Why does the Levite pass Jebus rather than accept his servant’s suggestion to lodge there?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He says he will not enter a town of another nation who are not Israelites. He chooses Gabaa, or at least Rama; at Gabaa they sit in the street because no one receives them until an old man offers lodging.

Chapter breakdown

A Levite living on the side of mount Ephraim takes a wife from Bethlehem Juda. She leaves him for her father’s house in Bethlehem and stays four months. Her husband follows to reconcile, speak kindly and bring her back, taking a servant and two asses. She receives him and brings him into her father’s house. His father-in-law hears, sees him, meets him joyfully and embraces him. The Levite stays three days, eating and drinking with him. Early on the fourth day he wants to leave, but his father-in-law asks him first to eat a little bread and strengthen his stomach. They eat and drink; the father asks him to stay that day and make merry. The Levite rises to depart but stays under the father’s earnest pressure. Next morning he again prepares to leave. The father asks him to eat a little and strengthen himself until later in the day, then depart; they eat together. When he rises to leave with his wife and servant, the father points out that evening is approaching and asks him to stay in mirth today and go home tomorrow. He refuses, goes forward and reaches the vicinity of Jebus, also called Jerusalem, with two laden asses and his concubine. Challoner separately says she was his lawful wife, since lawful wives are frequently called concubines in Scripture, referring to Judges 8:31. The same note explains Jemini in verse 16 as Benjamin.

Near Jebus late in the day, the servant asks his master to turn into the Jebusites’ city and lodge. The master refuses a town of another nation outside the children of Israel and says he will pass to Gabaa and lodge there, or at least in Rama. They pass Jebus, and sunset finds them near Gabaa in Benjamin’s tribe. They enter and sit in the street because no man will receive them to lodge. An old man returns in the evening from work in the field. He too is from mount Ephraim and lives as a stranger in Gabaa, whose local people are the children of Jemini. Seeing the man with his bundles in the street, he asks where he comes from and where he goes. The Levite says they came from Bethlehem Juda and are going home on the side of mount Ephraim, from which they went to Bethlehem; he also says they now go to the house of God, but no one receives them under a roof. They have straw and hay for the asses and bread and wine for himself, the woman he calls the old man’s handmaid and his servant; they need only lodging. The old man wishes him peace, offers all necessities and begs him not to stay in the street. He brings him into the house, feeds the asses, and after they wash their feet gives them a feast.

While they make merry and refresh themselves with food and drink after the journey’s labor, men of the city, called sons of Belial, meaning without yoke, surround the old man’s house and knock. They demand that he bring out the man who entered so they may abuse him. The old man goes out, calls them brethren and asks them not to act wickedly against his lodger and to cease this folly. He offers his maiden daughter and the guest’s concubine to be humbled and subjected to their lust, asking them not to commit what he calls a crime against nature on the man. They will not be satisfied with his words. Seeing this, the man brings out his concubine and abandons her to their wickedness. They abuse her all night and let her go in the morning. At dawn she comes to the door of the house where her lord lodges and falls down.

In the morning the man opens the door to finish his journey and finds his concubine lying there with her hands spread on the threshold. Thinking she rests, he tells her to arise and go with him. She gives no answer; perceiving she is dead, he lifts her onto his ass and returns home. There he takes a sword and divides his wife’s dead body, with her bones, into twelve parts, sending them into all Israel’s borders. Those who see it cry that nothing like this has happened in Israel from their fathers’ departure from Egypt until this day. They call for a sentence and a common decree of what ought to be done.

The story inside

The wife’s four-month stay with her father leads the Levite to follow for reconciliation. A joyful welcome and repeated requests delay departure until he refuses another stay. At Jebus he rejects his servant’s lodging suggestion for the stated national distinction and continues to Gabaa. No one receives them until an old Ephraimite stranger offers his house. The feast is interrupted by men demanding the male guest. The host’s appeal and offer of two women do not satisfy them; the man hands over his concubine, who is abused through the night and falls at the door at dawn. He discovers she is dead, carries her home and sends her divided body through Israel. The response calls for a common decision. The note explains the wife terminology and Jemini without supplying a motive for the violence.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The route follows a stated choice. The servant proposes Jebus, but the Levite refuses a town of another nation and names Gabaa or Rama. At Gabaa the refusal of lodging and the old man’s eventual invitation are recorded, without a claim about what would have happened at Jebus.
2
The host’s offer and the man’s action remain explicit. He offers both his daughter and the guest’s concubine; after the men refuse his words, the man abandons his concubine to them. Keeping that sequence avoids hiding the actions behind a general description of violence.
3
The discovery and response have distinct steps. The woman falls at dawn; later the man thinks she rests, receives no answer and recognizes death. The twelve parts sent through Israel lead to the recorded historical comparison and call for a common decree, without adding the later war.

