A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Biblical tract · Volume 2 · Commentary on the book of Judges · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. of Judges.
THE Nineteenth Chapter holds forth the moſt horrible and prodigious Laſciviouſneſs found of Gibeah in Benjamin, whoſe Laſt was of ſuch a Monſtrous Nature, that they forced the Levites Concubine to Death: This moſt hainous Sin is deſcribed. (1.) By its Antecedents. (2.) By its Concomitants. And, (3.) By its Conſequents.
Firſt, The Antecedents relate the Cauſes and Occaſions of this Horrid Impiety, to wit, the Anarchy in Iſrael, ver. 1. this was the Remote cauſe, but the cauſae proxima was the Levite's fetching back his Fugitive Concubine from ver. 2. unto ver. 21.
Secondly, The Concomitants of the Sin together with the Sin it ſelf are declared from ver. 22. to ver. 25. at large. Then
Thirdly, The Conſequents thereof, which were the Concubines Death, the Levites dividing her Dead Body into Twelve pieces, and ſending them to the Twelve Tribes, and the Twelve Tribes Aſtoniſhment at ſuch an Unparallel'd Action are ſet down from ver. 26. to ver. 30.
The Remarks upon the firſt part; namely, the Antecedents, are,
Firſt, The time when this foul Fact was committed, [It came to paſs in thoſe Days,] ſaith, ver. 1. when there was no publick Magiſtrate to reſtrain private Vice. This is oft repeated, not only here, but Chap. 17.6. and 18.1. and 21.25. to denote, that all thoſe Stories were Contiguous and Contemporary: For Iſrael never ſtirreth themſelves up to puniſh either Micah, or the Danites for their Idolatry, but rather tolerateth it in them; this Toleration breedeth all manner of Iniquity, inſomuch that Gibeah (a City of Iſrael) becometh as abominable as Sodom: Thus the Prophet ſheweth, where there is no Ruler, to be an Healer of Diſorders, their Ruine ruſheth in, and all manner of Confuſion to provoke the Eyes of the Lord's Glory againſt them, Iſa. 3.6, 7, 8. look what a Ship is without a Pilot, or Steerſman, what a Flock of Sheep is without a Shepheard; what a great Family is without the Father of the Family; or what a numerous School, without a School-maſter: Such is a State without ſome Supream Government. This preſent Anarchy begat a General Ataxy, an Univerſal Diſorder, though Iſrael now lived in God's good Land, Hoſ. 9.3. yet did they not live according to God's good Law. Quod ſibi placebat, id ſolebat facere, Every Man did that which was right in his own Eyes, Judg. 17.6. And again, Chap. 21.25. not at all doing what pleaſed the Lord, but what pleaſed their own Lusts. The time of theſe Tranſactions is well ſuppoſed to be ſoon after the Death of Joſhua, &c. for then began Iſrael to decline from God, and to incline unto all manner of Ungodlineſs, yea before Othniel became Judge; and ſeeing Jeruſalem the Ʋpper was at this time Inhabited by the Jebuſites, and this very Levite calls it a City of Strangers, ver. 11. and 12. here. Hence ſome ſuppoſe, that thoſe Stories did happen while Caleb was Living: However this is certain, this matter did fall out while Phinehas was alive (as above) Judg. 20.28. and not after Samſon's Death, as 'tis ſet down in this Book, &c.
