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Verse

Judges 19:16

ESV And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites.
NIV That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.
NASB Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjaminites.
CSB In the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was residing in Gibeah where the people were Benjaminites.
NLT That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe of Benjamin.
KJV 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.

What does Judges 19:16 mean?

A traveling Levite (Judges 19:13–15) has been forced to hunker down in the city square of Gibeah. With him are his concubine and servant (Judges 19:10). Nobody in the town offered the customary hospitality expected in that culture, even though these travelers are also Israelites.

Finally, an old man working in the fields comes through the gate of the city. He is from Ephraim and only temporarily living in Gibeah. Unlike other men of the town, he is not of the tribe of Benjamin. Perhaps the old man had moved to Gibeah for seasonal employment. He will see the travelers and offer them kindness.

As it happens, the man's kindness is more than a formality. He will insist the group not sleep out in the square (Judges 19:20). The old man likely knows Gibeah is more than inhospitable; it's evil (Judges 19:22).
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