---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Judges 19:1. There was no king in Israel — All sorts of disorders are attributed to the want of civil government; justice, right, truth, and humanit"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/judges/19"
---

Verse [Judges 19:1](../../../kjv/judges/19/1). **There was*****no king in Israel*** — All sorts of *disorders* are attributed to the want of *civil government*; justice, right, truth, and humanity, had fallen in the streets.
***Took to him a concubine*** — We have already seen that the *concubine* was a sort of *secondary wife*; and that such connections were not disreputable, being according to the general custom of those times. The word פילגש *pilegesh, concubine*, is supposed by Mr. Parkhurst to be compounded of פלג *palag*, "to divide, or share;" and נגש *nagash*, "to approach;" because the husband *shared* or *divided* his attention and affections between her and the real wife; from whom she differed in nothing material, except in her posterity not *inheriting*.

Verse [Judges 19:2](../../../kjv/judges/19/2). ***Played the whore*** — Neither the *Vulgate, Septuagint,* *Targum*, nor *Josephus*, understand this word as implying any act of conjugal infidelity on the woman's part. They merely state that the *parties disagreed*, and the woman returned to her father's house. Indeed all the circumstances of the case vindicate this view of the subject. If she had been a *whore*, or *adulteress*, it is not very likely that her husband would have gone after her to *speak friendly*, literally, *to speak to her heart*, and entreat her to return. The *Vulgate* simply states, *quae reliquit eum*, that she *left him*; the *Septuagint*, ωργισθη αυτω, that she *was angry* *with* him; the *Targum* ובסרת עלוהי ubserath alohi, that she *despised him; Josephus*, αλλοτοιως ειχε, that she *was alienated*, or *separated* herself, from him. *Houbigant* translates the clause: *quae cum ab eo alienata esset, vel irata in eum esset, eum* *reliquit*; "who when she was *alienated* from him, or *angry with him,* left him;" and he defends this version in his note. I think the true meaning to be among the above interpretations. They had *contentions*; she *ceased to love him*, her *affections were* *alienated* from him; and she *left his house*, and *went home* to *her father*.

Verse [Judges 19:3](../../../kjv/judges/19/3). ***He rejoiced to meet him.*** — He hoped to be able completely to reconcile his daughter and her husband.

Verse [Judges 19:8](../../../kjv/judges/19/8). ***And they tarried until afternoon*** — Merely that they might avoid the *heat of the day*, which would have been very inconvenient in travelling.

Verse [Judges 19:9](../../../kjv/judges/19/9). ***The day groweth to an end*** — חנות היום *chanoth haiyom*, "the day is about to pitch its tent;" that is, it was near the time in which travellers ordinarily pitched their tents, to take up their lodging for the night.

Verse [Judges 19:11](../../../kjv/judges/19/11). ***When they*****were*****by Jebus*** — This was *Jerusalem*, in which, though after the death of Joshua it appears to have been partly conquered by the tribe of Judah, yet the Jebusites kept the strong hold of Zion till the days of David, by whom they were finally expelled. [Judges 1:8](../../../kjv/judges/1/8).

Verse [Judges 19:15](../../../kjv/judges/19/15). ***No man - took them into his house to lodging.*** — There was probably no *inn* or house of *public entertainment* in this place, and therefore they could not have a lodging unless furnished by mere *hospitality*. To say that there were *no inns in those* *primitive times*, is not true; there were such places, though not very frequent. Joseph's brethren found their money in their sacks when they loosed them at an *inn*, [Genesis 42:27](../../../kjv/genesis/42/27). The house of Rahab was an *inn*, [Joshua 2:1](../../../kjv/joshua/2/1). And the woman whose house Samson frequented at Gaza was a *hostess*, or one who kept a place of *public* *entertainment*.

Verse [Judges 19:19](../../../kjv/judges/19/19). ***There is both straw and provender for our asses.*** — In the countries principally devoted to *pasturage*, there was no *hay*; but as they raised some corn, they took great care of their *straw*, chopped it very small, and having mixed it with *barley, beans*, or the pounded kernels of *dates*, made it into *balls*, and fed their cattle with it. *Straw*, cut into what is called *chaff*, is not unfrequently used in England for the same purpose.