The Second Remark from the Antecedents is, A Levite takes a Concubine to be his Secondary Wife, for ſhe was Contracted to him (though not Solemnly Married) which differ'd her from common Concubines, and otherwiſe ſhe could not have been charged to break her Faith with him, as ſhe is, [againſt him,] ver. 2. and hereupon ſhe is call'd his Wife, and her Father is call'd his Father-in-Law, ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. and he is call'd her Lord, ver. 26, 27. becauſe he was her Husband, (as 1 Pet. 3.6.) ſo Judg. 20.4. calls him: This Concubine played the Whore. ver. 2. Joſephus ſaith, ſhe was a fair Woman, and not affecting her Husband as ſhe ought, but lingring after other Lovers, great ſtrife grew betwixt them; whereupon (as he ſaith) ſhe went away to her Parents within four Months after Marriage: The Scripture tells us, that ſhe went away from him to her Father's Houſe, who like a Fond Father entertained her, whereas inſtead of countenancing her in her Sin, he ſhould rather have Rebuked or Puniſhed her, and ſent her Home again to her Husband, and not to have received and retained her four Months: Her Kind-hearted Husband goes to her, when he ſaw ſhe would not come to him, whereas ſhe ſhould have ſought to him firſt, being the peccant Party, and the firſt Offender; yet this the offended Husband will condeſcend to do either out of pity to her, or from his want of her Company, he offers Reconcilement, ver. 3. whence ſome ſay his Concubine had not committed Adultery, for in that caſe no Reconciliation ought to be offered, for Adultery was ſeverely puniſhed by the Law of God, &c. However he would Imitate God in alluring her, &c. Hoſ. 2.14. therefore brings he a Beaſt to ride upon home, [a couple of Aſſes,] though poſſibly ſhe ran from him on Foot.
N. B. The Father in-Law rejoiced to behold Reconciliation, brought home to him, though all this while he had not ſtir'd out of Doors to fetch it: Now muſt they all rejoyce together in this new Reconcilement, the Levite is content to ſpend three Days therein on his own Voluntary Accord but he muſt ſpend other Days more though unwillingly, being over-born with the Importunity of his Father-in-Law, ver. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. ſtill the Father in Law preſſeth his ſtay ſo long upon the laſt Day, (and all that this renewed Love might be the more confirmed by his kind Entertainment) that it was a time ſitter to take up Lodging, than to begin a Journey; but the Levite was reſolute, and will ſtay no longer, ver. 10. and here begins the ſad Tragical Story.
Note here by the way, Delays are many times dangerous; had they ſet out betimes, and not ſtaid till the Afternoon, they might haply have got home that Night, and the following Miſchiefs might have been prevented. —Semper nocuit differe paratis.
N. B. Thus the Devil uſually Courteth and Cozeneth thoſe that would look toward Heaven our beſt Home; juſt as this Old Man did the Levite, [Be content, I pray thee, &c. What haſte? In ſpace comes Grace, and hereafter is time enough: Thus one Delay begets another, as one Link in a Chain draws on another. Qui non eſt Hodiè cras minus Aptus erit.
He that is not fit to Day will be leſs fit to Morrow, and oft times our choice may be made our Judgment: For if lingring and loitering in Matters of Salvation, be our voluntary choice one Day, God may juſtly inflict it as a Judgment upon us the next day. Our delaying to Day, may become the hardening of our Hearts to Morrow, [To Day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,] Hebr 3.15. [Now is the accepted time, and now is the Day of Salvation,] 2 Cor. 6.2. Dr. Hall hath an excellent Note here, It is good hearing when the Levite maketh haſt home; an Honeſt Man's Heart is, where his Calling is; ſuch an one is like a Fiſh in the Air, whereinto if it come for Neceſſity or Recreation, yet it ſoon returneth into its own Element again: This Office, by how much more ſacred it is, ſo much the more attendance it requireth; even a Day breaketh ſquare with the truly Conſcientious; as it did in this Levite, who roſe up early two Mornings together to Depart and to return to his charge, ver. 5.8. but the Old Man his Father-in-Law detained him againſt his Inclinations, Hinc illae lacrimae, from hence ſprang all the following Miſchief and Miſeries: No doubt but the Old Father might out of a good Mind conſtrain their ſtay.
