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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Judges 20:4

So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mizpah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Murder;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Benjamin;   Marriage;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gibeah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.
Hebrew Names Version
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, I came into Gevah that belongs to Binyamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
King James Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Lexham English Bible
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, "I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
English Standard Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
New Century Version
So the husband of the murdered woman answered, "My slave woman and I came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
New English Translation
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, "I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.
Amplified Bible
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, replied, "I had come with my concubine to spend the night in Gibeah, [a town] which belongs to [the tribe of] Benjamin.
New American Standard Bible
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the same Leuite, the womans husband that was slaine, answered and saide, I came vnto Gibeah that is in Beniamin with my concubine to lodge,
Legacy Standard Bible
Daarop antwoord die Levitiese man, die man van die vermoorde vrou, en sê: Ek het in Gíbea wat aan Benjamin behoort, gekom, ek en my byvrou, om te vernag.
Contemporary English Version
The husband of the murdered woman answered: My wife and I went into the town of Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
Complete Jewish Bible
The Levi, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "I came to Giv‘ah, which belongs to Binyamin, I and my concubine, to stay the night;
Darby Translation
Then the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came to Gibeah that [belongs] to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, told them the story. He said, "My slave woman and I came to the city of Gibeah in the area of Benjamin. We spent the night there.
George Lamsa Translation
And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was killed, answered and said to them, I came into Gibeah, that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
Good News Translation
The Levite whose concubine had been murdered answered, "My concubine and I went to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.
Literal Translation
And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah which is to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered the Leuite the hußbande of the woman that was slayne, and sayde: I came to Gibea in BenIamin with my concubyne, to tary there allnight,
American Standard Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Bible in Basic English
Then the Levite, the husband of the dead woman, said in answer, I came to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin, I and my servant-wife, for the purpose of stopping there for the night.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Leuite the womans husband that was slayne, aunswered and saide: I came into Gibea that is in Beniamin with my concubine, to lodge all nyght:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said: 'I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
King James Version (1611)
And the Leuite the husband of the woman that was slaine, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Beniamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge.
English Revised Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he answeride, Y cam with my wijf in to Gabaa of Beniamyn, and Y turnede thidur.
Young's Literal Translation
And the man, the Levite, husband of the woman who hath been murdered, answereth and saith, `Into Gibeah (which [is] to Benjamin) I have come, I and my concubine, to lodge;
Update Bible Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that [belongeth] to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
World English Bible
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
New King James Version
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night.
New Living Translation
The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, "My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibeah, a town that belongs to the people of Benjamin.
New Life Bible
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was killed, answered, "I came with my woman to stay the night at Gibeah, a city of Benjamin.
New Revised Standard
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, "I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the Levite, husband of the woman that was cut in pieces, responded and said, - Into Gibeah that pertaineth to Benjamin, I entered, I and my concubine, to tarry the night.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Answered: I came into Gabaa, of Benjamin, with my wife, and there I lodged:
Revised Standard Version
And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came to Gib'e-ah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
THE MESSAGE
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke: "My concubine and I came to spend the night at Gibeah, a Benjaminite town. That night the men of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They gang-raped my concubine and she died. So I took my concubine, cut up her body, and sent her piece by piece—twelve pieces!—to every part of Israel's inheritance. This vile and outrageous crime was committed in Israel! So, Israelites, make up your minds. Decide on some action!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.

Contextual Overview

1Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. 2The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. 3(Now the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?" 4So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.5And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died. 6Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel's inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now." 8Then all the people stood as one man and said, "Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. 9Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates. 10We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them the atrocity they have committed in Israel."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Levite: Heb. the man the Levite

I came: Judges 19:15-28

Reciprocal: Joshua 18:28 - Gibeath Hosea 5:8 - Gibeah

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah-from the LORD out of the heavens.
Genesis 20:6
Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, "Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
Genesis 20:17
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children-
Genesis 20:18
for on account of Abraham's wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech's household.
2 Samuel 4:11
How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and wipe you off the earth!"
1 Chronicles 21:17
And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I, the shepherd, am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father's house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered, and said,.... He rose up, and, in answer to their request, declared the whole affair as follows: and none so proper as he, who was upon the spot when it was done, and so near a relation of the deceased, and had a right to demand justice to be done; for from hence it appears that she was his lawful wife, though called a concubine:

I came into Gibeah, that belongeth to Benjamin; which he so particularly describes, to distinguish it from another of the same name in the tribe of Judah, lest any mistake should be made, and an innocent people should suffer in their reputation, or otherwise; and which also would account for the tribe of Benjamin not being present at this convention:

I and my concubine, to lodge; thither they came, not with an intention to stay, to sojourn there, and much less to do them any injury, or to infringe any of their rights and privileges; nor in the least to be burdensome to them, having brought all necessary provisions with them for themselves, servants, and cattle, only to get a night's lodging with them.


 
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