Judges 19:24
In this passage, we find a disturbing circumstance unfolding in the town of Gibeah (a Benjaminite city located north of Jerusalem around the 14th–11th century BC). An old man is entreating the wicked crowd who has gathered at his door to commit a grave offense against his male guest. He says, *“Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out that you may ravish them and do to them whatever you wish. But do not commit such an act of folly against this man.” (Judges 19:24 NASB-95)* This scene echoes the moral decline among the Israelites at that time, as each person did what was right in his own eyes, neglecting God’s standards for justice and mercy.
The old man’s offer underscores the cultural attitudes and expectations in biblical times, where the protection of guests was held in high esteem, sometimes tragically surpassing the welfare of one’s own family. In this verse, his desperate suggestion shows how warped those priorities could become, illustrating the depth of depravity that had gripped Israel. Echoes of the story of Lot and Sodom (Genesis 19:7-8) can be heard here, where a host strives to protect guests, yet does so by offering his own family in order to avert an even greater sin. This highlights how far the people have strayed from God’s covenant during the era of the judges, which spanned approximately from 1370 BC to 1050 BC.
By comparing this story to the pattern that emerges throughout the Book of Judges—one of repeated disobedience, oppression, and deliverance—readers can grasp the tragic moral chaos prevailing when Israel was not united under godly leadership. While it is tempting to distance ourselves from such a horrific choice, this verse challenges us to recognize the consequences of a life unmoored from God’s righteous commands. In the New Testament, Jesus addresses the value of every individual (Luke 15:4-7 NASB-95), reminding believers that no sin or cultural custom should overshadow God’s call to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39 NASB-95).
This verse demonstrates the depth of moral confusion and tragedy that can arise when people forsake God’s guidance.
This quick synopsis was AI autogenerated utilizing existing TheBibleSays commentaries as the primary source material. To read a related commentary that has been fully developed, see the list below. If there is an issue with this summary please let us know by emailing:[email protected]
Other Relevant Commentaries:
- Judges 5:19-23 meaning. In the final part of the song of Deborah and Barak, they continue to celebrate Israel's victory over the Canaanite oppressors. The narrative shifts to a poetic description of the battle and the divine intervention that led to Israel's triumph.
- John 18:19-24 meaning. The Preliminary Trial of Jesus: John describes the first of Jesus’s three religious trials. It takes place in the home of Annas, the former high priest. Annas questions Jesus about His teaching. Jesus respectfully reminds Annas that He has always taught openly for everyone to hear and that if there is something He said that was against the law, it was Annas’s obligation to cite and prove it before arresting or interrogating Him. The high priest’s servant strikes Jesus for speaking this way to the former high priest. Jesus mercifully replies that if he said something wrong, it should be pointed out, not met with violence, while offering that what he said was actually true. Having found nothing to accuse Jesus of doing, Annas passes his prisoner onto Caiaphas, the sitting high priest.
- Genesis 19:1-3 meaning. Two angels appear to Lot in Sodom. Lot urges them to spend the night in his house and he prepares a feast for them.