N. B. Would to God we could thus conſtrain Chriſt to ſtay with us as the two Diſciples did at Emmaus, not by force but by friendly Intreaties, Luk. 24.28.29.) that the hearts of the Levite and his Concubine might be the better reunited, and their Mutual Loves be the more reciprocally renewed: As a Bone once broken, becomes ſtronger after ſetting, and as Boards well Glued together, will not eaſily be diſſevered: However this over affectionate Father ſoon felt the ſad effects of his fond Affections (both in detaining his Daughter four Months before, and now in detaining her Husband with her other five Days, until the Day was declined upon the fifth Day) for he ſoon after, even that very Night loſt his Daughter, as well as the Levite loſt his Concubine, and that after a more than bruitiſh and barbarous manner, which happened thus; [The Day was far ſpent when they came toward Jebus, the Levite dare not lodge there, becauſe it was Inhabited by the Jebuſites, though the City Jeruſalem had been taken by Caleb, &c. Judg. 1.8. therefore Adonibezek was brought to Jeruſalem becauſe it was then in Iſrael's hands, ver. 7. yet could they not quite drive out the Jebuſites, neither the Tribe of Judah out of their part, Joſh. 15.63. nor the Benjamites out of their part, Judg. 1.21. And the Jebuſites did Inhabit that City until David's day, 2 Sam. 5. ver. 6, 7, 8. which was the upper part, the ſtrong Fort of Zion, from whence probably they much moleſted the lower part, and afterwards by God's Permiſſion, drove out the Iſraelites (that dwelt there) for the puniſhment of their Sin: Therefore this Levite durſt not lodge with thoſe Curſed Canaanites, ver. 10.11, 12. but piouſly reſolveth to lodge in a City belonging to God's People, ſo pitches upon Gibeah belonging to Benjamin, ver. 13, 14, 15. where he expected better Entertainment, but by an over-ruling Providence of God, his choice here proved pernicious to himſelf, to his Wife, and to many Thouſands of his People: If this City were one that was given to the Levites (as ſome ſuppoſe from Joſh. 21.17.) no wonder if he turn'd in thither hoping to find ſome of his fellow-Levites there to have the comfort of their Company. If ſo, either the Backſliding Benjamites had Baniſh'd them thence, or themſelves were become as bad as the Benjamites, and the following wickedneſs was ſo much the worſe: Where can a Man be ſafe from the Devil and his Imps, and what place (excepting Hell it ſelf) can afford a worſe Creature, than an Apoſtate Iſraelite, a profligate Profeſſour, and a Depraved Prieſt, or Levite: Here
N. B. This Levite (leaning upon his own Ʋnderſtanding in his choice of Lodging, Prov. 3.5. and not deſiring God's Direction, Prov. 16.9. and 19.…1. and 20.24. Jerem. 10.23.) goes to Gibeah, where he found none ſo kind as to entertain him (there being no Inns in thoſe times, as are now, but if no Man took them in Travellers lay in the Streets, Gen. 19.2.) though he would not have been at all chargeable, ſave only for Houſe-room, having all Accommodations of his own for his Journey; ſo that there was no reaſon to refuſe him Lodging: There was no Job among all the Benjamites who ſuffered not Strangers to lodge in the Streets, but opened his Door to Travellers, Job. 31.32. Nor was there a Lot to entertain a Levite, an Angel, Gen. 19.3. Hebr. 13.2. until he came, who was an Old Man, yet a Work-man, yea at Field-work, and that till the Evening, (whereas the other Citizens were Idle and Luxurious) and he was alſo of Mount-Ephraim, as the Levite was (which might make him the more kind to his Country-man) who, after ſome needful Queſtions asked; and underſtanding he was going to the Houſe of the Lord, (not only to wait upon his Office, as a Levite, but alſo to pay his Thank-Offering unto God at Shiloh, for his Mercy in Reconciling him and his Wife together, to make an Atonement for her Sin, and to beg that God's Bleſſing might abide upon them for the future. His Journey to Shilo pleaſed this Good Old Man well, therefore he preſſeth the Levite to lodge with him, ſaying, [Let all thy wants be upon me,] juſt as our Sweet Saviour ſaith to the Penitent Sinner, as Revel. 3.20. Pſal. 24.7.9. He brings him into his Houſe, makes him and his merry with moſt liberal Hoſpitality, ver. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
Secondly come the Concomitants of the perpetration of Unparallel'd Impiety, wherein the Agents, the Patients, and the Action in its Circumſtances are very conſiderable.
