levite's concubine summarylevite's concubine summary

The host tried to divert the men by offering his virgin daughter and the Levites concubine instead (Judges 19:24). A movement from a Moabite to David in Bethlehem (4:17-22) Left to seek employment (17:7, 9) Received his concubine from Bethlehem to which she had fled. In the view of the Rabbis, the name Ben-oni that Rachel had given to her son Benjamin was realized in the episode of the concubine at Gibeah. Perhaps the most powerful and relevant aspect of this text is that it so vividly exposes both the futility of violence and the ways in which people try to justify their actions by claiming they were doing Gods work. The Hebrew text states that the woman prostituted herself against the Levite (19:2). Fragmented Women: Feminist (Sub)versions of Biblical Narratives. Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him. When the men of Gibeah refuse to accept the two women, one of the men inside the house throws the concubine outside. Such an attitude reflects both the social subordination of women and the fact that homosexual rape was viewed as a particularly severe attack on male honor. He said: I gave My Torah only to those who will read it, study it, and learn proper behavior from it. As punishment for this behavior in Gibeah, the Israelites assembled and went forth to war; seventy thousand (from all the tribes of Israel, including Benjamin) were killed at Gibeah, and the leaders of the generation were responsible for their deaths (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah, chap. Concubine of a Levite: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive The atrocity of Gibeah and its horrific aftermath are overcome, as the themes of Israels sin are taken up and slowly unworked by divine grace. He is at the centre of his account of events: the lords of Gibeah rose up against him, surrounded the house because of him, and sought to kill him. So the man seized his concubine, and put her out to them. The host was justifiably frightened, but how could he blithely offer his daughter to a gang of rapists? Levite's Concubine The father was so pressing in his repeated invitations that it looks as if these were two rather lonely, isolated men who longed for fellowship with each other rather than marriage and a family with a woman. In the parallels between Gibeah and Sodom we see that Israel had sunk to the level of repeating the most signal sin of the people of the land who preceded them (a fact accented by the fact that the Levite purposefully chose to stay in Gibeah, rather than a non-Israelite city in verses 11-12). The Israelites also failed to take responsibility for their actions, preferring to blame God for the loss of the Benjaminites. There are noteworthy contrasts between these accounts. When I was PIMI I couldnt get much research from it and why it was allowed to happen. Rather than protecting the bride, the Levite thrusts her out to the dogs of Gibeah to be torn apart. The text does not tell us exactly when or how the woman dies. They defended realms against trespass. (Westminster John Knox: Louisville, Kentucky, 2020). Unfortunately, as the story unfolds, the Levite is revealed to be other than what he first appears to be. While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the city, a perverse lot, surrounded the house, and started pounding on the door. WebBus 206 Milestone, Two Factual Summary Of The Case, Lesson 16 How and Why Volcanoes Vary; Aplia Assignment 5.4; Chapter 13b Lecture Notes; Levite's Concubine Notes. In Judges 21, the city of Jabesh Gilead was almost completely destroyed for their failure to join the rest of Israel in their fight against the Benjamites. Similarly, in the past century, innocent people have been increasingly at risk in warfare. She took him into her parents home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. 2 And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her fathers house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months. Thousands of innocent women and children were killed in these chapters. Where did you come from? Judges 19 RSVCE - The Levites Concubine - In those - Bible Gateway In the morning, he wakes up and, eager to get on his way, addresses her roughly, without even betraying the faintest concern for her well-being after the horrific treatment she had suffered in the night (Judges 19:27). Day 152 | Benjaminites Commit Evil Against a Levite's Concubine (2023) Listen for free Summary; Todays Scripture passages are Judges 19 - 20 | Luke 10:25-37. Now we are reminded of Laban, how he sought to detain Jacob, and of Pharaohs detaining of Israel. The Levite seemed to be ignoring his wife, and perhaps the Bible is giving us a clue as to why she left him in the first place. In 1 Samuel, there is a striking retracing of themes from Judges 19-21, as Saul is established as the new guardian of Israel. In all, the father-in-law is shown trying to get the Levite to stay five times (v. 4, 5, 6-7, 8, 9). Such a think of course was completely incompatible with the ancient laws of hospitality, and the story has striking similarities with what happened at Sodom in Genesis 19. Through the Passover, the Lord sanctified to himself all of the firstborn males of Israel (Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13). Levite's concubine Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; but against this man do not do such a vile thing. 179-221. However, they did not do so; rather, when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, each went to his vineyard and his wine, said It is well with me, and engaged less in Torah study. She had no voice, until finally her body parts were allowed to speak about her death. Flawed Means of Grace: Liturgy in The Pardoner's Tale. In both cases, two visitors arrive at a wicked city in the evening (Genesis 19:1; Judges 19:14-15). Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. In the Judges version of the story, there were no angels. They wantonly raped her, and abused her all through the night until the morning. The crowd was in no mood to bargain so, horrifyingly, the young man, the traveller, desperate to save himself, took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door into the vile crowd of men. 2. Milstein, Sara J. Was she dead or alive? Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; but against this man do not do such a vile thing. But the men would not listen to him. At the end of this time her husband followed her to try to get her back which suggests that she was the offended party. These and These are the Words of the Living God, Concubine of a Levite: Midrash and Aggadah, (Aramaic) A work containing a collection of tanna'itic. And yet, the story mirrors some contemporary practices of international relations and warfare. In the Judges version of the story, there were no angels. He doesnt mention the fact that he allowed his concubine to be cast to the mob, somehow managing to present himself as if he were the primary victim. Josephus, a first-century Jewish commentator, said she was so ashamed of being raped that she could not face her husband, so she chose to die rather than ask him to accept her when she was damaged goods. It is disturbing to realize how pervasive and long standing is the idea that women should feel it is their fault that they have been raped. Several verses are devoted to describing the Levites tarrying in the house of his father-in-law. The rabbis do not blame the unnamed woman for her fate and the ensuing crisis, instead placing the blame at the feet of the Levite for his selfishness and the leaders of Israel for their lax leadership. He said, Get up! The Israelites consulted God when it seemed convenient, but they did not ask the right question. She crawled back to the door of the house where she would, she thought, find shelter. Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. a. Designation of the five scrolls of the Bible (Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther). Commentators have concluded that when the men offered women to the rapists, it was not mere self-protection, but an attempt to avoid the sin of unnatural sex. It was worse for men to be raped, partly because women had less value, but also because when women were raped, the sex was at least natural. This perspective made their actions understandable, though not excusable.2. Four months after the woman returns to Bethlehem, the Levite goes after her. The Talmud continues to ask how the positions of both R. Ebiathar and R. Yonatan could be correct. The Levite first sets off for Bethlehem as his concubine had played the harlot and returned to the house of her father. Like the Levite cut the body of his concubine in pieces and sent it throughout Israel, Saul cut a yoke of oxen in pieces and sent the pieces throughout Israel, calling everyone to respond to his summons or suffer the same fate (1 Samuel 11:7). Stone, Ken. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Trible, Phyllis. After her husband finds her, the house in which they are staying is threatened by In World War II, millions of civilians were killed by starvation, in concentration camps, or when their cities were bombed. Web(A) The insensitive father-in-law. They fed the animals, then settled down to eat, drink and talk. And stay. Still, the narrator at least made it clear that this kind of ridiculous violence was no way for a community to live. 19:28-30), GustavDor. 31 December 1999. Commentary.Judges 19 Summary: The Levite and Concubine. The Levite is referred to as the husband of the woman (19:3; 20:4) and the son-in-law of the womans father (19:5), who in turn is referred to as the Levites father-in-law (19:4, 7, 9). Their host offers the concubine in the Levites place, which they reject; she is then thrown outside to them and they rape her until the morning, when she returns to the house and is near death. Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Minneapolis: 1995. While the travelers are eating, the house is surrounded by men of the city who, according to the Hebrew text, wish to know the Levite (19:22). 