Bible Strands
Judges 19:13
He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The master (the Levite) addresses his servant, directing the group after rejecting a foreign city in verse 12. This exchange occurs as they continue their journey toward Gibeah in Benjamin, just before sunset.
The words — The Hebrew וַיּאמֶר (va.yomer, "and he said") introduces the command, followed by לְכָה וְנִקְרְבָה (le.ka ve.nik.re.ve, "come, let us draw near"). These terms frame the master's directive to the servant to approach one of the nearby settlements.
The thread — The text names Gibeah and Ramah as potential overnight stops, aligning with Joshua 18:25's mention of Ramah and Joshua 18:28's listing of Gibeah within Benjamin's allotment. The same town is later identified as Saul's residence in 1 Samuel 10:26.
Why it lands — The verse records a straightforward travel decision without editorial comment, placing the narrative in a precise geographic sequence. It requires the reader to track the movement toward a Benjaminite town before the events of the following chapter unfold.
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 he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
Cross-references
- Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
- Joshua 18:28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 10:26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went with him.
- Isaiah 10:29 They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.
- Hosea 5:8 Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the battle cry in Beth-aven: Lead on, O Benjamin!