The Third Remark ariſing from this Second Part is the Agents, They are call'd, [Sons of Belial,] ver. 22. Hebr. Beni Belignal, Men that were Yokeleſs, as the word ſignifies, neither the Laws of God nor of Man muſt yoke them; moſt Licentious and Stigmatized Villains, breaking off the Yoke even of the Law of Nature, like to the Devil himſelf, who is called Belial, 2 Cor. 6.15. and thoſe were the Eldeſt Sons of the Devil, Deut. 13.13. they were Lawleſs and Maſterleſs Monſters, breathing Incarnate Devils: Theſe Flagitious Fellows beſet the Houſe round about without Doors, and marr'd all their Mirth within Doors, beating at the Door, as if they would have broke it down, crying vehemently. [Bring forth thy Stranger that we may know him,] a Modeſt Expreſſion of their moſt filthy Luſt according to Scripture Phraſe; The Sodomites likely were their Preſidents, Gen. 19.4.5. as themſelves are made Cautionary Examples unto after Ages, Hoſ. 9.9. and 10.9. How were their Faces here hatch'd with Impudency thus to declare their Sin as Sodom, Iſa. 3.9. thoſe ſhameleſs Wretches hide it not, as if Sodomy had been no ſin: Though bleſſed Paul puts ſuch a black Brand upon it, Rom. 1.27.
The Fourth Remark is, The Good Old Man was mightily concerned, looking upon himſelf as obliged by the Laws of Hoſpitality to protect his Gueſts, as Gen. 19.7, 8. Hereupon he went out to them, ver. 23. and maketh uſe of a meek Compellation [calling them Brethren,] whereof they were altogether unworthy, having d…veſted themſelves not only of Brotherhood, but of Manhood alſo, rather becoming a Company of Dogs and worſe, for Dogs do not luſt after Dogs, but after Bitches, but thoſe Scoundrels, [foreign] were ſcalded in their own Greaſe by their Luſts of Man to Man, Rom. 1.27. and to take them off from any ſuch Attempt, he telleth them that their intended Action was both Fooliſh and Wicked, and to quell their Outragious Luſt the more effectually, the Good Old Man makes a raſh and ſinful offer to gratifie their Unruly Luſts by proſtituting his own Daughter and the Levite's Concubine to them, ver. 24. N. B. I cannot but ſometimes wonder how that either ſo good a Man durſt venture to live in ſo wicked a place, he belonging to Mount-Ephraim near Shilo, or that thoſe baſe Benjamites did ſuffer ſo good a Stranger to live among them, we muſt ſuppoſe this Good Old Man was meerly ſurprized with the ſuddenneſs and violence of the Aſſault, and hereupon ignorantly and inconſiderately offers this leſſer Sin, to avoid a greater and a more unnatural ſin, which he thought they deſigned: Though this be lawful in the Evils of Puniſhment to chuſe the leſſer for avoiding the greater, for ſo reſpectively the leſſer evil is good: Yet in the Evils of ſin, the Rule is, Nullum morale malum eſt eligendum.
The leſſer is not to be choſen, no more than the greater: Indeed of two Inconveniences we may chuſe the leſſer; but of two Evils (that are morally ſo) we muſt chuſe neither. We muſt not do evil that good may come of it, Rom. 3.8. we may not chuſe to do the leaſt Evil, no, not for the procuring of the greateſt Good; ſeeing the leaſt and lighteſt ſin is greater, if we be Agents in it, and make it our own by Choice, than the greateſt wickedneſs wherein we are but meer Patients and Subjects of others Villany: Beſide this Maſter of the Houſe had no power to expoſe the Chaſtity of his own Innocent Daughter, much leſs of another Man's Wife without asking conſent: Yet muſt it be ſaid in the cloſe of all, that this Old Man's good intention for protecting his Gueſts doth mitigate his Sin.
