Judges 20:5

Judges 20:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.
• New International Version (NIV)During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.

Context of Judges 20:5

3(Now the Benjamites [in whose territory the crime was committed] heard that the [other tribes of the] sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said, “How did this evil thing happen?” 4So 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. But the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they raped my concubine [so brutally] that she died. 6So I took my concubine and cut her [corpse] in pieces and sent her [body parts] throughout the land of the inheritance of Israel; for the men of Gibeah have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7Now then, all you sons of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here [regarding what should be done].”

Judges 20:5 word by word

וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ עָלַי֙ בַּעֲלֵ֣י הַגִּבְעָ֔ה וַיָּסֹ֧בּוּ עָלַ֛י אֶת־הַבַּ֖יִת לָ֑יְלָה אוֹתִי֙ דִּמּ֣וּ לַהֲרֹ֔ג וְאֶת־פִּילַגְשִׁ֥י עִנּ֖וּ וַתָּמֹֽת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the menבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167
• of Gibeahגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · GibeahH1390
• roseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• against me, and besetסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
• the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• upon me by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
• thoughtדָּמָהdâmâh · to resembleH1819
• to have slainהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• me: and my concubineפִּלֶ֫גֶשׁpîylegesh pilegesh · concubineH6370
• have they forcedעָנָה‛ânâh · to afflictH6031
• that she is deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for Judges 20:5

• Judges 19:22While they were celebrating, behold, men of the city, certain worthless and evil men, surrounded the house, pounding on the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we may have relations with him.”
• Genesis 19:4But before they lay down [to sleep], the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house, all the men from every quarter;
• Judges 19:25But the men would not listen to him. So the man took the Levite’s concubine and brought her outside to them; and they had relations with her and abused her all night until morning; and when daybreak came, they let her go.
• Deuteronomy 22:24then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out for help [though she was] in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s [promised] wife. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
• Ezekiel 22:10In you men have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness [the nakedness of mother or stepmother]; in you they have violated women who are [set apart as ceremonially] unclean during their menstrual impurity [or after childbirth].

Commentaries on Judges 20:5

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The "wicked men" (Judges 19:22) were important citizens (literally lords). They intended to kill me: The Levite believed the men of Gibeah wanted to kill him after they killed his concubine.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-74-7. the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said--The injured husband gave a brief and unvarnished recital of the tragic outrage, from which it appears that force was used, which he could not resist. His testimony was doubtless corroborated by those of his servant and the old Ephraimite. There was no need of strong or highly colored description to work upon the feelings of the audience. The facts spoke for themselves and…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Gibeah
• Congregation
• Fetch
• Glean
• Trust
• Wickedness
• Wolf
• Archery
• Israel, History of
• Judah, Kingdom of

Commentaries on Judges 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary