Judges Chapter 19 · Verse 30
And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.
Original Language Analysis
נִהְיְתָ֤ה
And it was so
H1961
נִהְיְתָ֤ה
And it was so
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 23
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כָל
H3605
כָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
2 of 23
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
נִרְאֲתָה֙
done nor seen
H7200
נִרְאֲתָה֙
done nor seen
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
3 of 23
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
לֹֽא
H3808
לֹֽא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
5 of 23
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
נִהְיְתָ֤ה
And it was so
H1961
נִהְיְתָ֤ה
And it was so
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
6 of 23
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
וְלֹֽא
H3808
וְלֹֽא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
7 of 23
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
נִרְאֲתָה֙
done nor seen
H7200
נִרְאֲתָה֙
done nor seen
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
8 of 23
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
הַיּ֣וֹם
from the day
H3117
הַיּ֣וֹם
from the day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
10 of 23
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
עֲל֤וֹת
came up
H5927
עֲל֤וֹת
came up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
11 of 23
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
בְּנֵֽי
that the children
H1121
בְּנֵֽי
that the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
12 of 23
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
13 of 23
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ
out of the land
H776
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ
out of the land
Strong's:
H776
Word #:
14 of 23
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
עַ֖ד
H5704
עַ֖ד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
16 of 23
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
הַיּ֣וֹם
from the day
H3117
הַיּ֣וֹם
from the day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
17 of 23
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
הַזֶּ֑ה
H2088
שִֽׂימוּ
consider
H7760
שִֽׂימוּ
consider
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
19 of 23
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Historical Context
The crime at Gibeah occurred during the period when Benjamin's territory had become thoroughly corrupt. Gibeah (later Saul's hometown, 1 Samuel 10:26) was only three miles from Jerusalem. The Levite's method of raising the nation—dismembering his concubine's corpse and sending parts to the twelve tribes—mirrors Saul's later action with oxen (1 Samuel 11:7), but here the medium matches the message's horror. The tribal assembly at Mizpah (20:1) became a national war council.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you respond when confronted with shocking evil—with righteous action or self-righteous rage?
- What does this narrative reveal about the inevitable moral collapse when society abandons God's authority?
- In what ways does contemporary culture parallel Judges' moral chaos, and what is the church's prophetic response?
Analysis & Commentary
There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day—the universal horror expressed by all who saw the dismembered concubine's body parts sent throughout Israel's tribes. The comprehensive time frame—from the Exodus until the present—emphasizes that this atrocity surpasses even Egypt's oppression and Israel's wilderness rebellions in its wickedness. Consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds (שִׂימוּ לָכֶם עָלֶיהָ עֻצוּ וְדַבֵּרוּ, simu lachem aleha utzu vedaberu)—three imperatives calling for national council: lay it to heart, deliberate together, speak decisively.
This verse concludes the horrific narrative of chapters 19 with a call to action. The gang rape and murder of the Levite's concubine at Gibeah (belonging to Benjamin) parallels Sodom's wickedness (Genesis 19), demonstrating that Israel has become as depraved as the Canaanites they were supposed to displace. The Levite's calculated dismemberment of her body—sending twelve pieces throughout Israel's tribes—forces the nation to confront its moral collapse. When no king governs and everyone does what is right in their own eyes (21:25), society descends to this level of barbarism. The verse's shocked rhetoric demands response: evil of this magnitude cannot be ignored or tolerated. Yet chapter 20 reveals that even righteous indignation can become self-righteous vengeance when God is not properly consulted.