Judges 19:29

Judges 19:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.
• New International Version (NIV)When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

Context of Judges 19:29

27When her master got up in the morning, he opened the door. He was ready to continue his journey. He saw the woman who was his wife lying on the ground outside the door. She was trying to reach the door with her hands. 28He said to her, ‘Get up. It is time to go!’ But she did not answer. Then he put her on his donkey and he started on his way home. When he arrived home, he picked up a knife. He cut his slave wife's body into 12 pieces. Then he sent them to each of Israel's 12 tribes. 30Everyone who saw what he had done said, ‘In all the time since the Israelites left Egypt, nothing as bad as this has ever happened before. We have never seen anything like it. Think carefully about it. We must decide what to do!’

Judges 19:29 word by word

וַיָּבֹ֣א אֶל־בֵּית֗וֹ וַיִּקַּ֤ח אֶת־הַֽמַּאֲכֶ֙לֶת֙ וַיַּחֲזֵ֣ק בְּפִֽילַגְשׁ֔וֹ וַֽיְנַתְּחֶ֙הָ֙ לַעֲצָמֶ֔יהָ לִשְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר נְתָחִ֑ים וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֶ֔הָ בְּכֹ֖ל גְּב֥וּל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when he was comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• he tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• a knifeמַאֲכֶ֫לֶתma'ăkeleth · knifeH3979
• and laid holdחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
• on his concubineפִּלֶ֫גֶשׁpîylegesh pilegesh · concubineH6370
• and dividedנָתַחnâthach · to cutH5408
• with her bonesעֶ֫צֶם‛etsem · boneH6106
• into twelveעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
• into twelveשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• piecesנֵ֫תַחnêthach · pieceH5409
• and sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• her into all the coastsגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: areaH1366
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for Judges 19:29

• 1 Samuel 11:7He killed two of his oxen. He cut their bodies into pieces. He sent men with the pieces to all the towns in Israel. In each town, the men said, ‘Everyone must join Saul and Samuel to fight in their army. If you do not agree to join them, they will cut up your oxen just like this!’ The people became very afraid of what the Lord would do. So they all came together as one army.
• 1 Chronicles 20:6There was another battle at Gath. Another descendant of Rapha fought against the Israelites there. He was a very large man. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
• Romans 10:2I can say this about them: They really want to serve God well. But they do not understand the right way to do this.
• Deuteronomy 21:22A person may do an evil thing so that you punish him with death. If you have hung his dead body on a tree,

Commentaries on Judges 19:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29Divided her - into twelve pieces - There is no doubt that with the pieces he sent to each tribe a circumstantial account of the barbarity of the men of Gibeah; and it is very likely that they considered each of the pieces as expressing an execration, "If ye will not come and avenge my wrongs, may ye be hewn in pieces like this abused and murdered woman!" It was a custom among the ancient Highlanders in Scotland, when one clan wished to call all the rest…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29A knife - Rather, “the” “knife”. The single household implement used, not like our knives at our meals, but for slaughtering and cutting up the animals into joints for eating Genesis 22:6, Genesis 22:10; Proverbs 30:14. Together with her bones … - Rather, “into her bones”, or “bone by bone, into twelve pieces”. The “pieces” are synonymous with the “bones” (compare Ezekiel 24:4-5). There is something truly terrible in the stern ferocity of grief and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28-29The Levite's actions show the terrible effects of a corrupt culture.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2929. divided her ... into twelve pieces--The want of a regular government warranted an extraordinary step; and certainly no method could have been imagined more certain of rousing universal horror and indignation than this terrible summons of the Levite.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 19:29

• Gibeah
• Rape

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Beat
• Diligent
• Gibeah
• Micah
• Wayfaring
• Wolf
• Abel (1)
• Bethlehem
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on Judges 19

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary