The three remaining chapters of this book contain a most tragical story of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, patronised by the tribe of Benjamin, for which that tribe was severely chastised and almost entirely cut off by the rest of the tribes. This seems to have been done not long after the death of Joshua, for it was when there was no king, no judge, in Israel (ver. 1, and ch. xxi. 25), and Phinehas was then high priest, ch. xx. 28. These particular iniquities, the Danites' idolatry, and the Benjamites' immorality, let in that general apostasy, ch. iii. 7. The abuse of the Levite's concubine is here very particularly related. I. Her adulterous elopement from him, ver. 1, 2. II. His reconciliation to her, and the journey he took to fetch her home, ver. 3. III. Her father's kind entertainment of him, ver. 4-9. IV. The abuse he met with at Gibeah, where, being benighted, he was forced to stop. 1. He was neglected by the men of Gibeah (ver. 10-15) and entertained by an Ephraimite that sojourned among them, ver. 16-21. 2. They set upon him in his quarters, as the Sodomites did on Lot's quests, ver. 22-24. 3. They villainously forced his concubine to death, ver. 25-28. V. The course he took to send notice of this to all the tribes of Israel, ver. 29, 30.
Elopement of the Levite's Concubine; The Levite Reconciled to His Concubine; The Levite Benighted at Gibeah. (b. c. 1410.)