Judges 19:16 · Bible study
Judges 19:16 Commentary: An Ephraimite Sojourner in Gibeah
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why the only hospitable person in Gibeah was a sojourning old man from Ephraim, not a Benjamite native.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The only person to offer hospitality to the Levite is an old Ephraimite who lives as a foreigner in Gibeah; the native Benjamites are implicated in the coming atrocity.
- Key words: zāqēn (old/elder), gār (sojourned, resident alien), Giv‘ah (Gibeah, also means 'hill').
- Main debate: Whether the verse primarily echoes Sodom (Cambridge Bible) or highlights the old man's commendable character (Gill, Matthew Henry).
- Technique: The narrator's aside about the Benjamites is a dramatic 'gloss' that labels the community and foreshadows its judgment.
- Best use: A cautionary tale about how a community's native identity does not guarantee righteousness; faith can appear in strangers.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Behold, an old man came from his work out of the field at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.
KJV King James Version 1769
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And lo, a man, an aged one, hath come from his work from the field in the evening, and the man is of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he is a sojourner in Gibeah, and the men of the place are Benjamites.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even; and the man was of mount Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjaminites.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And behold they saw an old man, returning out of the field and from his work in the evening, and he also was of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a stranger in Gabaa; but the men of that country were the children of Jemini.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y he aquí un hombre viejo, que á la tarde venía del campo de trabajar; el cual era del monte de Ephraim, y moraba como peregrino en Gabaa, pero los moradores de aquel lugar eran hijos de Benjamín.
E eis que um homem velho, que à tarde vinha do campo de trabalhar; o qual era do monte de Efraim, e morava como peregrino em Gibeá, mas os moradores daquele lugar eram filhos de Benjamim.
Et voici, un vieillard revenait le soir de travailler aux champs; cet homme était de la montagne d’Éphraïm, il séjournait à Guibea, et les gens du lieu étaient Benjamites.
Und siehe, da kam ein alter Mann von seiner Arbeit vom Felde am Abend, und er war auch vom Gebirge Ephraim und ein Fremdling zu Gibea; aber die Leute des Orts waren Benjaminiter.
En ziet, een oud man kwam van zijn werk van het veld in den avond, welke man ook was van het gebergte van Efraim, doch als vreemdeling verkeerde te Gibea; maar de lieden dezer plaats waren kinderen van Jemini.
Quand’ecco un vecchio, che tornava la sera dai campi, dal suo lavoro; era un uomo della contrada montuosa d’Efraim, che abitava come forestiero in Ghibea, la gente del luogo essendo Beniaminita.
A oto, mąż stary szedł od roboty swojej z pola w wieczór; a ten mąż był z góry Efraim, będąc przychodniem w Gabaa, ale ludzie miejsca onego byli synowie Jemini.
И вот, идет один старик с работы своей с поля вечером; он родом был с горы Ефремовой и жил в Гиве. Жители же места сего были сыны Вениаминовы.
