English Standard Version
Judges 19:2
2And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.
Judges 19:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth–lehem–judah, and was there four whole months.
- New International Version (NIV)But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months,
- New King James Version (NKJV)But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But she became angry with him and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem. After about four months,
Context of Judges 19:2
1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months. 3Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father's house. And when the girl's father saw him, he came with joy to meet him. 4And his father-in-law, the girl's father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
Read all of Judges 19Judges 19:2 word by word
וַתִּזְנֶ֤ה עָלָיו֙ פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔וֹ וַתֵּ֤לֶךְ מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יהָ אֶל־בֵּ֥ית לֶ֖חֶם יְהוּדָ֑ה וַתְּהִי־שָׁ֕ם יָמִ֖ים אַרְבָּעָ֥ה חֳדָשִֽׁים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And his concubineפִּלֶ֫גֶשׁpîylegesh pilegesh · concubineH6370
- played the whoreזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- against him, and went awayיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- from him unto her father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
- houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- to Beth–lehem–judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- to Beth–lehem–judahבֵּית לֶ֫חֶםbêyth lechem · BethlehemH1035
- and was there fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
- whole monthsיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- whole monthsחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320
Cross-references for Judges 19:2
- Leviticus 21:9And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
- Deuteronomy 22:21then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
- Ezekiel 16:28You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied.
Commentaries on Judges 19:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Played the whore - Neither the Vulgate, Septuagint, Targum, nor Josephus, understand this word as implying any act of conjugal infidelity on the woman's part. They merely state that the parties disagreed, and the woman returned to her father's house. Indeed all the circumstances of the case vindicate this view of the subject. If she had been a whore, or adulteress, it is not very likely that her husband would have gone after her to speak friendly…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Played the whore against him - Perhaps only meaning that she ran away from him, and left him, for she returned to her father‘s house.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-30This second epilogue (see study note on Judges 17:1–21:25) shifts the focus from individuals to entire tribes. It begins with the outrage in the Benjamite town of Gibeah (Judges 19), which led to a civil war (Judges 20) and the near destruction of Benjamin. It then moves to the attempt to save the tribe from disappearing (Judges 21). The book ends with the familiar refrain: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. his concubine ... went away from him unto her father's house--The cause of the separation assigned in our version rendered it unlawful for her husband to take her back (De 24:4); and according to the uniform style of sentiment and practice in the East, she would have been put to death, had she gone to her father's family. Other versions concur with Josephus, in representing the reason for the flight from her husband's house to be, that she was…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 19:2
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries