seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Judges 19:11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.”
12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord.[a] No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18 He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord.[a] No one has taken me in for the night. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
20 “You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
a. Judges 19:18 Hebrew, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum; Septuagint going home
I got the commentary from easy English this morning.
They left Bethlehem and they came to Jebus (Jerusalem). They did not stay there, because it still belonged to the *ebusites. The servant wanted to stay there. But his master said ‘No’. He said that because it would not be very safe to stay among foreigners. It would be safer to stay among Israelites. So they continued their journey as far as Gibeah. This was in the area where Benjamin’s tribe lived. (Later it became the political capital of King Saul’s kingdom.) Jebus was 6 miles from Bethlehem. And then Gibeah was another 4 miles north from Jebus. They sat in the square. And they waited there for someone to invite them to his house. The fact that nobody invited them was unusual. It meant that something bad would probably happen. The man had thought that he could trust the people in Gibeah. They were Israelites. That is why he thought that. So, if they did something bad, it would really be very bad.
At last, an old man invited them into his house. He came from the same place as the man from Levi’s tribe did. But he was living in Gibeah town at this time. The man from Levi’s tribe told him what he intended to do. He intended to go to the house of the Lord. Maybe he wanted to offer thanks that his relationship with his wife was better. Perhaps people would help him if he was travelling for a religious reason. (However, another text of the story has the words ‘I am going to my house.’) He also said that he had got plenty of food with him. But the old man offered to him all that the group needed. The old man refused to accept what the other man already had. So, the old man seemed to be kind and generous. This increases even more the shock that we will feel because of the next event.
At last, an old man invited them into his house. He came from the same place as the man from Levi’s tribe did. But he was living in Gibeah town at this time. The man from Levi’s tribe told him what he intended to do. He intended to go to the house of the Lord. Maybe he wanted to offer thanks that his relationship with his wife was better. Perhaps people would help him if he was travelling for a religious reason. (However, another text of the story has the words ‘I am going to my house.’) He also said that he had got plenty of food with him. But the old man offered to him all that the group needed. The old man refused to accept what the other man already had. So, the old man seemed to be kind and generous. This increases even more the shock that we will feel because of the next event.
Remember, these are not the good, civil, go to meeting every day, make your sacrifices as specified, be good to your neighbor type of people. Back in Verse 1 it said "In those days Israel had no king." So these people could do whatever they considered right. That means they didn't have to take the man in as Lot had back in Sodom. It's spooky that no one took them in until this one old man came in from the field and offered his home. It's spooky.... but I know something bad is going to happen.