晚上， 有一個老 年人 從 田 間做工 回來。他 原是以法蓮 山地 的人，住 在基比亞；那地方 的人 卻是便雅憫 人。
Now when it was evening they saw an old man coming back from his work in the fields; he was from the hill-country of Ephraim and was living in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 19:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse sets up a jarring contrast. The only person to notice the Levite and his group is an old man who is himself a stranger in Gibeah. Barnes notes he was 'of the country of the Levite', a fellow Ephraimite, and 'this single giver of hospitality was himself a stranger and sojourner at Gibeah.' The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges points to the same dynamic: 'The only person that paid any attention to the travellers was not a native of the place: it was the same at Sodom, Gen_19:1 f.' Gill adds that the man's age and his coming from work at evening show a commendable diligence. Matthew Henry sums up the irony: 'Though there was not one of Gibeah, yet it proved there was one in Gibeah, that showed some civility.' The narrator's closing remark, 'the men of the place were Benjamites', is read as a gloss that forewarns the reader: the town's native sons will soon act in ways that match the worst of Sodom.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The old man is a non-native resident of Gibeah who works hard and provides the hospitality that the native Benjamites refuse.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Why the old man is identified as a sojourner | All commentators note that the old man is not a native of Gibeah but a resident alien from Ephraim. | Some (Barnes, Cambridge) emphasize the irony that hospitality comes from a foreigner; others (Gill) stress the kinship bond with the Levite. |
| Parallel with Sodom | The Cambridge Bible explicitly compares the situation to Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19). | Not all commentators invoke the Sodom parallel; some focus on the old man's personal character rather than typological foreshadowing. |
| Significance of the evening setting | The time of day is noted as natural for a worker returning from the field (Psalm 104:23). | Gill sees it as praiseworthy industry; others view it simply as setting that heightens the urgency of finding shelter. |
| Narrator's comment that 'the men of the place were Benjamites' | This is a parenthetical note identifying the tribe living in Gibeah at that time. | Cambridge calls it a 'topographical gloss' (cf. Judges 21:19), while others see it as a moral marker anticipating the tribe's role in the crime. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The period of the Judges was marked by social chaos and moral decline; the repeated refrain 'there was no king in Israel' (Judges 17:6, 21:25) frames the entire book. Hospitality in the ancient Near East was a sacred duty, especially toward travelers caught by nightfall. Failing to offer shelter was a profound shame and could leave a visitor vulnerable to robbery or worse. The Levite's party had already sat down in the open square of Gibeah, and no one had taken them in (v.15).
Gibeah is identified in other texts as a city of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28) and was also a Levitical town (Joshua 21:17). But by the time of this narrative, the Levites had apparently been displaced or were in the minority. The old man is not a native; the Hebrew verb gār (sojourned) carries the legal status of a resident alien who lived in the town but held no ancestral land there. He had no tribal claim to the city's hospitality customs, yet he acted when native Benjamites failed.
The detail that he was coming 'from his work out of the field at evening' (v.16) echoes the universal rhythm of labor in ancient agrarian life (Psalm 104:23). Even in old age, he still worked. Wesley and Gill both praise this as a mark of character. The twilight setting also recalls the story of Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19:1), where the only hospitality came from a foreigner. The Gibeah narrative deliberately parallels that earlier judgment story.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources discuss textual matters in the broader chapter (e.g., Lange on vv.2,8,12) but note no significant textual variants for Judges 19:16. The verse is stable across manuscripts and ancient versions. The key phrase 'and he sojourned in Gibeah' is consistently attested.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, the narrative of the Levite's concubine received careful midrashic attention, but verse 16 was often cited to show that even in depraved Gibeah a righteous individual could be found, a theme that resonated with the concept of the remnant. Early Christian readers (e.g., Augustine) saw the Gibeah story as a mirror of Sodom, with the old man's hospitality a faint glimmer of grace before judgment. Reformation-era commentators such as Matthew Henry and Gill emphasized the old man's diligent labor and unexpected kindness as a model for believers living in evil times. The verse has also been read pastorally: God often sends help from quarters we least expect. In modern homiletics, the old man is sometimes presented as a type of Christ, a stranger who brings shelter to the stranded.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A stranger shows the hospitality that natives withhold. The old man is a sojourner in Gibeah, yet he is the one who opens his home. The people who belong to the town ignore the travelers completely. This inversion rebukes the self-satisfied and exalts the outsider who lives by God's law of kindness.
- Why the narrator names the tribe. The parenthetical line 'the men of the place were Benjamites' is not trivia. It prepares the reader for the atrocity that follows, and it foreshadows the near-destruction of the tribe of Benjamin in chs. 20, 21. The same tribe that refused hospitality would later defend the rapists.
- Faithfulness does not depend on one's address. The old man is old, tired from fieldwork, and living as an alien, yet he acts. His story encourages every believer who feels like a stranger in their own community: God can use your obedience to light a dark street.
Five-point outline
- The old man's work ethic (v.16a), 'coming from his work out of the field at evening' shows dignity in labor, commended by Gill and linked to Proverbs 24:27 and Psalm 128:2.
- His origin (v.16b), 'from the hill country of Ephraim' matches the Levite's homeland, which may have quickened his sense of kinship (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
- His status as a sojourner (v.16c), the Hebrew gar (to sojourn) means he had no inherited rights in Gibeah, yet he fulfilled the city's moral duty.
