Judges 19:15

Judges 19:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.
• New International Version (NIV)There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.

Context of Judges 19:15

13He said to his servant, “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14So they traveled on, and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. They stopped there and decided to spend the night in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. 16But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) 17When he looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?”

Judges 19:15 word by word

וַיָּסֻ֣רוּ שָׁ֔ם לָב֖וֹא לָל֣וּן בַּגִּבְעָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֗א וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ בִּרְח֣וֹב הָעִ֔יר וְאֵ֥ין אִ֛ישׁ מְאַסֵּֽף־אוֹתָ֥ם הַבַּ֖יְתָה לָלֽוּן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they turned asideסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
• thither, to go inבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to lodgeלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
• in Gibeahגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · GibeahH1390
• he sat him downיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in a streetרְחוֹבrechôb rechôb · street/plazaH7339
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• no manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• that tookאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• them into his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004

Cross-references for Judges 19:15

• Judges 19:18The Levite said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. But no one has invited me into their home.
• Genesis 18:2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
• Genesis 19:2He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.”
• Matthew 25:35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
• Hebrews 13:2Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Commentaries on Judges 19:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15No man - took them into his house to lodging - There was probably no inn or house of public entertainment in this place, and therefore they could not have a lodging unless furnished by mere hospitality. To say that there were no inns in those primitive times, is not true; there were such places, though not very frequent. Joseph's brethren found their money in their sacks when they loosed them at an inn, Genesis 42:27. The house of Rahab was an inn, Joshua…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15A street - Probably the square or place within the gates, where courts were held, bargains made, and where the chief men and strangers congregated.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15The usual hospitality rules in Israel and the Near East required a town citizen to offer shelter (compare Isaiah 58:7; Luke 14:13–14; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; 5:10; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). The Levite had money and supplies (Judges 19:19), so there was even less reason not to help. This lack of basic kindness shows the social problems during the time of Judges.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city--The towns of Palestine at this remote period could not, it seems, furnish any establishment in the shape of an inn or public lodging-house. Hence we conclude that the custom, which is still frequently witnessed in the cities of the East, was then not uncommon, for travellers who were late in arriving and who had no introduction to a private family, to spread their bedding in the streets, or…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 19:15

• Gibeah
• Inhospitableness

In the dictionaries

• Gibeah
• Beat
• Diligent
• Micah
• Wayfaring
• Wolf
• Bethlehem
• Hill, Hill Country
• Israel, History of
• Judges, Book 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