_A LEVITE PASSES THE NIGHT IN GIBEAH OF BENJAMIN: THE MEN OF GIBEAH ABUSE HIS CONCUBINE TO DEATH: THE LEVITE DIVIDES HER BODY INTO TWELVE PARTS, WHICH HE SENDS TO THE TWELVE TRIBES._ _Before Christ 1426._ _JUDGES 19:1. TOOK TO HIM A CONCUBINE_— Women of this sort differed little from the wife, ex... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS CONCUBINE PLAYED THE WHORE AGAINST HIM— The Chaldee renders this, _she despised him,_ &c. the LXX, _she separated herself from him,_ with which Josephus agrees. It is probable, that this is the true reading; for one can hardly imagine, that otherwise her husband would have made such haste to... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HER HUSBAND AROSE, AND WENT AFTER HER, TO SPEAK FRIENDLY UNTO HER— In the original, _to speak her heart,_ to refer to their former endearments, and to ask how she could be so unkind to him, and so very unkind to herself. Even the upbraidings of the quiet and relenting are sweet: not like the str... [ Continue Reading ]
YET THERE IS BOTH STRAW AND PROVENDER FOR OUR ASSES— The laws of hospitality were extremely sacred in ancient times; but the men of Gibeah, as they were grossly abandoned in vice, so were they wholly defective in this virtue, suffering this stranger, and traveller, to remain in the streets, without... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, THE MEN OF THE CITY, &C.— As many circumstances of this horrid affair are very similar to those in Genesis 19., we refer to the comment on that place.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE MEN WOULD NOT HEARKEN TO HIM— It is plain, from Joshua 19:5 of the next chapter, that all the particulars of this matter are not related. The Levite, resolutely bent to defend his own chastity, probably found no other way to save that and his life, than by giving up his concubine, and theref... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WOMAN—FELL DOWN AT THE DOOR OF THE MAN'S HOUSE— She fell down dead through shame, grief, and the scandalous abuse which she had received from these monsters. For the emphasis of the word _Lord, s_ee 1 Peter 3:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SENT HER INTO ALL THE COASTS OF ISRAEL— No doubt, he enjoined the bearers of this sacrifice to relate all the circumstances of it; upon which a general indignation animated the tribes. They agreed that _no such deed_ had been _done or seen_ among them since they were a people; for it was a mixtu... [ Continue Reading ]