Keraia
Judges 19

Judges 19:18

The Crime of the Benjamites · Judges 19:1–30
Read Judges 19

Translations

Modern
The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home,
Traditional
And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth–lehem–judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth–lehem–judah, but I am now going to the house of the Lord; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.
Literal
And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the far reaches of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to the house of YHWH, and there is no man who will take me into his house.
Latin
Qui respondit ei: Profecti sumus de Bethlehem Juda, et pergimus ad locum nostrum, qui est in latere montis Ephraim, unde ieramus in Bethlehem: et nunc vadimus ad domum Dei, nullusque sub tectum suum nos vult recipere,

Original

Hebrew
English
The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home,

Notes

Judges 19:18

now I am going to the house of the LORD: The Levite did not mention his status or explain why he was traveling.

Judges 19:1–21:25

  • This second epilogue (see study note on Judges 17:1–21:25) shifts the focus from individuals to entire tribes. It begins with the outrage in the Benjamite town of Gibeah (Judges 19), which led to a civil war (Judges 20) and the near destruction of Benjamin. It then moves to the attempt to save the tribe from disappearing (Judges 21). The book ends with the familiar refrain: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. This was what they did in the days of Gibea, perhaps the lowest point in Israel's history that Hosea, 400 years later, would compare to the depths Ephraim had reached (Hosea 9:9; 10:9).

  • The path was cleared for a shift from charismatic leadership to "covenant-charismatic kingship." This kingship combined living under the Lord’s covenant with the anointing of the spirit for ruling, as seen with Saul and David.

Judges 17:1–21:25

These two epilogues (Judges 17–18 and 19–21) show that inspired but unstructured leadership cannot last. As society moved toward chaos and civil war, the phrase, In those days there was no king in Israel appears four times. The phrase, everyone did what was right in his own eyes is added twice (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The era of inspired leadership declined and ended in disorder. Something important was missing.

Theme notes and profiles

Human Sexuality Social Chaos in Judges

Parallels

Genesis 19:1–11

People

Ephraim: Second son of Joseph, and a tribe of Israel Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Places

Bethlehem: City of David's birth and Jesus' birth

Glossary

Benjamin, Tribe of Concubinage, Concubines Ephraim, Mount Gibeah Hospitality Inn Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead (Place) Judges, Book of Priests and Levites

Topics

Beneficence: The Old Man of Gibeah Bethlehem: A City Southwest of Jerusalem Bethlehem: A City Southwest of Jerusalem: And Beth-Lehem-Judah Church: House of the Lord Gibeah: of Saul: The People's Wickedness Hospitality: Man of Gibeah to the Levite