2020 Theopolis Institute. Had there been a king in Israel, one suspects that these events would have been handled more carefully. Dr. Lynn Japinga is professor of religion at Hope College. She lived in her fathers house for four months. The Levite takes a concubine from a distant village (Bethlehem, as it happens), but after a domestic quarrel, she returns to her fathers house. God, why did you do this? The Israelites consulted God when it seemed convenient, but they did not ask the right question. "Saul the Levite and His Concubine: The Allusive Quality of Judges 19." Difficult Passages: The Levites Concubine whytheology Wikipedia It also one that is used against LGBTQ+ people. Why are women treated so badly? She received an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and a PhD from Union Theological Seminary. They had to look for somewhere to stay the night. The story of Saul begins with Saul and a servant setting off to find some lost donkeys. WebA Levite and His Concubine. R. Ebiathar asked the prophet: What is God doing? Elijah replied: He is occupied now with the matter of the concubine at Gibeah. R. Ebiathar continued to ask: And what is He saying? Elijah answered: Thus says God: My son Ebiathar says such-and such, and My son Yonatan says such-and-such. R. Ebiathar exclaimed: Heaven forbid! The Levites Concubine (Judg 19:2) and the Tradition of 2022-23 Season Wrap. The story begins with the concubine of a Levite who left him and returned to her fathers house. The Levite, the Concubine, and Israels Story - Theopolis Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. For him to be gone too long would result in a neglect of his task. WebIn Judg 1921, a Levites concubine is raped and murdered in the territory of Benjamin. That no one should offer him hospitality is a sign of the attitude of the people of the city to the God who gave them their home within the land. When the husband prepared to leave, the womans father urged him to stay. Levites Concubine The two men ate and drank and talked for several days. When U.S. troops captured his mansion in Baghdad, they found a personal zoo stocked with lions and cheetahs; an underground parking garage for his collection of luxury cars; paintings glorifying him and his mother with Saddam (which was known to have infuriated his father); Cuban cigars inscribed with his name; and millions of dollars worth Is it the word of God in any way? The men smile and pose for the photographer. Let us know. Click on the different category headings to find out more. The travellers wait for an offer of hospitality, James Tissot. Something must be done. The old associations of wickedness are replaced by the new associations of deliverance and the Lords goodness. The men at the door were not blinded and the woman was not spared. 10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. [3] In the fourth season of Downton Abbey, the ladys maid Anna was brutally raped by a visiting man-servant. 8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the womans father said, Refresh yourself. The Levite's Concubine What do you hear the Spirit saying to you/your family/your church/your community? 25 But the men would not listen to him. He blogs at Alastairs Adversariaand tweets using @zugzwanged. They asked who should go first into battle and not whether they should go at all. The woman is then raped by the men of Gibeah throughout the night. If you havent read it (and cant click the link above) heres the summary w/ some brief commentary: A Levite has a concubine, definitely not married but sleeping The womans father acts as if he is glad to see the Levite, but for several days he delays the return of the Levite and the woman to Ephraim. Thus, after three days, he wants to depart. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. They raped and abused her all night, and in the morning they let her go. The Levites Concubine: When Evil Poses as Justice They didnt have territory in the manner of the other tribes, as their inheritance was the service of the Lord (Joshua 18:7). But this woman did break it off, so to speak, by leaving her husband and returning to her fathers house. As a result of this action, the Israelites gather at Mizpah, a traditional site of tribal assembly, to listen to the Levites story and plan a response to the Benjaminites. 19:1 In those days Israel had no king. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. WebThe messed up story of the Levite and his concubine Judges 19-20. We might expect the writer to say that the girls father tried to get the Levite to prolong his stay, but when we read over and over and over again that the father-in-law persuaded him to stay a bit longer, we are alerted to a theme of detaining. Now, the Levite was a man with a calling, a task. He turns his concubine over to the crowd, and they rape her until she collapses. Eventually the two men made their farewells and the husband set out with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. WebHelen Paynters remarkable book moves the debate forward by offering a reparative reading of the story of the Levites pilegesh in Judges 19, in which this ancient victim of rape becomes a prophetic voice addressing the suffering of victims of gender-based violence today. The story of the concubine at Gibeah is one of the most shocking narratives in the Bible. The Levite finds his concubine on the doorstep, James Tissot. It is also possible that the womans prostitution does not refer to literal sexual infidelity but is a sort of metaphor for the fact that she leaves her husband. It also one that is used against LGBTQ+ people. