Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 19:16
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which [was] also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place [were] Benjamites.
16. and he sojourned ] Cf. Jdg 17:7 n. The only person that paid any attention to the travellers was not a native of the place: it was the same at Sodom, Gen 19:1 f. The last words of the verse are a topographical gloss, cf. Jdg 21:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Which was also of Mount Ephraim – i. e., of the country of the Levite. This single giver of hospitality was himself a stranger and sojourner at Gibeah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Of Mount Ephraim; whence also the Levite was, which obliged and inclined him to show the more kindness to his countryman.
The men of the place were Benjamites: this was indeed one of thee cities belonging to the priests, Jos 21; 1Ch 6; but you consider that the cities which were given to the priests, and whereof they were possessors and owners, were not inhabited by the priests or Levites only, especially at this time when they were but few in number, but many other persons of differing professions and callings, which was necessary for their conveniency.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. there came an old man from hiswork out of the field at even, which was also of mountEphraimPerhaps his hospitality was quickened by learning thestranger’s occupation, and that he was on his return to his duties atShiloh.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even,…. Which is the time that men come from their labour, and take their rest; and this man, though a man in years, and of some substance, as appears by what follows, yet attended the business of his calling, which was very commendable in him:
which was also of Mount Ephraim; as the Levite was, which when the old man understood, he was the more ready no doubt to receive him into his house:
and he sojourned in Gibeah; he was not a native of the place, and yet more kind to strangers than such as were; nor does he appear to be a Levite, though it was a Levitical city; on what account he sojourned here is not manifest:
but the men of the place were Benjamites: for as yet the number of Levites were not large, others dwelt in the cities besides them, even such as were of the tribe to which they belonged.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Levite Entertained at Gibeah. | B. C. 1410. |
16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
Though there as 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,
I. Who that kind man was that invited them. 1. He was a man of Mount Ephraim, and only sojourned in Gibeah, v. 16. Of all the tribes of Israel, the Benjamites had most reason to be kind to poor travellers, for their ancestor, Benjamin, was born upon the road, his mother being then upon a journey, and very near to this place, Gen 35:16; Gen 35:17. Yet they were hard-hearted to a traveller in distress, while an honest Ephraimite had compassion on him, and, no doubt, was the more kind to him, when, upon enquiry, he found that he was his countryman, of Mount Ephraim likewise. He that was himself but a sojourner in Gibeah was the more compassionate to a wayfaring man, for he knew the heart of a stranger,Exo 23:9; Deu 10:19. Good people, that look upon themselves but as strangers and sojourners in this world, should for this reason be tender to one another, because they all belong to the same better country and are not at home here. 2. He was an old man, one that retained some of the expiring virtue of an Israelite. The rising generation was entirely corrupted; if there was any good remaining among them, it was only with those that were old and going off. 3. He was coming home from his work out of the field at eventide. The evening calls home labourers, Ps. civ. 23. But, it should seem, this was the only labourer that this evening brought home to Gibeah. The rest had given themselves up to sloth and luxury, and no marvel there was among them, as in Sodom, abundance of uncleanness, when there was among them, as in Sodom, abundance of idleness, Ezek. xvi. 49. But he that was honestly diligent in his business all day was disposed to be generously hospitable to these poor strangers at night. Let men labour, that they may have to give, Eph. iv. 28. It appears from v. 21 that he was a man of some substance, and yet had been himself at work in the field. No man’s estate will privilege him in idleness.
II. How free and generous he was in his invitation. He did not stay till they applied to him to beg for a night’s lodging; but when he saw them (v. 17) enquired into their circumstances, and anticipated them with his kindness. Thus our good God answers before we call. Note, A charitable disposition expects only opportunity, not importunity, to do good, and will succour upon sight, unsought unto. Hence we read of a bountiful eye, Prov. xxii. 9. If Gibeah was like Sodom, this old man was like Lot in Sodom, who sat in the gate to invite strangers, Gen. xix. 1. Thus Job opened his doors to the traveller, and would not suffer him to lodge in the street, Job xxxi. 32. Observe, 1. How ready he was to give credit to the Levite’s account of himself when he saw no reason at all to question the truth of it. Charity is not apt to distrust, but hopeth all things (1 Cor. xiii. 7) and will not make use of Nabal’s excuse for his churlishness to David, Many servants now-a-days break away from their masters, 1 Sam. xxv. 10. The Levite, in his account of himself, professed that he was now going to the house of the Lord (v. 18), for there he designed to attend, either with a trespass-offering for the sins of his family, or with a peace-offering for the mercies of his family, or both, before he went to his own house. And, if the men of Gibeah had any intimation of his being bound that way, probably they would therefore be disinclined to entertain him. The Samaritans would not receive Christ because his face was towards Jerusalem, Luke ix. 53. But for this reason, because he was a Levite and was now going to the house of the Lord, this good old man was the more kind to him. Thus he received a disciples in the name of a disciple, a servant of God for his Master’s sake. 2. How free he was to give him entertainment. The Levite was himself provided with all necessaries (v. 19), wanted nothing but a lodging, but his generous host would be himself at the charge of his entertainment (v. 20): Let all thy wants be upon me; so he brought him into his house, v. 21. Thus God will, some way or other, raise up friends for his people and ministers, even when they seem forlorn.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
(16) Which was also of mount Ephraim.He was therefore a fellow-countryman of the Levite, but his hospitable feelings were aroused before he had been informed of this fact.
