Chapter
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Verse

Judges 19:25

ESV But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.
NIV But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
NASB But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her outside to them; and they raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn.
CSB But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.
NLT But they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go.
KJV But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.
NKJV But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

What does Judges 19:25 mean?

Once again, this story resembles what took place in Sodom during the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:2–7). Lot, too, was a non-native resident (Judges 19:16) facing down a mob that wanted to rape his male guests (Judges 19:20–23). Lot also offered women to the crowd (Judges 19:24; Genesis 19:8). In the case of Sodom, God carried out His plan to destroy the city before the night was over (Genesis 19:11, 23–25). By including this story, the writer of Judges is showing that the people of Israel had sunk to the level of those ancient cities God had destroyed for their wickedness (Deuteronomy 12:29–32).

An old man has brought travelers into his home to protect them from his neighbors. Those "worthless men"—literally "sons of wickedness" in Hebrew—have come to his door demanding the male guest be handed over to be raped. Likely fearing for his life, the old man offered his daughter and the man's concubine, instead. The mob ignores this request.

In a moment of horribly selfish desperation, the Levite man physically forces his concubine out the door, handing her over to the mob. The repulsive strategy works: the men of Gibeah violate and abuse her until dawn, sparing those hiding inside the home.
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