Judges 19:2

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,
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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.

Context of Judges 19:2

1Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. But she became angry with him and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem. After about four months, 3her husband set out for Bethlehem to speak personally to her and persuade her to come back. He took with him a servant and a pair of donkeys. When he arrived at her father’s house, her father saw him and welcomed him. 4Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there.

Judges 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 21:9“If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she also defiles her father’s holiness, and she must be burned to death.
• Deuteronomy 22:21The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
• Ezekiel 16:28You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still 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

• Adultery
• Friends

In the dictionaries

• Judah
• Beat
• Diligent
• Gibeah
• Micah
• Wayfaring
• Wolf
• Bethlehem
• 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