Toward the side of mount Ephraim.Rather, the depths of the hill-country of Ephraim.
I am now going to the house of the Lord.We are not told anywhere else in the story that the Levite was going to Shiloh (Jdg. 18:31; Jos. 18:1), but that he was returning to his home in Mount Ephraim. Hence some render the words, I walk at the house of Jehovahi.e., I am a Levite, engaged in the service of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. It is true that this would be no answer to the question, Whither goest thou? On the other hand, the phrase is not a usual one for going to a place, and the Levite perhaps meant to imply an additional reason why the inhospitable reception was very unworthy. His office ought to have procured him a welcome, yet he who belongs to Gods house cannot find shelter in any house in Gibeah. The LXX. adopt another reading, and render it to my house (reading Bth). The reading of the MSS. may have come from regarding the last letter as an abbreviation of Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 19:16 a
‘And behold, there came an old man from his work, from the country in the evening. Now the man was of the hill country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah.’
As it happened an old man was returning from his fields out in the country. He was coming back late from working in them, possibly because the fields he rented were some distance from the town. Not being a native of the town, for he was a sojourner, he had not been quite so contaminated by their attitudes towards strangers. And as it happened he came from the same area as the Levite.
Jdg 19:16 b
‘But the men of the place were Benjaminites.’
The tribes should have been united and friendly towards each other, but it is clear here that there was some discordancy between the tribes. The aim is to contrast the goodness and hospitality of the Ephraimite with the rank sinfulness and evil of the Benjaminites.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
The sacred historian, as if to call our attention more immediately to this person, is careful to tell us that he was only a sojourner in Gibeah. Is not this designed to remind us of Him, who when he came on earth to seek and save that which was lost was only a sojourner through our world?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 19:16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which [was] also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place [were] Benjamites.
Ver. 16. There came an old man from his work out of the field. ] Though an “old man,” yet a “workman,” and at “field work,” and “till the evening.” It was wonder that this honest man had not been banished out of Gibeah, as once Hermodorus was out of Ephesus, merely for his honesty and frugality. a At which time also this law was made there, . Let there be none honest amongst us: let no man excel others in any point of good husbandry; or if he do, let him be packing. Which law of theirs, when Heraclitus heard of, he said, it was pity they were not all hanged for public pests and botches of mankind.
a Strabo., l. 14. c. 1. s. 25. 6:231
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
his work: Gen 3:19, Psa 104:23, Psa 128:2, Pro 13:11, Pro 14:23, Pro 24:27, Ecc 1:13, Ecc 5:12, Eph 4:28, 1Th 4:11, 1Th 4:12, 2Th 3:10
Reciprocal: 2Ch 13:2 – Gibeah Mat 10:11 – inquire
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 19:16. Also of mount Ephraim Whence likewise the Levite was, which inclined him to show the more kindness to his countryman. But the men of the place were Benjamites This was indeed one of the cities belonging to the priests; but the cities which were given to the priests, and whereof they were owners, were not inhabited by the priests or Levites only, especially at this time, when they were but few in number, but by many other persons of different professions.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which [was] also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place [were] {e} Benjamites.
(e) Or, the children of Jamini.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The hospitality of the stranger 19:16-21
The old man who took the Levite and his traveling companions in for the night evidently had moved to Gibeah temporarily, perhaps as a farm laborer (Jdg 19:16; cf. Jdg 19:23; Gen 19:9). The contrast between this stranger’s hospitality and the Gibeahites’ lack of it stands out in the text. The writer of Judges used a tragicomic literary style to emphasize the terrible moral and spiritual climate in Israel at this time. [Note: Stuart Lasine, "Guest and Host in Judges 19 : Lot’s Hospitality in an Inverted World," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 29 (1984):37-59.] One wonders if the men of Gibeah knew that the Levite was a Levite. Was their refusal to grant him shelter as a servant of Yahweh a deliberate act of disrespect for the Lord? Jdg 19:19 shows that there was no reason for the Gibeahites to refuse the Levite hospitality.
Beginning with Jdg 19:21 this story begins to sound like a replay of what happened to Lot in Sodom (cf. Gen 19:1-3). Gibeah proved to be New Sodom. [Note: Davis, Such a . . ., pp. 211-27.]