The Rape of a Concubine

Click here to read Judges 19.

Chapter 19 records the rape of a concubine of a Levite. There was a Levite who lived on the "far side" of the "hill Country" of Ephraim. This probably was near Shechem as it was one of the cities given to the Levites and was located in the mountainous section of Ephraim. This Levite had gone to Bethlehem and brought home with him a concubine. She becomes angry with her husband and goes back home where she stays for 4 months. The husband, with a servant and an extra donkey, went after her. They arrived at the home of the concubine and were welcomed and introduced to the girl's father.

The father urges them to stay 3 days and on the 4th. day, as they rise to leave, he again urges them to stay another day and a half. On the 6th. day they are convinced to stay until the afternoon but then no amount of urging could detain them any longer. Late in the afternoon they leave and got as far as Jerusalem where the servant urges the man to spend the night. The man would not stay in Jerusalem for at that time it was still a heathen city. They continued on to Gibeah but could fine no place to stay so they camped in the town square.

Later on an old man came by going home from work and spied them there and urged them to go home with him as it was not safe there at night. They went home with him and after they had eaten, local sex perverts came to the man's house and demanded that the two men be brought out that they might rape them. The old man begged the perverts to take his virgin daughter instead, and the concubine went out to the men and they took turns raping her all night.

The next morning, when the Levite started to leave, he found his concubine at the door, dead. He put her across the donkey and took her home. There he cut her up into 12 pieces and sent one piece to each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The entire nation of Israel was aroused to action against the men of Benjamin who had done such a horrible deed.

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