Judges 19:9

17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

And when the man rose up to depart, he and his concubine, and his servant,.... Rose up from table, having comfortably refreshed themselves: his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, behold, now the day draweth towards evening; or is "remiss", or "weak" (n); that is, the heat, light, and strength of the sun abated, and became weaker and more remiss, as it does the more it declines, and is nearer setting: I pray you tarry all night; suggesting, it was a very improper time to set out in on a journey: behold, the day groweth to an end; or "behold, it is the encampment of the day" (o), when the day or sun seems to be pitching its tent, and going to rest; or it being the time when an army on the march stops and pitches their tents, in order to continue all night; or when men go to their tents and habitations, and lie down and take their rest: lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and let us have another pleasant evening together, which cannot be had in an inn upon the road; you cannot be comfortable there, as here, and therefore be persuaded to stay, since it is not possible to get home tonight: and tomorrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home; to thy city, as the Targum; signifying, that he should not insist upon their staying any longer, and then they might set out on their journey as soon as they pleased. (n) "debilitata est", Pagninus, Vatablus; "remissus est", Junius & Tremellius. (o) "castrametatio diei", Drusius.

Verse 9. - Draweth toward evening . The Hebrew phrase, which is uncommon, is, The day is slackening to become evening , i.e. the heat and the light of the day are becoming slack and weak, and evening is coming on. The day groweth to an end . Another unusual phrase; literally, Behold the declining of the day , or, as some render it, the encamping of the day , as if the sun after his day's journey was now pitching his tent for the night. Go home. Literally, to thy tent , as in Judges 20:8 . So the phrase, To your tents , O Israel , means, Go home (see 1 Kings 12:16 , etc.). Judges 19:9

And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go {c} home. (c) That is, to the town or city where he lived.

This is a perfect picture of the manners of the time. It is probable that the father showed more than usual hospitality, in order to ensure the kind treatment of his daughter by her husband. These particulars are given to account for their journey running so far into the evening, which was the immediate cause of the horrible catastrophe which followed.

9 . Behold, now the day draweth toward evening … behold, the day groweth to an end ] lit. the day sinks to become evening … the camping-time ( ? ) of the day . The doubling of phrases points to a conflation of sources, while the phrases themselves are too high-flown for a prose narrative. Some mss. of the LXX read Behold, the day is declined ( Jdg 19:8 ) toward evening, lodge thou here to-day also . Probably this is nearer to the original.

The day groweth to an end, Heb. it is the encamping time of the day , i.e. the evening, when armies having marched in the day, begin to pitch their camp; or, when the sun that makes the day begins to encamp himself and go toward rest; so it is a poetical expression taken from hence, that the sun, when he sets, seems to vulgar eyes to go to rest.

9. the day draweth toward evening—Hebrew, "the pitching time of day." Travellers who set out at daybreak usually halt about the middle of the afternoon the first day, to enjoy rest and refreshment. It was, then, too late a time to commence a journey. But duty, perhaps, obliged the Levite to indulge no further delay.

(9) The day draweth toward evening. —Literally, is weak, or has slackened to evening. The father had purposely detained the Levite till late, in the hopes of inducing him to spend one more night under his roof. The forms of Eastern politeness would render it difficult for the Levite to resist these importunities. The day groweth to an end.—Literally, it is the bending or declining of the day, not, as in the margin of our version, “the pitching time of the day.” Home.—Literally, to thy tent, which may be something more than a mere reminiscence of the earlier stage of the national existence. (Comp. “To your tents, O Israel,” 1Kings 12:16, &c.) The Levite is conscious that if the father has been too pressing he has himself been too self-indulgent, and too fond of good living. “His experience is that of all weak and vacillating people: first, unnecessary delay, and then overstrained hurry.”

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.

[Reformed Biblical] for carrying their provision, as appears from Jud_19:19. ## He rejoiced to meet him, hoping the breach would be made up by this means. Judges 19:4 No text from Poole on this verse. Judges 19:5 No text from Poole on this verse. Judges 19:6 No text from Poole on this verse. Judges 19:7 No text from Poole on this verse. Judges 19:8 No text from Poole on this verse. ## Judges 19:9 The day groweth to an end, Heb. it is the encamping time of the day , i.e. the evening, when armies having marched in the day, begin to pitch their camp; or, when t

JUDGES 18:31 So they set them up Micah’s engraved image which he made, all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh. [ Judges 19 ] ADAM CLARK'E BIBLE COMMENTARY JUDGES JUDGES 19:1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite living on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah. A Levite and his concubine disagree; and she leaves him and goes to her father's house, Judges 19:1, Judges 19:2. He follows to bring her back, and is kindly entertained by her father five days, Judges 19:3-8. He returns; and lodges the first night at Gibeah, in the tribe of Benjamin, Judges 19:9-21. The men of Gibeah attack the house, and insist on abusing the body of the Levite; who, to save himself, delivers to them his concubine, whose life falls a victim to their brutality, Judges 19:22-27. The Levite divides her dead body into twelve pieces, and sends one to each of the twelve tribes; they are struck with horror, and call a council on the subject, Judges 19:28-30. Verse 1 There was no king in Israel - All sorts of disorders are attributed to the want of civil government; justice, right, truth, and humanity, had fallen in the streets. Took to him a concubine - We have already seen that the concubine was a sort of secondary wife; and that such connections were not disreputable, being according to the general custom of those times. The word ‫פילגש‬ pilegesh, concubine, is supposed by Mr.