Judges 19:22-30

Judges 19:22-30
A tale of horror. The men of the town gather seeking to rape the strange man who has come among them. They are offered two women but refuse. When the concubine in thrown out of the house they rape her to her death.


No one comes out of this story well, the words of the master are harsh and uncaring as he steps over the concubine to leave the house and continue on his way home. His gruesome action in cutting up the concubine and send her pieces around the nation is callous and cruel.

So much for the hospitality of the people of Israel.

Yes, this is a text about the abuse of women. The concubine is treated like a piece of disposable property. So is the virgin daughter who is not raped. There is nothing in this text for us to copy. All we see here are examples of how we should not live.