Verse [Judges 19:20](../../../kjv/judges/19/20). ***All thy wants*****lie*****upon me*** — Here was genuine hospitality: "Keep your bread and wine for yourselves, and your straw and provender for your asses; you may need them before you finish your journey; I will supply all your wants for this night, therefore do not lodge in the street."

Verse [Judges 19:22](../../../kjv/judges/19/22). ***Sons of Belial*** — Profligate fellows. [Deuteronomy 13:13](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/13/13).
***That we may know him.*** — See [Genesis 19:5](../../../kjv/genesis/19/5). These were genuine sodomites as to their practice; sons of Belial, rascals and miscreants of the deepest dye; worse than brutes, being a compound of beast and devil inseparably blended.

Verse [Judges 19:24](../../../kjv/judges/19/24). **Here is*****my daughter, a maiden*** — Such a proposal was made by *Lot* to the men of Sodom, [Genesis 19:8](../../../kjv/genesis/19/8), but nothing can excuse either. That the rights of *hospitality* were sacred in the East, and most highly regarded we know; and that a man would defend, at the expense of his life, the stranger whom he had admitted under his roof, is true; but how a *father* could make such a proposal relative to his *virgin daughter*, must remain among those things which are incomprehensible.

Verse [Judges 19:25](../../../kjv/judges/19/25). ***So the man took his concubine*** — The word יחזק *yachazek*, which we here translate simply *took*, signifies rather to *take* or *seize by violence*. The woman would not go out to them; but her graceless husband *forced* her to go, in order that he might save his own body. He could have but little love for her, and this was the cause of their separation before.
The *men of Gibeah* who wished to abuse the body of the Levite; the *Levite* who wished to save his body at the expense of the modesty, reputation, and life of his wife; and the *old man* who wished to save his guest at the expense of the violation of his daughter; are all characters that humanity and modesty wish to be buried in everlasting oblivion.
***When the day began to spring*** — Their turpitude could not bear the full light of the day; and they dismissed the poor woman when the day began to break.

Verse [Judges 19:26](../../../kjv/judges/19/26). ***Fell down at the door*** — She had strength to reach the door, but not to knock for admittance: when she reached the door she fell down dead! The reason of this abominable and horrid catastrophe is strongly signified by the original words, [Judges 19:25](../../../kjv/judges/19/25): וידעו אותה ויתעללו בה כל הלילה vaiyedu othah, vaiyithallelu bah col hallailah, which we modestly translate, *and they knew her, and they abused her all the night*. More literally, but still not fully: *Illi cum ea rem habuerunt, et* *alternatim in eam tota nocte ascenderunt*. The *hithpahel* used here in the verb עלל greatly increases the sense: *Conjugatio* hithpahel *frequentiam actus et immanem libidinem designat*. The Arabic is not too strong; the following is its meaning: *Exercuerunt in ea* *cupiditates suas, et maechati, sunt in ea ad matutinum usque*.

Verse [Judges 19:29](../../../kjv/judges/19/29). ***Divided her - into twelve pieces*** — There is no doubt that with the *pieces* he sent to each tribe a circumstantial account of the barbarity of the men of Gibeah; and it is very likely that they considered each of the pieces as expressing an *execration*, "If ye will not come and avenge my wrongs, may ye be hewn in pieces like this abused and murdered woman!"
It was a custom among the ancient Highlanders in Scotland, when one clan wished to call all the rest to avenge its wrongs, to take a *wooden cross, dip it in blood*, and send it by a special messenger through all the clans. This was called the *fire cross*, because at sight of it each clan *lighted a fire* or *beacon*, which gave notice to all the adjoining clans that a general rising was immediately to take place.

Verse [Judges 19:30](../../../kjv/judges/19/30). ***There was no such deed done nor seen*** — They were all struck with the enormity of the crime; and considered it a sovereign disgrace to all the tribes of Israel.
***Consider of it*** — Literally, *Put it to yourselves; take counsel* *upon it; and speak*. This was the prelude to the council held, and the subsequent operations, which are mentioned in the following chapter.
I HAVE passed over the abominable transactions of this chapter as lightly as I could, and shall make no apology to the learned or unlearned reader for leaving some things untranslated.
What a blessing are wholesome laws, and a vigorous and attentive magistracy! These wretched people had no form of government, and every one did what was right in his own eyes: their own eye (corrupt inclination) was the measure and rule of their conduct; and how bad a rule, the abuse and murder of the Levite's wife testify. Reader, bless God for a civil government.

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