Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 19 · Verses 1-10
1 ALſo in thoſe dayes, when there was no king in Iſrael, a certayne Leuite dwelt as a ſtraunger on the ſyde of mount Ephraim, and tooke a wyfe a Concubine, out of Bethlehem Iuda.
2 And hys Concubine playde the whoore there, & went away from him vntounto her fathers houſe to Bethelehem Iuda, & ther continued a few dayes, namely foure monethes.
3 And her huſband aroſe & went after her, to ſpeake vntounto her hart, and to bring her againe: he had alſo his ſeruant with him, & a couple of Aſſes, and ſhe brought him in into her fathers houſe, & when the yong womans father ſaw him, he reioyced of his comming.
4 And hys father in law, the yong womans father retayned hym: and he abode wyth hym three dayes. So they dyd eate and drynke, and lodged there.
5 And when the fourth daye came, they aroſe earelye in the morning, and he prepared to depart: then the yong womans father ſaid vntounto hys ſonne in law: comfort thyne hart wyth a morſel of bread, and then go your way.
6 So they ſat downe, and dyd eate and drinke both of them together. And the yong womans father ſayd vntounto the man: be content, I pray thee, and tary al night, and let thyne hart be mery.
7 And when the man roſe vp to departe, hys father in lawe was earneſt, therefore he returned and lodged there.
8 And he aroſe vp early the fyft day to depart, and the young womans father ſayd: Comfort thine hart, I pray thee: and they taried vntil after mydday, and they both dyd eate.
9 Afterward when the man aroſe to depart wyth hys Concubine and hys ſeruaunt, hys father in law, the yong womans father ſayde vntounto hym: Behold now, the day draweth toward euen. I pray you tary al nyght: Behold the ſūne goeth to reſt: Lodge here that thine hart may be mery, and to morrow get you earlye vponupon your waye, and go to thy tent.
10 But the man woulde not tarye, but aroſe and departed, and came ouer agaynſt Iebus, (whyche is Ieruſalem) and hys twoo Aſſes laden, and hys Concubine, were with hym.
By reaſon of ſundry calamities and plagues wherewith the Philiſtians afflicted the people of their greuous ſynnes, the Iſraelites had nowe no lawfull Magiſtrates: wherby came to paſſe that many wycked actes were cōmitted, the woorſhipping of God violated, and ciuill warres aroſe, which muſt nedes happen, where ſynnes remayne vnpuniſhed. And that whych mought hauehave bene reſtrayned by the puniſhment of one or twoo, brought the deſtruction of manye thouſandes, both of the Iſraelites, and alſo of the Beniamites. We ſhal ſee in this hyſtory (whych the holye ghoſt referreth to the ende of thys booke) fyrſte a moſte haynous wycked acte of the Beniamites. Secondlye vengeaunce taken of that Tribe by the other Tribes, wherby the Beniamites were in a maner cleane deſtroyed. And laſtly we ſhal heare the wonderful inſtauracion of that Tribe.
The occaſion of this warre was thus. A certaine man being a Leuite, had a wyfe, who committed adultery, and fearing the ſharpenes of her houſband, fled to her Parentes. Not long tyme after, her huſbande went to ſeeke her, fyndeth her, and is reconciled vntounto her. The woman as ſhee returned home together wyth her huſband, was with moſt fylthy whoredome defiled of the Gabaonites, whereby ſhe miſerably periſhed, & ſo ſuffred puniſhment for her fyrſt aduoutry. For God puniſheth ſynnes by ſynnes. Neither ſuffered he adultry being not puniſhed by the Magiſtrates, to go vnpuniſhed.
As touching the hiſtorye, it is no marueilous or ſtraunge thing, that the Leuite dwelt as a ſtraunger. For althoughe that Tribe had certaine Cities and ſuburbes appointed it, yet very many of the Leuites went to the townes and villages of the other Tribes, to ſerue them as touching doctrine & counſels: wherof I hauehave a litle before ſomwhat ſpoken.
This man dwelt as a ſtraunger on the ſyde of mount Ephraim. The Hebrewe woord ſignifieth a ſide, a hyp or thigh. And by tranſlacion it ſignifieth a region or coaſt. And this is a very elegant Metaphore, when there is mencion made of a mountaine. He dwelled therfore on the ſide of mount Ephraim.
He tooke a wyfe a Concubine. By this place is manifeſtlye gathered, that the Concubines of the Fathers were wiues. For the Iewes were not bound to the lawes of the Romanes, when as both at this tyme they were not made, and alſo they pertayned not to that nacion. Whych I therefore ſpeake bycauſe the Romanes had Concubines, which were not wiues. But the Hebrewes ſometimes called their wyues Concubines, bycauſe they were not of the ſame honour and dignity that their wyues were, which had authority in the houſe. Yea the Maiſter ſometimes maryed his handmayden, as Abraham maryed Agar, Iacob Bilham and Zilpa. Peraduenture in contracting of thoſe matrimonies there wanted tables, or ſome outward ceremonies, wherwith they vſed to adorne the principal matrimonies. Neither yet was that a let, but that theſe were matrimonies. Of this thing I hauehave ſpoken largely before. Wherefore I will at thys tyme ceaſe to go any farther therein.
