Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 19:11
[And] when they [were] by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
Verse 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. See Clarke on Jdg 1:8.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And when they were by Jebus the day was far spent,…. Or “was gone down very much” q, the sun was going down apace, and near setting:
and the servant said unto his master, come, I pray thee: he proposed it to him in a submissive manner, and might use some entreaty for his master’s good and safety:
and let us turn in unto this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it; for though that part of the city which belonged to the tribe of Judah was taken by them after the death of Joshua, yet that which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, part of it was still possessed by the Jebusites, whom the Benjamites could not expel, Jud 1:21 and Ben Gersom thinks, that this affair of this Levite, and his concubine, was before the men of Judah fought against it, and took it; which not unlikely, seeing it is called here a city of the Jebusites, and because the Levite objected going into it on that account; whereas there would not have been much in his objection, if one part or it was in the session of the men of Judah, and the other in the hands of the tribe of Benjamin, though they had some Jebusites dwelling among them.
q “descenderat valde”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But as the day had gone far down when they were by Jebus ( , third pers. perf., either of with dropped like in 2Sa 22:41 for , or from in the sense of ), the attendant said to his master, “ Come, let us turn aside into this Jebusite city, and pass the night in it.” But his master was unwilling to enter a city of the foreigners ( ( sre is a genitive), where there were none of the sons of Israel, and would pass over to Gibeah. “ Come ( = , Num 23:13), we will draw near to one of the places (which he immediately names), and pass the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” These two towns, the present Jeba and er Rm, were not a full hour’s journey apart, and stood opposite to one another, only about two and a half or three hours from Jerusalem (see at Jos 18:25, Jos 18:28).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(11) The day was far spent.Jerusalem is only two hours distant from Bethlehem. The father of the woman, by his unwise neglect to speed the parting guest, had greatly added to the perils of their journey in a half-conquered country, and in such wild times.
Unto his master.Literally, to his lord, a mere form of respect, as in Gen. 39:2.
This city of the Jebusites.Their complete and undisturbed possession shows that this narrative falls at an early date (Jdg. 1:7-8; Jdg. 1:11; Jdg. 1:21; Jos. 15:63). The travellers would reach the town from Bethlehem at about five oclock.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘ And when they were by Jebus the day was far spent. And the servant said to his master, “Come, I pray you, and let us turn in to this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.’
“Was far spent.” Literally ‘was gone down very much.’ The sun was low in the sky and night was almost on them.
The servant suggested that as night was approaching it might be wise to find lodging for the night. This could be in an inn or it may have been through seeking hospitality at the gate of the city (Gen 19:1), from some worthy citizen. In those days inns were few and hospitality was regularly offered to travellers at the gate of the city. It was looked on by the worthy as a sacred responsibility, and once a man was under your roof you were looked on as having sacred obligations towards him.
“This city of the Jebusites.” It is stressed that the city was not one that belonged to the confederation of Israel. It is ironic. There in that city of strangers he may well have found the safety among strangers that he would not find among his own people. The city had once been captured by the Israelites (Jdg 1:8) but was retaken when they moved on to more victories. And from then on the fortress had proved invulnerable (Jos 15:63; Jdg 1:21). The Jebusites continued to live among the people of Judah and Benjamin, safe in their fortified city, although the three lived together in the lower city. Gradually things had become more relaxed and at this time it would seem that peace prevailed.
There can be little doubt that the writer records this incident precisely because it demonstrated that Israel had sunk lower than the Canaanites in many respects, at least in Gibeah.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 19:11 [And] when they [were] by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
Ver. 11. Come, I pray thee, and let us turn, &c. ] This was not the worst counsel that ever the Levite had given him.
“ Saepe etiam est holitor valde opportuna locutus. ”
But he thought to have done otherwise for the better, though it fell out for the worse. Counsels are not to be valued by events, but by the reasons whereupon they are grounded; and God’s direction, above all, is to be implored.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the Jebusites: Jdg 19:10, Jdg 1:21, Gen 10:16, Jos 15:63, 2Sa 5:6
Reciprocal: 2Sa 24:16 – the Jebusite 1Ch 1:14 – Jebusite