The Fifth Remark is, The perpetration of their Villany upon the Concubine's Body, ver. 25. Though their brutiſh and boundleſs Luſts had no Ears; inſomuch that it is ſaid. [They would not hearken to the Old Man.] Hereupon to end the Controverſie, (ſome ſay) the Concubine went forth on her own accord, and offered her ſelf to them: But the Hebrew word [Kazak] uſed in thoſe words, [The Man took his Concubine,] oppoſes the former Opinion, for it implies, that the Levite not daring to go forth himſelf for fear of being abuſed by them, required the Old Man to Hale his Concubine out to them, upon what new Diſguſt, it is not known; but why the Old Man did not hale out his Daughter alſo, ſome at random render this reaſon, that thoſe Miſcreants were much enamour'd with the Levite's Concubine, but were not at all Captivated with the ordinary Face and Features of the Old Man's Daughter, but I rather judge, this came to paſs from a juſt and over-ruling Providence of God, which made them forget, (having got the Concubine to divert them) the Innocent Virgin, that ſhe might be preſerved in her Chaſtity; and on the other ſide yet ſuffer the Concubine to be abuſed, for a deſerved Puniſhment of her former Filthineſs and Unfaithfulneſs. And no doubt but of the two the Levite was more willing to expoſe his Concubine, that had ſo notoriouſly diſobliged him, rather than the Daughter of his Hoſt, who had behaved himſelf ſo obligingly to him.
N. B. The Innocent Virgin by God's Mercy eſcapeth, but the faulty Concubine is killed, partly with exceſſive abuſe of her Body, and partly through fear and ſhame of ever looking her Lord in the Face after this Nights work, ver. 26. Thus God wrote her ſin upon her puniſhment: Whoredom was her ſin which ſhe had choſen, ver. 2. and now God inflicts it as her Judgment upon her, though her Husband had pardon'd her, yet God would puniſh her, at leaſt as to this Life: Thus the Lord filled her with the evil of her own ways, Prov. 14.14. A Whoriſh Woman is killed with Whoredom. The laſt part of this Chapter is the Conſequents of this unheard of and matchleſs Villany, which affords us in the cloſe,
The Sixth and laſt Remark. Thoſe Beaſtly Hell-Hags, [Vaijthgnalelu Boh.] Hebr. (the Conjugation H…thpael denoting the frequency of the Act) having taken their luſtful Turns upon the Concubine all the Night long, until they had almoſt turned her very Soul out of her forced Body, at the Dawning of the Day they let her go, and ſcarce had the uſe of her Legs to reach her Land-lords Door, where ſhe falls down Dead, ver. 26. a juſt Judgment of God upon her; Whore-mongers and Adulterers God will judge, Hebr. 13.4. as ſhe had too often fallen down in a way of ſinning, at laſt ſhe falls down in a way of Suffering; whether ſhe repented before ſhe Died, is unrevealed; if Charity do grant it, then her Suffering (ſaith great Grotius) was only a Fatherly Chaſtiſement, not properly a Puniſhment: But the Pſalmist ſaith better, [God pardons eternally, yet puniſhes temporally.] Pſal. 99.8. for evil doers God will puniſh for the publick good of Humane Society: That ſhe ſtay'd not ſtill among thoſe Miſcreants, but was more minded to return to her Husband, might be ſome Indication of her Penitency, yet hardly reaching the Door where he was, ſo feeble their Villany had made her, that ſhe was not able to cry [Open the Door.] nor to knock for its opening; otherwiſe the Levite doubtleſs would have let her in, becauſe he had ſent her out among them to ſave himſelf from Buggery: This is the more probable, becauſe 'tis ſaid, ver. 27. that her Lord was the firſt up in the Houſe, and opened the Door; 'tis likely, to ſee what was become of his Wife, that they might go on their Journey, but finding her at the Door-Threſhold in a ſleeping poſture, he calls to awake her and to raiſe her up, ver. 28. ſuppoſing ſhe was come too late at Night to be let in, and ſo was there fallen aſleep; but lying in that place and poſture from Day-break to Sun-Riſe, he found her in her long Sleep indeed, and neither ſo aſleep as to be awakened, nor ſick of the Sullens to be fetched out.
