Commentaria in Judices
Chapter 19. Synopsis of the Chapter
The wife of a Levite having been slain by the inhabitants of the city Gabaa, who were of the tribe of Benjamin, with unspeakable lust, her husband the Levite, cutting the body of his wife into twelve parts and sending it to the twelve tribes, rouses them all to avenge so great a crime. This is the second appendix to the book of Judges, in which is recounted the history of the outrage and of the Benjamite war, which happened at the same time as the preceding history of Michas, a little after the death of Josue and of the Elders his contemporaries. For, as is said chap. xx, 28, it happened in the time of Phinees, who succeeded his father Eleazar in the Pontificate (for he consulted God, by the command of God and Moses, in place of Josue, Num. chap. xxvii, verse 21), about the same time at which Othoniel succeeded Josue. For Eleazar, the contemporary of Josue, seems to have died a little after him. Hence Josue, last chapter, last verse, his death is recounted immediately after the death of Josue. As therefore the idolatry of Michas and the Danites happened under Jonathan the grandson of Moses, as we heard chap. xviii, 30, so this history of the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin happened under Phinees the grandson of Aaron; but Aaron was the brother of Moses. So the Rabbis, Josephus, Abulensis, Lyranus, Serarius and Genebrard in the Chronology. Sulpicius and Arias therefore think less rightly that this history happened in the time of the Pontiff Heli; Suidas places it under Samson, and Masius under Aod the second Judge, and others under Othoniel, who was the first Judge.
1. There was a certain Levite who dwelt on the side of mount Ephraim, who took a wife of Bethlehem Juda; 2. who left him, and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem, and abode with him four months. 3. And her husband followed her, desiring to be reconciled to her, and to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back with him, having in his company a servant and two asses, and she received him, and brought him into her father’s house. And when his father-in-law had heard of it, and had seen him, he met him with joy, 4. and embraced the man. And the son-in-law abode in the house of his father-in-law three days, eating and drinking with him familiarly. 5. But on the fourth day he arose in the night, and would depart; whom his father-in-law stayed, and said to him: Taste first a little bread, and strengthen thy stomach, and so thou shalt depart. 6. And they sat down together, and ate and drank. And the father of the damsel said to his son-in-law: I beseech thee to stay here today, and let us make merry together. 7. But he rising up, began to be minded to depart. And nevertheless his father-in-law earnestly held him, and made him stay with him. 8. And when the morning was come, the Levite prepared for his journey. To whom his father-in-law again said: I pray thee, take a little meat, and, taking strength, till the day increase, afterwards thou mayst depart. They ate therefore together. 9. And the young man arose to go with his wife and servant. To whom his father-in-law spoke again: Consider that the day is far spent towards the setting, and draweth towards evening; stay with me today also, and spend the day in mirth, and tomorrow thou shalt depart, that thou mayst go into thy house. 10. The son-in-law would not consent to his words; but forthwith went forward, and came over against Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two asses laden, and his concubine. 11. And now they were near Jebus, and the day was changing into night, and the servant said to his master: Come, I beseech thee, let us turn aside to the city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 12. His master answered him: I will not go into the city of a strange nation, which is not of the children of Israel, but I will pass over to Gabaa, 13. and when I shall come thither, we will lodge in it, or certainly in the city of Rama. 14. They passed by Jebus, and went on their journey begun, and the sun went down upon them near Gabaa, which is in the tribe of Benjamin; 15. and they turned aside to it, to lodge there. And when they were come in, they sat in the street of the city, and no man would receive them to lodge. 16. And behold an old man appeared, returning out of the field and from his work in the evening, who also himself was of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a stranger in Gabaa. But the men of that country were the children of Jemini. 17. And lifting up his eyes, the old man saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city, and said to him: Whence comest thou, and whither goest thou? 18. Who answered him: We set out from Bethlehem Juda, and are going to our place, which is on the side of mount Ephraim, from which we had gone to Bethlehem; and now we are going to the house of God, and no man will receive us under his roof, 19. having straw and hay for the provender of the asses, and bread and wine for my own use and for thy handmaid, and the servant that is with me; we want nothing but lodging. 20. The old man answered him: Peace be with thee, I will furnish all things that are necessary; only, I beseech thee, stay not in the street. 21. And he brought him into his house, and gave provender to the asses; and after they had washed their feet, he received them to a feast. 22. While they were feasting, and refreshing their bodies with meat and drink after the labour of the journey, the men of that city, sons of Belial (that is, without yoke), came, and surrounding the old man’s house, began to knock at the doors, crying to the master of the house, and saying: Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may abuse him. 23. And the old man went out to them, and said: Do not so, my brethren, do not so wickedly, because the man is come into my lodging, and cease from this folly. 24. I have a daughter a maid, and this man hath a concubine, I will bring them out to you, that you may humble them, and satisfy your lust; only, I beseech you, commit not this crime against nature upon the man. 25. They would not listen to his words. Which the man seeing, brought out his concubine to them, and delivered her to be abused; and when they had abused her all the night, they let her go in the morning. 26. And the woman, at the departure of the darkness, came to the door of the house where her lord lodged, and there fell down. 27. In the morning the man arose, and opened the door, to finish the journey he had begun, and behold his concubine lay before the door with her hands spread on the threshold. 28. And he, thinking she was resting, spoke to her: Rise up, and let us be going. But she making no answer, perceiving that she was dead, he took her up, and laid her upon his ass, and returned to his house. 29. And when he was come into it, he took a sword, and cutting the dead body of his wife with her bones into twelve parts and pieces, sent them into all the borders of Israel. 30. And when every one had seen it, they all cried out: Never was such a thing done in Israel, from the day that our fathers came up out of Egypt, until this present time; give sentence, and decree in common what ought to be done.
9. WHO LEFT HIM.—Our Interpreter has tiznach, that is, left, withdrew herself; some now read tizna, with a yod, that is, committed fornication. Whence the Rabbis think that she was put away by the Levite on account of adultery. But neither the Septuagint, nor the Chaldee, nor Josephus mention this crime. The Septuagint render, she was angry with him; the Chaldee, she despised him. Josephus says she departed from her husband on account of his jealousy. It is likely that there were different manners between them, and thence quarrels, strifes and wranglings, such as are frequent between spouses, and therefore the wife withdrew from her husband to her parents. This is gathered from verse 3: “And her husband followed her,