Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XIX.

Vers. 1. ANd it came to passe in those dayes, &c.] Concerning the time when these things were done, see chap. 17. vers. 6.

There was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-Judah.] Some concubines there were amongst the Hebrews, that were esteemed lawfull wives; as concerning the right of the bed, who yet were not esteemed in the rank with other wives, principally and most pro∣perly so called; for they had not the honour of being accounted the mother of the

familie, their children did not inherit with the rest, &c. and that either because they were before such as lived in a servile condition, as Hagar; or because they were taken in a second place, and were not with the same rites and solemnities married to them, as the others were; concerning which see the note, Gen. 22.24. and 25.6. and such a concubine it seems this was; and therefore is the Levite called her husband, both here vers. 3. And her husband arose, and went after her to speak friendly unto her, and again, chap. 20.4. And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered, &c. and her father, his father in law, in severall places. Why Bethlehem from whence this Levite had his concubine, is called Bethlehem-Judah. See in the note, chap. 17.7.

Vers. 2. And his concubine plaid the whore against him, & went away from him unto her fathers house, &c.] It seems, upon some discoverie of her whoredome, or at least some suspition the Levite had of it, there arose some quarrell betwixt him and his concubine; and thereupon she left him, and went home again to her fathers house, who was too ready to entertain her. The sad effects that followed upon this Levites taking a concubine, makes it manifest, that even in those times, though it were an ordinary thing amongst all sorts of men, even amongst the Levites, to have concubines, yet God was not pleased with it: from the beginning it was not so, saith our Saviour, Matth. 19.8.

Vers. 3. And her husband arose, and went after her to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses.) To wit, to carrie their provision, and happely, that both himself, and his concubine, if she would return with him, might sometimes ease themselves by riding as occasion served.

Vers. 11. Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in unto this citie of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.] For though the children of Judah had taken from the Jebusites that part of Jebus that is, Jerusalem, which was in their tribe, chap. 1.8. The chil∣dren of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and had smitten it with the edge of the sword: yet out of that part which belonged to Benjamin (on which side the Levite was now travelling) the Jebusites were not wholly expelled, chap. 1.21. The children of Benjamin did not drive out the inhabitants of Jeru∣salem; but the Jebusites dwell in Jerusalem with the children of Benjamin unto this day.

Vers. 14. And the sunne went down upon them, when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.] There was a Gibeah in the tribe of Judah, Josh. 15.57. to distinguish this from that, it is here called Gibeah, which belongeth to Ben∣jamin, and else where Gibeah of Saul, 1. Sam. 11.4. it is thought to be the same, which Josh. 21.17. is called Gebah, which was a citie given to tho Priests, the sonnes of Aaron. Against which it makes nothing, that here it is said, vers. 16. the men of the place were Benjamites: for the priests did not dwell alone in such cities, though they were the lords and owners of them.

Vers. 15. And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah.] Though it were a pious resolution in the Levite, rather to chose to lodge in Gibeah then in Jebus, and that because Jebus was a citie wherein the idolatrous and uncir∣cumcised Jebusites dwelt; yet this proved fatall both to him and his, as the best

counsell may have the worst successe, and that because there is a secret over-ruling hand of God, that may by this means bring about what he hath determined for the punishment of some other sinnes which we mind not.

Vers. 16. And behold, there came an old man from his work, out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim.] Though he were an old man, yet he fol∣lowed his work in the field, and that untill the even, which is doubtlesse noted to his praise. As for that last clause, that he was also of mount Ephraim, that no doubt is expressed to intimate, that this amongst other things made the old man the readier to entertain the Levite, when he heard him say vers. 18. that he was of mount E∣phraim too.

Vers. 18. But I am now going to the house of the Lord.] The Tabernacle at this time was in Shiloh, Josh. 18.1. and Shiloh was in the tribe of Ephraim: either therefore there the Levites dwelling was; or else, he meant first to go to the house of the Lord, to do his service there; and then afterwards to passe forward on his jour∣ney homeward. However, it is probable, that he mentions his going to the house of the Lord, that he might know him to be a Levite.

Vers. 22. Behold, the men of the city, certain sonnes of Belial, beset the house round about, &c.] A like fact to this we have formerly related, concerning the So∣domites; of which see the note, Gen. 19.4. as for this term Sonnes of Belial, see Deut. 13.13.

Vers. 24. Behold, here is my daughter a mayden, and his concubine, them I will bring out now, &c.] See the note, Gen. 19.8.

Vers. 25. So the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, &c.] In the foregoing words it is said, that when the old man, the Levites host, proffered these varlets his daughter, a virgin, and the Levites concu∣bine, thereby to take them off from that unnaturall uncleannesse, wherewith they meant to satisfie their lust upon the Levite himself, the men would not hearken to him; yet when immediately by the Levites means, his concubine was indeed brought out unto them, and left amongst them, they fell upon her and defiled her, and that in such an outrageous barbarous manner, that she died of it; which was doubtlesse, because having once an object for their lust in their power, they could not forbear; and so forgetting their former resolutions, they laid hold on her, and abused her in a most inhumane and execrable manner.

Vers. 26. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the doore of the mans house▪ &c.] That is, she fell down dead at the doore of the mans house, and there lay till break of day, when her husband going forth to see what was become of her, found her dead; and thus though her husband had pardoned her whoredome, yet God punished it, and that too with her own sinne; adulterie was her sinne, and adulterie was her death; she had dealt treacherously against her hus∣band; one would not satisfie her, but she exposed her self to the lust of a stranger; and now she was abused to death, by the lusts of so many barbarous wretches, whom she knew not, that by so abusing her they murdered her.

Vers. 27. And her hands were upon the threshold.] This is added, to implie the reason of that which follows, why the Levite spake to her to rise, vers. 28. And he said unto her, Ʋp, let us be going; to wit, because she lay in such a manner, her

hands laid upon the threshold under her head, as if she had been asleep.

Vers. 29. He took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, toge∣ther with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.] That is, to each of the twelve tribes a piece (for to the tribe of Levi that was disper∣sed through all the land, there was none sent) and this was done, that the fight of her dead limbs might affect them the more, and stirre them up to be the more zea∣lous for the punishment of this horrible villanie, that had been committed upon his concubine, Some conceive, that there was none sent to the tribe of Benjamin, but that there was two pieces sent to the tribe of Manasseh, because that tribe dwelt half within Jordan, and half without. But this is altogether a groundlesse conceit; for there was most reason for sending a piece to Benjamin, in regard the fact was com∣mitted in a citie of their tribe; and there was as much reason why they should have sent two pieces to the tribe of Dan, as to the tribe of Manasseh; since the tribe of Dan was also seated in two severall parts of the land; some in the portion of Judah, and some northward at Laish, as in the former chapter was related.

Vers. 30. And it was so, that all that saw it, said, There was no such deed done nor seen, &c.] The messengers relating the cause why the Levite had done this, not onely the elders of each tribe, (to whom these parcels of her body were sent, because there was no magistrate armed with regall power to punish this fact) but even all that came to the hearing of it, cried out against it as a matchlesse vill••nie; and stir∣red up one another not to let it passe unrevenged. And hence is that expression of the prophet, Hos. 9.9. They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the dayes of Gibeah.