N. B. Hereupon he takes up her Dead Body, lays it upon an Aſs, and carries it home to Mount-Ephraim, and there in a pang of Zeal divides the dead Carcaſe into Twelve pieces, and ſends a piece to each Tribe; yea, one to Benjamin it ſelf, ver. 29. (for Levi was diſperſed among the other Tribes, and there could not be Twelve without Benjamin) preſuming that the whole Tribe would abhor the Villanous Action of this one City of their Tribe, as much as any of the other Tribes, eſpecially conſidering how the Meſſengers (by whom the pieces of the Corps were ſent) did aggravate the Villany, ſaying in the perſon of the Levite that ſent them, [I came to Gibeah, and the Varlets thereof ſurrounded my Lodging, Threatned to kill me, if I would not proſtitute my Body to their Ʋnnatural Luſt, or deliver up my Concubine to them, which I was forced to do, and they have forced her ſo, that ſhe is Dead,] Judg. 20.5. This Aggravation, he hoped might Exaſperate Benjamin againſt this their own wicked City, ſeeing a viſible, yet horrid Spectacle was preſented to their Eyes, which much more affects the Mind, than a bare Report (only related to their Ears) could have done: A ſeeing ſo ſad a ſight, might ſtir up ſome Zeal againſt the Offenders, &c. Beſides, if one part had not been ſent to the Tribe of Benjamin, as well as to the other Eleven, they might ſeem to be ſlighted and reputed as Enemies, which would doubtleſs have been deemed a ſort of provocation to deſert the other Tribes, as they cauſeleſly did (they neither went nor ſent to the Solemn Aſſembly, Judg. 20.3.) not once making uſe of any ſuch Apology.
N. B. This Fact of the Levite is variouſly ventilated, whether it were lawful or unlawful.
Firſt, Thoſe for the Negative ſay it was a Barbarous Bloudy and an Inhumane Act in it ſelf, to be done by a Strangers Hand, much more by the Hand of an Husband, to mangle the Dead Body of his Wife after ſo brutiſh a manner, which is both againſt the Law of God, that commands Burial of the Dead, though they be executed Malefactors, Deut. 21.23. and alſo againſt the common Principles of Humanity and Honeſty, which do condemn all ſuch Savage Manglings of Dead Bodies. But,
Secondly, It may be ſaid for the Affirmative, that it was Lawful in the Levite's Caſe. For,
1. This was in a time of Iſrael's Anarchy, when there was neither King nor Judge to Head the People, or to whom the Levite might apply himſelf for a Redreſs of his Grievances; and therefore was conſtrained to make his Applications unto every Tribe diſtinctly.
2. Though this might have been done by Meſſengers, as indeed was done by the Levite herein, yet in ſuch a profound Lethargy did all Iſrael lie at this Time, that a bare Meſſage, by word of Mouth only, could not poſſibly rouze them out of it, and therefore this Levite (from a Divine Impulſe and Zeal for Juſtice) might judge this Horrid Spectacle alſo neceſſary and moſt effectual.
(3.)) Nor did he do this, out of any deſign to Diſhonour the Dead, but for the benefit of the Living, to bring thoſe Belialiſts to Condign Puniſhment, leaſt the very Air ſhould be poiſoned by the Breath of thoſe Peſts, if permitted any longer to live in the Land; and more eſpecially, leaſt the dreadful Judgments of God ſhould fall upon the whole Land for Indemnifying Delinquents of the greateſt Magnitude: And thus for publick good, the Law allows of Anatomies, that Dead Bodies may be Diſſected, that by ſearching out the Secrets of Nature, both Phyſicians and Chirurgeons may learn more skill out of the Bodies of the Dead, either to prevent, or to cure thoſe Diſeaſes that are Incident to the Bodies of the Living. The Levite's Intelligence (which he ſent to all the Tribes in ſo marvelous a manner) ſounds a loud Alarm to the whole Land of Promiſe; inſomuch that all Iſrael do univerſally acknowledge, there was never the like Horrid Villany neither done, nor ſeen, neither in their own times, nor in the time of their Anceſtors. Hereupon it was generally concluded to hold a Solemn Aſſembly, wherein this lamentable Tragedy might be ſeriouſly ſearch'd into, (every Man ſpeaking freely) and to have ſpeedy Juſtice executed upon thoſe deſperate Delinquents, the Actors of it, that the Land might not be liable to the Wrath of God, if unpuniſhed.