What is the meaning of Judges 19:16? That evening • Darkness is settling in, a natural cue for travelers to seek shelter (cf. Genesis 19:1; Luke 24:29). • The timing heightens tension—night often exposes moral contrasts in Scripture, as later events in Gibeah will show (John 3:19-20). • Readers are alerted that a turning point is near; God’s Word never wastes a detail. An old man from the hill country of Ephraim • His age hints at wisdom and experience; elders were expected to model covenant faithfulness (Leviticus 19:32; Titus 2:2). • Coming from Ephraim—same tribe as the traveling Levite (Judges 19:1)—creates an instant bond of shared heritage (Proverbs 17:17). • God often raises unexpected individuals, not official leaders, to uphold righteousness (2 Kings 5:2-3; Acts 9:10-17). Who was residing in Gibeah • “Residing” suggests a sojourner status; he lives there but his roots are elsewhere, sharpening his outsider’s perception of local sin (Hebrews 11:13). • Gibeah, though within Benjamin, belongs to Israel at large; accountability before God is national, not just tribal (Deuteronomy 23:9). • The man’s presence foreshadows God’s witness inside even compromised communities (Philippians 2:15). (the men of that place were Benjamites) • Scripture flags tribal identity for a reason: conflict will flow from intra-Israel tensions (Judges 20:12-13). • Benjamin’s warriors had a fierce reputation (Judges 20:16), which contrasts sharply with the expected hospitality toward strangers (Leviticus 19:33-34). • The line reminds us sin can grip any group, however privileged (Romans 3:9-10). Came in from his work in the field • He is a laboring man, not idle; daily faithfulness sets the stage for extraordinary obedience (Colossians 3:23). • Returning “from the field” echoes biblical patterns where God meets workers after a day’s labor—Boaz, shepherds, fishermen (Ruth 2:4; Luke 2:8; Matthew 4:18-22). • His hard day does not excuse him from hospitality; love of neighbor remains paramount (Hebrews 13:2). summary Judges 19:16 paints a deliberate portrait: as night falls, a humble Ephraimite sojourning in Benjamite Gibeah finishes his fieldwork. Though an outsider, he will embody the covenant virtue of hospitality that the town itself neglects. The verse prepares us to contrast righteousness and depravity, underscoring that God always preserves a witness—even in the darkest settings—and that every detail of His Word calls His people to faithfulness. |
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