Wed 75 - Judges 19–21 · Acts 2 - FeedTheGoodHorse

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Day 75: Judges 19–21 · Acts 2 · Commentary · Commentary² · Audio

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• The Bible text is included for reading continuity; it is accurate in substance, aligned with major modern translations, and may be read alongside any Bible you prefer.¹

Special Note about the following Bible text: The following translation uses the Hebrew terms tamé (טָמֵא) and tahor (טָהוֹר) instead of the traditional “unclean” and “clean.” These terms describe ritual status in relation to sanctuary access, not moral fault, shame, or physical dirtiness. A fuller explanation will follow in a dedicated article.

Judges 19

In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a Levite staying in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as a concubine.

But his concubine acted unfaithfully against him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for four months. Then her husband rose and went after her, to speak to her heart and bring her back. His servant was with him, and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house, and when the father of the young woman saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, persuaded him to stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank, and they spent the night there. On the fourth day they rose early in the morning, and he got up to go, but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you may go.”

So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please be willing to spend the night and let your heart be glad.” The man got up to go, but his father-in-law urged him, so he stayed there again for the night.

On the fifth day he rose early in the morning to go, but the young woman’s father said, “Please strengthen your heart and wait until the day declines.” So the two of them ate. Then the man got up to go, he and his concubine and his servant, but his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “See now, the day is drawing toward evening. Please spend the night. See, the day is coming to its end. Spend the night here, so that your heart may be glad. Tomorrow you may rise early for your journey and go to your tent.”

But the man was not willing to spend the night. So he rose and departed and came as far as opposite Jebus—that is, Jerusalem. With him were the pair of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him.

When they were near Jebus, the day had gone far. The servant said to his master, “Come now, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” His master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not from the sons of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.”

He said to his servant, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.” So they passed on and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. He went in and sat in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.

Then, see, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjaminites. He lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city. The old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

He said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of Jehovah, but no one takes me into his house. We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and for your female servant and for the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.”

The old man said, “Peace be to you. Only let all your needs be my responsibility. Just do not spend the night in the square.” So he brought him into his house and gave fodder to the donkeys. They washed their feet and ate and drank.

While they were making their hearts glad, see, the men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house, beating on the door. They spoke to the old man, the master of the house, saying, “Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may know him.”

The man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not do evil. Since this man has come into my house, do not do this disgraceful thing. See, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Humble them and do to them what seems good in your eyes. But against this man do not do this disgraceful thing.”

But the men were not willing to listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. They knew her and abused her all night until morning, and they let her go when the dawn began to rise.

At daybreak the woman came and fell at the entrance of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. Her master rose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. Then, see, the woman, his concubine, had fallen at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

He said to her, “Get up, and let us go.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose and went to his place.

When he entered his house, he took the knife and took hold of his concubine and cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

All who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, take counsel, and speak.”

Judges 20

Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the assembly gathered as one man, from Dan to Beersheba, and the land of Gilead, to Jehovah at Mizpah. The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God—four hundred thousand men on foot who drew the sword. The sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.

The sons of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?” The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. The men of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they abused my concubine, and she died. So I took hold of my concubine and cut her into pieces and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they committed a disgraceful and shameful act in Israel. See, all of you are sons of Israel. Give your word and counsel here.”

All the people rose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot. We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to get provisions for the people, so that when they come, they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the disgrace that they committed in Israel.”

So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man. Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this evil that has happened among you? Now therefore hand over the men, the worthless men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and remove evil from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. The sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities—twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered—seven hundred chosen men. Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered—four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of war. The sons of Israel rose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, “Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Jehovah said, “Judah shall go up first.”

So the sons of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arranged themselves for battle against them at Gibeah. Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and struck down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of Israel that day.

But the people, the men of Israel, strengthened themselves and again arranged themselves for battle in the place where they had arranged themselves on the first day. The sons of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until evening, and they inquired of Jehovah, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother?” Jehovah said, “Go up against him.”

So the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin on the second day. Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day and struck down to the ground eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.

Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before Jehovah and fasted that day until evening, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah. The sons of Israel inquired of Jehovah—for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days—saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I cease?” Jehovah said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.”

So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah. The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and arranged themselves against Gibeah as at other times.

The sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at other times, in the highways—one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah in the field—about thirty men of Israel.

The sons of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the sons of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways.”

Then all the men of Israel rose up from their place and arranged themselves at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel in ambush rushed out from their place, from Maareh-geba. Ten thousand chosen men from all Israel came opposite Gibeah, and the battle was severe, but they did not know that disaster was close to them.

Jehovah struck Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed of Benjamin twenty-five thousand one hundred men that day; all these drew the sword. So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.

Now the men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. The men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah. The men in ambush advanced and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city.

Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike down and kill about thirty men of Israel, because they said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked behind them, and see, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven.

Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, because they saw that disaster had come upon them.

Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel toward the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them. Those who came out of the cities destroyed them in their midst.

They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest, and struck them down opposite Gibeah toward the east. Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.

They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they struck down five thousand of them in the highways. Then they pursued them hard to Gidom and struck down two thousand of them.

So all who fell of Benjamin that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

The men of Israel turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword—the city, men, animals, and all that they found. Also all the cities that they found they set on fire.

Judges 21

Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, “No one of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.”

So the people came to Bethel and sat there until evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. They said, “Why, O Jehovah, God of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that today one tribe should be missing from Israel?”

On the next day the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The sons of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up in the assembly to Jehovah?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who did not come up to Jehovah at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.”

The sons of Israel felt sorrow for Benjamin their brother and said, “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel. What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”

They said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Jehovah at Mizpah?” And see, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. For when the people were numbered, see, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead were there.

So the congregation sent twelve thousand of the most valiant men there and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, along with the women and the little ones. This is what you shall do: you shall devote to destruction every male and every woman who has known a man by lying with him.”

They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they proclaimed peace to them. Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had kept alive from the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them.

The people felt sorrow for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”

They said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe may not be wiped out from Israel. But we cannot give them wives from our daughters, because the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”

So they said, “See, there is a festival of Jehovah from year to year at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

They commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, and watch. When the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out from the vineyards, and each of you seize for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

When their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them to us, because we did not take for each man his wife in battle, and you did not give them to them, otherwise you would now be guilty.’”

The sons of Benjamin did so and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they seized. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.

At that time the sons of Israel departed from there, every man to his tribe and to his family, and each of them went out from there to his inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Acts 2

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a strong rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them and were distributed among them, and one settled on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

Now Jews were staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. When this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and became confused, because each one heard them speaking in their own language. They were astonished and amazed, saying, “Look, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that each of us hears them in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and those living in Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya toward Cyrene, and visitors from Rome—both Jews and converts to Judaism—Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great acts of God.”

All of them were astonished and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocked them and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “Judeans and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words. These people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. Instead, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘And in the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people,
and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
and your young men will see visions,
and your older men will dream dreams.

Even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord.

And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be rescued.’

“Israelites, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man publicly identified to you by God through powerful works, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over according to the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, and you killed him by fastening him to a cross through the hands of lawless people. But God raised him up, releasing him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

For David says about him:

‘I saw the Lord always before me,
because he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

Because of this my heart was glad
and my tongue rejoiced;
even my body will live in hope,

because you will not abandon my life to the realm of the dead,
nor will you allow your Holy One to experience decay.

You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

“Siblings, I may speak to you openly about the patriarch David: he died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, he foresaw this and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah—that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body experience decay.

This Jesus God raised up, and all of us are witnesses of this. Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’

Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

When they heard this, they were deeply affected and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Siblings, what should we do?”

Peter said to them, “Change your mind and be immersed, each one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your wrongdoings, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away—everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

With many other words he testified and urged them, saying, “Be rescued from this crooked generation.” So those who accepted his message were immersed, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to shared life, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. Awe came upon every person, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

All who believed were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had need.

Day after day, they spent time together in the temple courts and broke bread in their homes. They shared food with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And day by day the Lord added to them those who were being rescued.

Commentary - Day 75

Judges 19–21 · Acts 2

Summary:

A Levite and his concubine arrive late in Gibeah, where violence breaks through the house that shelters them. The woman collapses at the threshold by morning, and her body is divided and sent across Israel, forcing the tribes to confront what has happened. War follows when Benjamin refuses to surrender the guilty, and repeated battles leave cities burned and the tribe nearly erased. Survivors remain only after women are seized from other places, and the account closes again with the words that there was no king in Israel and each man acted according to what was right in his own eyes.

