Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 20:5

And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, [and] thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

5. men of Gibeah ] citizens of G.; cf. Jdg 9:2 n.

me they thought to have slain ] See on Jdg 19:22. Their design on the young woman would naturally involve getting rid of her husband (cf. Gen 12:12).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Thought to have slain me; except I would either submit to their unnatural lust, which I was resolved to withstand even unto death; or deliver up my concubine to them, which I was forced to do.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And the men of Gibeah rose against me,…. Not all of them, but some that dwelt in that city; he forbears giving them the character they justly deserved, sons of Belial. These came in a tumultuous and violent manner,

and beset the house round about upon me by night; that he might not make his escape, resolving if possible to get him into their hands, and do with him according to their will:

and thought to have slain me; their first intention was to commit the unnatural sin on him, and, if he resisted, to slay him; but this he modestly conceals, as being a sin not to be named in an assembly of saints; and besides he might say this, because he himself chose rather to be slain than to submit to their lust, which he knew must be the case upon his refusal and resistance; and even if he had yielded, being overpowered, this would have been the consequence, that he should have been abused even unto death, as his wife was:

and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead; or “afflicted”, or “humbled” d her; which is a modest expression for carnal knowledge of her, and which they had to such excess that she died through it.

d “afflixerunt”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(5) The men of Gibeah.Literally, the lords of Gibeah, as in Jdg. 9:2. We cannot infer that they were heathen inhabitants of the town, though they behaved as if they were. If the phrase implies that they were men in positions of authority, it perhaps shows why there was no rescue and little resistance. This is also probable, because there could not have been the same unwillingness to give up to justice a few lawless and insignificant offenders.

Thought to have slain me.Obviously some circumstances of the assault have been omitted in Jdg. 19:22-25. The Levite colours the whole story in the way most favourable to himself.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Jdg 20:5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, [and] thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.

Ver. 5. And the men of Gibeah. ] Some certain varlets there; not all the city, as once at Sodom. Gen 19:4-5 But because these were not punished, but countenanced, all became guilty.

And thought to have slain me. ] As they have done my concubine: a and perhaps they threatened to kill him, if he would not come forth, and be abused by them.

And my concubine have they forced. ] The monks in Bohemia ravished a sister of that noble warrior, Zisca; in revenge whereof he took arms, overthrew three hundred monasteries, and did many more great exploits against the Papists there, and in other parts of Germany.

a i.e., Abuti me praepostera libidine usque ad mortem. – Val.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)