- The narrator's aside (v.16d), 'the men of the place were Benjamites' is a gloss (Cambridge Bible) that signals the coming moral collapse and warns against pride in tribal identity.
- The contrast with Sodom, as Cambridge Bible notes, the same pattern appears in Genesis 19: the only help comes from an outsider. Israel has become like the cities of the plain.
Illustration hooks
- The late shift. Think of the last person you'd expect to help in a crisis, the night-shift janitor, the delivery driver, the elderly neighbor everyone overlooks. In Gibeah, that person appears.
- Safe in a bad neighborhood. A tour group gets lost after dark in a rough part of town. Doors stay closed, until one older resident, himself new to the area, invites them in. That single act changes everything.
- The outsider who keeps the house. A neighborhood association fails to maintain the common garden. The immigrant family living in the rental does all the work. The native-born neighbors had the resources but not the will.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would the narrator make a point of saying the old man was not a native of Gibeah?
- If Gibeah was a Levitical city, where were the Levites? Why was this man a sojourner there?
- Does this verse teach that God will provide a faithful remnant even in the most corrupt places?
Leading a Discussion
This verse introduces one of the darkest narratives in Judges. The single act of hospitality stands in relief against the wickedness that follows. In your group, focus first on what the text says, then on why the narrator emphasizes these details, and finally on what this story says about faithful living in a corrupt environment.
Discussion questions
- Read Judges 19:15-16 aloud. What do you notice about the old man's actions? What details does the narrator include about his work, age, and origin?
- Why do you think the narrator adds the note that 'the men of the place were Benjamites'? What purpose does that aside serve?
- The old man is a sojourner, a resident alien. In what ways does his status make his hospitality more striking?
- Compare this scene to Genesis 19:1-3. What parallels do you see? How does the comparison add meaning to the story?
- The old man coming 'from his work out of the field at evening' is a very human detail. What does his work ethic tell you about his character?
- In the chapters that follow, the town of Gibeah becomes a place of horrific violence. How does verse 16 prepare the reader for that? Does it offer any sign of hope?
- Where in your own community are 'sojourners', people who are not native or established, showing the kindness that insiders should be showing? What can you learn from them?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 3:19 | You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.” |
| Judges 19:1 | In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite living on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took for himself a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah. |
| Judges 19:14 | So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. |
| Psalms 104:23 | Man goes out to his work, to his labor until the evening. |
| Psalms 128:2 | For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be well with you. |
| Proverbs 13:11 | Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow. |
| Proverbs 14:23 | In all hard work there is profit, but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty. |
| Proverbs 24:27 | Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the only person who offered hospitality in Gibeah was himself a stranger there, a Levite from Mount Ephraim. The one who showed kindness was an outsider, not a native of the town.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary points out that the only person who showed kindness to the travelers was a foreigner, not a native of the place. This matches what happened in Sodom, where Lot, also a sojourner, welcomed the angels. The verse's closing words are treated as a later geographical note, not part of the original story.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The old man was from Mount Ephraim but lived as a sojourner in Gibeah, a town whose inhabitants were all
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that this old man from Mount Ephraim, though advanced in years and well-off, still labored in the fields until evening, a mark of commendable industry. As a sojourner in Gibeah, he showed more kindness to strangers than the native Benjamites did.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB suggests that the old man’s hospitality may have been stirred specifically because he learned the traveler was a Levite returning to his sacred duties at Shiloh. The welcome was not mere kindness but a response to recognizing one who served at God’s sanctuary.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange criticizes the Levite's character throughout this episode: he took a concubine when he already had a wife, then pursued her after her unfaithfulness, and showed weakness by lingering over food and drink instead of acting with priestly dignity. Only when seeking shelter does the Levite mention his service at God's house, revealing a hollow profession.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that the wicked men of Gibeah did not use pretended hospitality to trap the Levite, either from lack of cunning or not yet enough wickedness to deceive. He also notes that evil people in a group make each other far worse than any would be alone.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley rejects Matthew Henry's claim that the goodness of God's promised land will intensify the punishment of those who perish. He argues that this reasoning fails under predestination: if some are not elected, they never had a genuine offer, and if all the elect are saved, the grant was never free to the others.