Bible Strands
Judges 19:8
On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The guest prepares to leave on the fifth day, but the girl’s father intervenes to delay his departure. The father speaks directly to the traveling man, urging him to postpone his journey until late afternoon.
The words — The text foregrounds וַיַּשְׁכֵּם (va/i.yashkem, "he rose early") and בַּבֹּקֶר (ba/boqer, "in the morning") to record the guest’s original plan to depart promptly. The father’s command to refresh the heart directly mirrors the hospitality language used in the surrounding verses.
The thread — The father’s repeated pleas to delay travel appear in Judges 19:7 and 19:9, framing a pattern of prolonged hospitality. This narrative structure parallels Genesis 24:55, where relatives urge a traveler to remain several days before continuing his journey.
Why it lands — The verse documents how hospitality protocols can override a traveler’s schedule, forcing a delay until evening. It requires the reader to track how repeated invitations function as narrative pressure rather than mere courtesy.
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 arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.