Test your recall

How do the repeated departure requests lead to the journey past Jebus, what happens after the host’s appeal fails, and what response follows the divided body?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 27298–27349
Judges Chapter 19 A Levite bringing home his wife, is lodged by an old man at Gabaa in the tribe of Benjamin. His wife is there abused by wicked men, and in the morning found dead. Her husband cutteth her body in pieces, and sendeth to every tribe of Israel, requiring them to revenge the wicked fact. 19:1. There was a certain Levite, who dwelt on the side of mount Ephraim, who took a wife of Bethlehem Juda: 19:2. And she left him, and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem, and abode with him four months. 19:3. And her husband followed her, willing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back with him, having with him a servant and two asses: and she received him, and brought him into her father’s house. And when his father in law had heard this, and had seen him, he met him with joy, 19:4. And embraced the man. And the son in law tarried in the house of his father in law three days, eating with him and drinking familiarly. 19:5. But on the fourth day, arising early in the morning, he desired to depart. But his father in law kept him, and said to him: Taste first a little bread, and strengthen thy stomach, and so thou shalt depart. 19:6. And they sat down together, and ate and drank. And the father of the young woman said to his son in law: I beseech thee to stay here to day, and let us make merry together. 19:7. But he rising up, began to be for departing. And nevertheless his father in law earnestly pressed him, and made him stay with him. 19:8. But when morning was come, the Levite prepared to go on his journey. And his father in law said to him again: I beseech thee to take a little meat, and strengthening thyself, till the day be farther advanced, afterwards thou mayest depart. And they ate together. 19:9. And the young man arose to set forward with his wife and servant. And his father in law spoke to him again: Consider that the day is declining, and draweth toward evening: tarry with me to day also, and spend the day in mirth, and to morrow thou shalt depart, that thou mayest go into thy house. 19:10. His son in law would not consent to his words: but forthwith went forward, and came over against Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two asses laden, and his concubine. Concubine. She was his lawful wife, but even lawful wives are frequently in scripture called concubines. See above, chap. 8. ver. 31.—Ver. 16. Jemini.... That is, Benjamin.
Lines 27351–27394
19:11. And now they were come near Jebus, and the day was far spent: and the servant said to his master: Come, I beseech thee, let us turn into the city of the Jebusites, and lodge there. 19:12. His master answered him: I will not go into the town of another nation, who are not of the children of Israel, but I will pass over to Gabaa: 19:13. And when I shall come thither, we will lodge there, or at least in the city of Rama. 19:14. So they passed by Jebus, and went on their journey, and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gabaa, which is in the tribe of Benjamin: 19:15. And they turned into it to lodge there. And when they were come in, they sat in the street of the city, for no man would receive them to lodge. 19:16. And behold they saw an old man, returning out of the field and from his work in the evening, and he also was of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a stranger in Gabaa; but the men of that country were the children of Jemini. 19:17. And the old man lifting up his eyes, saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city, and said to him: Whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? 19:18. He answered him: We came out from Bethlehem Juda, and we are going to our home, which is on the side of mount Ephraim, from whence we went to Bethlehem: and now we go to the house of God, and none will receive us under his roof: 19:19. We have straw and hay for provender of the asses, and bread and wine for the use of myself and of thy handmaid, and of the servant that is with me: we want nothing but lodging. 19:20. And the old man answered him: Peace be with thee: I will furnish all things that are necessary: only I beseech thee, stay not in the street. 19:21. And he brought him into his house, and gave provender to his asses: and after they had washed their feet, he entertained them with a feast.
Lines 27396–27417
19:22. While they were making merry, and refreshing their bodies with meat and drink, after the labour of the journey, the men of that city, sons of Belial (that is, without yoke), came and beset the old man’s house, and began to knock at the door, calling to the master of the house, and saying: Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may abuse him: 19:23. And the old man went out to them, and said: Do not so, my brethren, do not so wickedly: because this man is come into my lodging, and cease I pray you from this folly. 19:24. I have a maiden daughter, and this man hath a concubine, I will bring them out to you, and you may humble them, and satisfy your lust: only, I beseech you, commit not this crime against nature on the man. 19:25. They would not be satisfied with his words; which the man seeing, brought out his concubine to them, and abandoned her to their wickedness: and when they had abused her all the night, they let her go in the morning. 19:26. But the woman, at the dawning of the day, came to the door of the house, where her lord lodged, and there fell down.
Lines 27419–27436
19:27. And in the morning the man arose, and opened the door, that he might end the journey he had begun: and behold his concubine lay before the door with her hands spread on the threshold. 19:28. He thinking she was taking her rest, said to her: Arise, and let us be going. But as she made no answer, perceiving she was dead, he took her up, and laid her upon his ass, and returned to his house. 19:29. And when he was come home, he took a sword, and divided the dead body of his wife with her bones into twelve parts, and sent the pieces into all the borders of Israel. 19:30. And when every one had seen this, they all cried out: There was never such a thing done in Israel, from the day that our fathers came up out of Egypt, until this day: give sentence, and decree in common what ought to be done.