In Acts, the gathered followers experience the sound of wind and tongues of fire, speaking in many languages that draw a crowd. Peter speaks publicly, many are baptized, and the group forms a shared life of teaching, prayer, meals, and provision for one another.

Judges 19 opens with movement into distance and exposure. A Levite travels through the hill country with his concubine and servant, arriving late in Gibeah after refusing lodging in foreign territory and choosing instead a city belonging to Benjamin. No one first receives them into his house until an older man returning from the fields gathers them in. What begins as hospitality shifts when men of the city surround the house at night, demanding the visitor be brought out. The night holds shouting at the door, refusal from within, and bargaining that breaks into surrender. The concubine is pushed outside into the crowd, and the door remains closed while violence unfolds through the darkness. At dawn she collapses at the threshold, her hands placed upon the entrance where she had last been sheltered. The Levite’s journey resumes with her body laid across the donkey, carried back into his house, and divided into pieces that are sent throughout the tribes. The act does not repair what happened but spreads knowledge of it across the land, forcing the tribes to see what had occurred within one city.

Judges 20 gathers the tribes together as the fragments reach their destinations. From Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead, the assembly forms before Jehovah at Mizpah. The Levite recounts the events in Gibeah, naming the night and the death that followed. The demand that follows seeks the surrender of the men responsible, yet Benjamin refuses to give them up. War forms from refusal. The tribes prepare in ranks, numbering men and arranging battle lines. Twice they go up against Benjamin and fall back with losses, weeping and returning to inquire again before Jehovah. On the third approach, strategy shifts into ambush. Smoke rises from the city as it is struck, and the turning of the battle becomes visible when Benjamin sees the city burning behind them. What began as judgment against a single city widens into devastation across a tribe—cities burned, fields emptied, and survivors fleeing toward the wilderness. The victory does not close the rupture but leaves absence where a tribe had stood.

Judges 21 continues with aftermath rather than resolution. The tribes sit before God at Bethel, lifting their voices in grief over the loss of Benjamin. Oaths sworn earlier prevent the giving of daughters to the remaining men, yet the absence of wives threatens the survival of the tribe. The solution emerges through further violence: a city that had not joined the assembly is struck, its inhabitants killed except for young women who are carried away. Even this number proves insufficient. A second provision unfolds during a festival at Shiloh, where daughters dancing in vineyards are seized and carried into Benjaminite households. Fathers protest, but the earlier oath is invoked to silence objection. The tribe survives through arrangements formed after destruction, and the book closes with the repeated line that there was no king in Israel and each man acted according to what was right in his own eyes. The statement stands not at the beginning alone but at the end, framing the violence that has unfolded without restoring order to what was lost.

Acts 2 opens with gathering rather than scattering. The followers are assembled together in one place when a sound like a rushing wind fills the house, and divided tongues like fire appear among them, resting upon each one. Speech follows the flame. Words spoken in many languages are heard by visitors gathered in Jerusalem from distant regions, each hearing in their own tongue. The sound draws attention, and the crowd forms in confusion as recognition spreads that speech is crossing boundaries that had divided nations. Some ask what this means, while others dismiss what they hear. Peter stands among the eleven and lifts his voice, speaking from the writings of Joel about spirit poured out and signs appearing in heaven and earth. The speech moves from prophecy to the memory of Jesus—his deeds, his death, and his rising—naming witnesses who stand within the crowd itself. The message presses forward toward response, and those who hear ask what should be done. Baptism follows as an outward act, and the number of those joining grows in a single day.

The closing movement of Acts 2 shifts from proclamation to shared life. Those added to the number gather in continued teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Goods are sold and distributed as need appears among them. Meals take place in homes, and daily presence in the temple continues. The account records favor among the people and a steady increase in those being added. The day does not close with dispersion but with formation—a people gathered, sharing, and continuing together in visible patterns that take shape in the open streets and private houses alike.

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1. The Bible text provided in the daily readings is included so readers can follow the commentary without interruption or needing to choose between various versions. It is accurate in substance and consistent with all major modern translations.
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