But in that the Leuite had a wyfe, whiche was of the tribe of Iuda, it is not to be marueiled at: bicauſe vnles maydens were inheritours, they mought mary in other tribes, which thing was not permitted to thoſe that had inheritāce, to the ende that poſſeſſions ſhould not be confounded. Farther, foraſmuche as the tribes of Iuda and Leui excelled the other in dignitye, they were the eaſelyer coopled together in matrimony. For the principality ſeemed wel to agree wyth the Prieſthood. It is called Bethlehem of Iuda, to put a difference from the other Bethlehem, as we hauehave before declared.
She committed aduoutry by hym. We might alſo ſay againſt him. For ther is great iniury done vntounto the man, when the wife playeth the whoore. And this prepoſicion All ſignifeth either. But the plainer ſenſe is by him. As thoughe it ſhould hauehave bene ſaid that ſhe committed aduoutry, when ſhe was yet together with her huſband, and had not departed from him.
She fled to her father. Being ſo afearde of her huſbande that ſhee durſt not come in his ſight, ſhe got her to her fathers houſe. Adultery is committed, which is a grieuous crime, and yet is not puniſhed by the puniſhment of the lawe, for that there was no Magiſtrate to execute iudgementes. And thoughe in all perſons aduoutry is a grieuous wicked act,The wyfe of a Miniſter if ſhe be an adultres, ſynneth more grieuouſly then other. yet in the wyfe of a Leuite or Prieſt it is farre more grieuous, for as muche as the holye miniſterye ought to bee well ſpoken of. Wherefore if the daughter of a Prieſt had played the harlot in her Fathers houſe, ſhe was not ſtoned as other were, but burnt with fyre, as it is expreſſedly wrytten in Deuteromy. But why this adultreſſe was not ſlaine, the cauſe (as it is before ſayde) was, for that there was no Magiſtrate in Iſrael. And this adultereſſe might think to herſelf yt ſhe had eſcaped puniſhmēt,This adulterous woman eſcaped not the puniſhmente of God. as touchinge men, but ſhe could not eſcape the hand of God. For god ſhall iudge adulterers and whoremōgers, as the Epiſtle to the Hebrewes teacheth, which thing he doth ſometimes by magiſtrates: and ſometimes when they ceaſe, by himſelf. The woman was with her parents .4. monthes, in which ſpace of time, her huſband being either moued with mercy, or wearied with ſolitarines, went to ſeke hys wyfe, and to ſpeake to her harte. Two manner of wayes of puniſhinge the guilty.By this Hebrewe phraſe is ſignified that he would comfort her being in miſery and afflicted, or geue her ſome profitable counſell, peraduenture that ſhe ſhould repent her of the ſinne which ſhe had cō mitted, promiſing her that if ſhe would do ſo, he woulde receaue her into fauor agayne.
He ioined a coople of Aſſes. That he might hauehave one to cary his wife, and the other to lade with thinges neceſſary for his iorney. The wife as ſone as ſhe ſaw him, brought him into her fathers houſe. By whiche acte ſhee declareth that ſhee was not vtterlye alienated from her huſbande. The father of the maiden, that is his father in lawe, mette him and ioyfully embraſed him. Whereby we gather, that the old man alſo wiſhed a reconcilement betwene them.
He abode there three dayes. He abode there in verye dede fiue dayes: but thre dayes willingly, the other two dayes he was in a manner compelled by his father in law. And they did eate and drinke. Theſe thinges declare that they were reconciled, and that the matrimony was renewed betwene them. But when he would hauehave departed, the father in law ſayd:
Thou ſhalt ſtrengthen thy hart with a morſell of breade. And by this woorde breade he vnderſtode all kinde of meate. The old man would not ſo ſone let thē go, bicauſe he deſired to hauehave fauor and louelove confirmed betwene them, to thend they ſhould not afterward be eaſly ſeperated, the one from the other: This was his purpoſe. Behold the day is weakened. He vſeth a Metaphore, and ſignifieth ye paſſage of the Sunne to the weſt, & that there was a little of the day remaining. So alſo men when they come to age, ar weakned in the body. The Leuit would tary no longer: which turned to his greate hurt.
Let vsus by the way note in this place, that for him which ſhal make a iorney it is vnprofitable to tary long at banquetings. For commonly they ar oppreſſed with night, before they can come to theyr lodginges.
Now it ſemeth that I ſhould entreate of adulteries, wherby I might declare the nature and greiuouſnes of that ſinne, and ſetforth the puniſhmentes of that crime, which ar appointed both by the ciuil laws & by the eccleſiaſtical, but theſe ſhalbe ſpoken of when wee are come vntounto the hiſtory of Dauid, who committed moſt filthy adultery with Bethſaba. Now I hauehave determined to entreate onelye of the reconſiliation of the huſband and the wife, after the committing of adultery, and I will touch the whole matter briefly.