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah (Tosefta Lit. Offer us the healing we need for our wounded spirits. A religious community may not be able to solve or prevent these problems on the other side of the world, but its members might at least be informed about the problems. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. When Jabesh Gilead was surrounded by threatening men, calling for them to come out to them and face a cruel fate (1 Samuel 11:2-3), the new guardian of Israel, the Spirit of God upon him, fought to protect them. WebThe Levite's Concubine Notes on Joshua 202 1 Edition Dr An Overview of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) Introduction We Know That All Scripture Is Profitable (2 Timothy 3:16) Joshua 21: Cities and Pasturelands Allotted to Levi The Veil of Ignorance in Biblical Covenants Women in Judaism: A Multidisciplinary e-Journal 2022-23 Season Wrap. In both accounts there is a lot of attention given to the doorway as the threshold between safety and death (Genesis 19:6, 9-11; Judges 19:22, 26, 27) and to the contrast between the night and the dawn (Genesis 19:1, 2, 15, 23, 27; Judges 19:11, 14, 15, 25, 26). His callous wordsGet up, lets goare some of the most unfeeling, insensitive words in Scripture. Wait till afternoon! So the two of them ate together. They asked who should go first into battle and not whether they should go at all. Keywords judges text criticism sexual slander Septuagint Josephus Saul receives the first sign of the kingdom that Samuel foretold by Rachels tomb (1 Samuel 10:2). It answers that the Levite first found a fly in the bowl, but was not angry with his concubine; afterwards, he discovered a hair, and that did infuriate him. How do people try to justify their behavior? It speaks the painful truth about humans behaving badly, seeking revenge, and using brutality to terrorize. The horror of the tale represents extreme disorder, to be rectified only by the establishment of monarchic rule. It wasa lawless time where anything could happen. They plan to stay in the open square (Genesis 19:2; Judges 19:15), but, prevailed upon by a man of the city (in both cases someone whose origins were from outside of the city), they stay in his house instead (Genesis 19:2-3; Judges 19:16-20), where they are fed and given something to drink (Genesis 19:3; Judges 19:21). 15 There they stopped to spend the night. Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. Why do you think this story is in the Bible? They said to the old man, the master of the house, Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may have intercourse with him. And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. contributions other than intangible religious benefits. She was virtually sacrificed to save his skin as the men sexually abused her all night. (Wolf), ii. The interpretations and elaborations of the Mishnah by the, Statements that are not Scripturally dependent and that pertain to ethics, traditions and actions of the Rabbis; the non-legal (non-, Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, Daughters of Zelophehad: Midrash and Aggadah, Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. The callousness of the old host and the Levite, and the monstrous brutality of the men of Gibeah, leaves us feebly scrabbling for words by which to surmount our dumbfoundedness. It is often difficult to know how to respond when violence happens in another part of the world. The text and notes for this episode can be found here. When a nation is willing to inflict or permit violence toward the least powerful, it shows a blatant disregard for human life. 12). Stone, Ken. We are told that he spoke tenderly to her, but we are not told what her response was. Let me supply whatever you need. Gibeah, once synonymous with the deepest wickedness, is now Gibeah of Saul (1 Samuel 11:4; 15:34; 2 Samuel 21:6; Isaiah 10:29). Their evening was interrupted by pounding on the door. Judges 19 Bible Commentary It concerns a Levite from Ephraim and his concubine, who travel through the Benjamite city of Gibeah and are assailed by a mob, who wish to gang-rape the Levite. 26:38). She is the author of Feminism and Christianity: An Essential Guide; Loyalty and Loss: The Reformed Church in America, 19451994; and Preaching the Women of the Old Testament. Hoseas prophetic actions and message declare a God who pursues and graciously restores his adulterous bride. b. Web11 min #97: The Levite's concubine (Judges 19) The Bible in Fewer Words Religion & Spirituality This episode presents what may be the most disgusting story in all literature, the rape and mutilation of the Levite's concubine. The Levite of Judges failed to represent the divine husband as he ought to. