القضاة ١٩:٩

When at length he rose up, with his concubine and his attendant, to go away, the father entreated his daughter once more: "Behold the day has slackened to become evening, spend the night here! Behold the declining of the day, spend the night here," etc. חנות inf. of חנה, to bend, incline. The interchange of the plural and singular may be explained from the simple fact that the Levite was about to depart with his wife and attendant, but that their remaining or departing depended upon the decision of the man alone. But the Levite did not consent to remain any longer, but set out upon the road, and came with his companions to before Jebus, i.e., Jerusalem, which is only two hours from Bethlehem (compare Rob. Pal. ii. 375 and 379). עד־נכח, to before Jebus, for the road from Bethlehem to Shiloh went past Jerusalem.

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 (Jdg 19:1, and Jdg 21:25), and Phinehas was then high priest, Jdg 20:28. These particular iniquities, the Danites' idolatry, and the Benjamites' immorality, let in that general apostasy, Jdg 3:7. The abuse of the Levite's concubine is here very particularly related. I. Her adulterous elopement from him (Jdg 3:1, Jdg 3:2). II. His reconciliation to her, and the journey he took to fetch her home (Jdg 3:3). III. Her father's kind entertainment of him (Jdg 3:4-9). IV. The abuse he met with at Gibeah, where, being benighted, he was forced to stop. 1. He was neglected by the men of Gibeah (Jdg 3:10-15) and entertained by an Ephraimite that sojourned among them (Jdg 3:16-21). 2. They set upon him in his quarters, as the Sodomites did on Lot's quests (Jdg 3:22-24). 3. They villainously forced his concubine to death (Jdg 3:25-28). V. The course he took to send notice of this to all the tribes of Israel (Jdg 3:29, Jdg 3:30).