Bible Strands
Judges 19:11
When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The servant addresses his master as they approach Jebus with the day nearly finished. This occurs immediately after the man declines a prior invitation and continues traveling with his two donkeys and concubine.
The words — The Hebrew יְב֔וּס (Jebus) names the Canaanite city they encounter, while רַד מְאֹד (rad me'od) literally renders the day as having "gone down exceedingly." הַנַּעַר (ha-na'ar) identifies the servant who proposes lodging.
The thread — The Jebusites are repeatedly documented as occupying Jerusalem despite Israel's territorial claims, as recorded in Genesis 10:16, Joshua 15:63, and Judges 1:21. This background clarifies the master’s explicit refusal to enter a non-Israelite stronghold in Judges 19:12.
Why it lands — The text records a pragmatic travel suggestion made under fading daylight, which the master immediately rejects. It demonstrates how routine decisions accumulate when authority figures prioritize rigid principles over practical safety.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
Cross-references
- Genesis 10:16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
- Joshua 15:63 But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.
- Judges 1:21 The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
- Judges 19:10 But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
- 2 Samuel 5:6 Now the king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get in here.”