judges 19:10)—to a ravenous crowd of men to save himself from being raped. The men violated and beat her all night before releasing her. She made it as far as the door of the home her master was staying in before collapsing (Judges 19:22–27). The prior verse hints that he was surprised to find her there.

Now the Levite callously tells her to "get up." She doesn't answer, and he would have quickly realized that she's been murdered by the men in town. He picks up her corpse and takes it home. What he does next is gruesome and profane, but it serves its purpose. The people of Israel will hear about her fate and be inspired to retaliate against Gibeah (Judges 19:29–30).

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).

Accessed 5/18/2024 8:05:52 PM