6 And they sat down, H3427 and did eat H398 and drink H8354 both H8147 of them together: H3162 for the damsel's H5291 father H1 had said H559 unto the man, H376 Be content, H2974 I pray thee, and tarry all night, H3885 and let thine heart H3820 be merry. H3190
And it came to pass, when their hearts H3820 were merry, H2896 that they said, H559 Call H7121 for Samson, H8123 that he may make us sport. H7832 And they called H7121 for Samson H8123 out of the prison H631 house; H1004 and he made them H6440 sport: H6711 and they set H5975 him between the pillars. H5982
And when the man H376 rose up H6965 to depart, H3212 he, and his concubine, H6370 and his servant, H5288 his father in law, H2859 the damsel's H5291 father, H1 said H559 unto him, Behold, now the day H3117 draweth H7503 toward evening, H6150 I pray you tarry all night: H3885 behold, the day H3117 groweth to an end, H2583 lodge H3885 here, that thine heart H3824 may be merry; H3190 and to morrow H4279 get you early H7925 on your way, H1870 that thou mayest go H1980 home. H168
On the seventh H7637 day, H3117 when the heart H3820 of the king H4428 was merry H2896 with wine, H3196 he commanded H559 Mehuman, H4104 Biztha, H968 Harbona, H2726 Bigtha, H903 and Abagtha, H5 Zethar, H2242 and Carcas, H3752 the seven H7651 chamberlains H5631 that served H8334 in the presence H6440 of Ahasuerus H325 the king, H4428
And they went out H3318 into the fields, H7704 and gathered H1219 their vineyards, H3754 and trode H1869 the grapes, and made H6213 merry, H1974 and went H935 into the house H1004 of their god, H430 and did eat H398 and drink, H8354 and cursed H7043 Abimelech. H40
So he brought H935 him into his house, H1004 and gave provender H1101 unto the asses: H2543 and they washed H7364 their feet, H7272 and did eat H398 and drink. H8354 Now as they were making their hearts H3820 merry, H3190 behold, the men H582 of the city, H5892 certain H582 sons H1121 of Belial, H1100 beset H5437 the house H1004 round about, H5437 and beat H1849 at the door, H1817 and spake H559 to the master H1167 of the house, H1004 the old H2205 man, H376 saying, H559 Bring forth H3318 the man H376 that came H935 into thine house, H1004 that we may know H3045 him.
And Abigail H26 came H935 to Nabal; H5037 and, behold, he held a feast H4960 in his house, H1004 like the feast H4960 of a king; H4428 and Nabal's H5037 heart H3820 was merry H2896 within him, for he was very H3966 drunken: H7910 wherefore she told H5046 him nothing, H1697 less H6996 or more, H1419 until the morning H1242 light. H216
For G1063 when G3752 they shall say, G3004 Peace G1515 and G2532 safety; G803 then G5119 sudden G160 destruction G3639 cometh upon G2186 them, G846 as G5618 travail G5604 upon G1722 a woman with child; G1064 G2192 and G2532 they shall G1628 not G3364 escape. G1628
And G2532 they that dwell G2730 upon G1909 the earth G1093 shall rejoice G5463 over G1909 them, G846 and G2532 make merry, G2165 and G2532 shall send G3992 gifts G1435 one to another; G240 because G3754 these G3778 two G1417 prophets G4396 tormented G928 them that dwelt G2730 on G1909 the earth. G1093
And G2532 the same G1722 G1565 hour G5610 was there G1096 a great G3173 earthquake, G4578 and G2532 the tenth part G1182 of the city G4172 fell, G4098 and G2532 in G1722 the earthquake G4578 were slain G615 G3686 of men G444 seven G2033 thousand: G5505 and G2532 the remnant G3062 were G1096 affrighted, G1719 and G2532 gave G1325 glory G1391 to the God G2316 of heaven. G3772
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Judges 19
Commentary on Judges 19 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 19
The three remaining chapters of this book contain a most tragical story of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, patronised by the tribe of Benjamin, for which that tribe was severely chastised and almost entirely cut off by the rest of the tribes. This seems to have been done not long after the death of Joshua, for it was when there was no king, no judge, in Israel (v. 1, and 21:25), and Phinehas was then high priest, 20:28. These particular iniquities, the Danites' idolatry, and the Benjamites' immorality, let in that general apostasy, 3:7. The abuse of the Levite's concubine is here very particularly related.
Jdg 19:1-15
The domestic affairs of this Levite would not have been related thus largely but to make way for the following story of the injuries done him, in which the whole nation interested themselves. Bishop Hall's first remark upon this story is, That there is no complain of a public ordered state but there is a Levite at one end of it, either as an agent or as a patient. In Micah's idolatry a Levite was active; in the wickedness of Gibeah a Levite was passive; no tribe shall sooner feel the want of government than that of Levi; and, in all the book of Judges, no mention is made of any of that tribe, but of these two. This Levite was of Mount Ephraim, v. 1. He married a wife of Bethlehem-Judah. She is called his concubine, because she was not endowed, for perhaps he had nothing to endow her with, being himself a sojourner and not settled; but it does not appear that he had any other wife, and the margin calls her a wife, a concubine, v. 1. She came from the same city that Micah's Levite came from, as if Bethlehem-Judah owed a double ill turn to Mount Ephraim, for she was as bad for a Levite's wife as the other for a Levite.
Jdg 19:16-21
Though there was not one of Gibeah, yet it proved there was one in Gibeah, that showed some civility to this distressed Levite, who was glad that any one took notice of him. It was strange that some of those wicked people, who, when it was dark, designed so ill to him and his concubine, did not, under pretence of kindness, invite them in, that they might have a fairer opportunity of perpetrating their villany; but either they had not wit enough to be so designing, or not wickedness enough to be so deceiving. Or, perhaps, none of them separately thought of such a wickedness, till in the black and dark night they got together to contrive what mischief they should do. Bad people in confederacy make one another much worse than any of them would be by themselves. When the Levite, and his wife, and servant, were beginning to fear that they must lie in the street all night (and as good have laid in a den of lions) they were at length invited into a house, and we are here told,
Jdg 19:22-30
Here is,