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Read by Christina Edmondson. "the written Torah." The woman, who is from Bethlehem but lives with a Levite in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Jerusalem, is referred to in Hebrew as thepilegeshof the Levite. A Levite And A Concubine She wanted to see that God explicitly disapproved of the bad behavior displayed here. She was a kind of second-class wife. Episode 96: Can We Talk? Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. The precise nature of the relationship between a man and hispilegeshis not always clear from the biblical texts, however, and scholars have sometimes disagreed about the terms meaning. Source: Wikimedia Commons. WebThe unnamed concubine flees the home of an unnamed Levite, who travels to reclaim her from her father. Editing completed c. 500 C.E.Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1:10, 72a/14a). The narrative of the concubine at Gibeah functions here as the negative embodiment of this idea of harmony between contenders, since it is concerned with a quarrel between a man and his wife and a civil war between Benjamin and the other tribes. He was supposed to be pastor of a local congregation in the remote part of Ephraim. 2 Several significant themes surround the event of the Passover, not least themes of giving birth and the firstborn. Not one of the characters in this Bible story is given a name. Can there be any doubt before God [does God not know what happened, that he mentions the two differing views]? Elijah told him: Both are the word of the living God (BT Gittin 6b). Samuel also gave Saul the priests portion of the meal (9:24), perhaps identifying him as a priest-like guardian of the house of the nation. Jewish Women's Archive. Ideological Criticism: Judges 1721and the Dismembered Body. InJudges and Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies,edited by Gale Yee, 146170. Where priests and kings have both proven negligent or unfaithful in their charge, the Lord will seek and win back his people himself (13:9-11). It is usually translated into English as concubine and understood to refer to a wife or sexual partner of secondary status. This approach tries to mitigate the horror of the story by claiming that the victim deserved it. We may request cookies to be set on your device. When they committed such ugly and improper acts in Gibeah of Benjamin, God desired to destroy the entire world. As morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the mans house where her master was, until it was light. Judges 19:22-26. Certain Greek translations, however, state that she became angry with him. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. The house is then surrounded by men of the city, who wish to rape the male visitor(s) (Genesis 19:4-5; Judges 19:22). 17:113]) and to interpersonal matters (the concubine at Gibeah) (BT Sanhedrin 103b). Random House LLC, 2002, 118-138. However, rather than guarding the threshold, the Levite allows his security to be bought at the cost of his concubines life. It is also a They themselves dwelt on the threshold of Israel, depending upon the hospitality of the nation, neither straightforwardly insiders nor outsiders. The Levite, seeking the return of his unfaithful concubine, goes to Bethlehem to win her back. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. The Levite goes to Bethlehem to retrieve her. 2 But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her fathers house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. The angels then blinded the men at the door, and everyone escaped. A Levite and his concubine were traveling from Bethlehem to Ephraim and stopped for lodging in Gibeah. Marital peace is the basis for every properly functioning society, and this midrash paints for the reader a picture of what the Rabbis deemed proper family life: life without fear between husband and wife, in which the husband forgoes his honor for the sake of tranquility and domestic harmony. By Kimberly Dickson. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the. Once home, he took her body into his house, then he picked up a knife and cut her into twelve separate pieces. The Levites actions were even more disturbing. The (Aramaic) A work containing a collection of tanna'itic beraitot, organized into a series of tractates each of which parallels a tractate of the Mishnah.Tosefta attests that these verses are read in public, along with their Aramaic targum, that is, they are interpreted during the public reading of the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. The men of Sodom also wanted to rape the visitors, and Lot offered instead his two virgin daughters. In the end, it was the concubinea guestwho was cast out to the hostile mob. "teaching," "study," or "learning." The concubine of a Levite is likely a lesser wife, who perhaps was unfaithful and left her husband. The Levite is charged with guarding the thresholds of Israel, with protecting the Lords bride, and with representing the loving divine husband. Gender and Homosexuality in Judges 19:Subject-Honor, Object-Shame?Journal for the Study of the Old Testament67 (1995): 87107. People and nations are edgy and quick to react to any threat. Have an update or correction? We must do something! The memories of Samson and the Levites concubine are not doing anyone any favors. Buber] Num.