Bible Strands
Judges 20:4
So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Levite, identified as the husband of the murdered woman, addresses the assembled Israelites at Mizpah immediately after they demand an account of the atrocity. He opens his testimony by stating his initial arrival in Gibeah of Benjamin with his concubine.
The words — The Hebrew אִ֛ישׁ ('ish) literally means "man" or "husband" and appears here without the definite article, with the article attached to the surrounding nouns. The verb וַ/יַּ֜עַן (va/i.Ya.'an) translates as "and he answered," marking his formal reply to the national assembly.
The thread — This statement picks up the narrative from Judges 19:15, where the Levite first sought lodging in Gibeah, and directly sets up his detailed account of the night attack in Judges 20:5.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe how a personal grievance is being formally entered into the public record, establishing the factual basis for the Israelites' subsequent military response.
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 the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.
Cross-references
- Judges 19:15 They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night.