Judges 19:27

And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) Her hands were upon the threshold.—As though they had been stretched out towards her husband in one last agony of appeal (Vulg., sparsis in limine cnanibus).

Benson Commentary

Jdg 19:27-28. Went out to go his way — Concluding, without doubt, that the Gibeathites had conveyed away his concubine, and would keep her, and therefore he hasted home to take proper measures for the recovery of her; as we find he did afterward to revenge her death. He said unto her, Up, and let us be going — He thought she was only asleep, and the unexpected surprise of seeing her, and his haste to get out of this inhospitable place, might make him express himself in this manner.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This man is come into mine house - He appeals to the sacred rights of hospitality, just as Lot did Genesis 19:8. Both cases betray painfully the low place in the social scale occupied by woman in the old world, from which it is one of the glories of Christianity to have raised her.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Jud 19:22-28. The Gibeahites Abuse His Concubine to Death.

22-24. certain sons of Belial beset the house—The narrative of the horrid outrage that was committed; of the proposal of the old man; the unfeeling, careless, and in many respects, inexplicable conduct of the Levite towards his wife, disclose a state of morality that would have appeared incredible, did it not rest on the testimony of the sacred historian. Both men ought to have protected the women in the house, even though at the expense of their lives, or thrown themselves on God's providence. It should be noted, however, that the guilt of such a foul outrage is not fastened on the general population of Gibeah.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The posture either of one that had fallen down, or of one that was laid down to sleep, her hands or arms (for the Hebrew word signifies both) leaning upon the threshold and being put under her head; and therefore he thought to awake her, and raise her up.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And her lord rose up in the morning,.... Very early no doubt, and it is scarcely reasonable to think he should sleep quietly after such a riot, and his concubine or wife delivered up to the lust of such brutish creatures:

and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; either in search of her, or rather to make the best of his way on his journey, to preserve his own life, having given her up for lost:

and, behold the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold; in a posture that persons are when they fall, stretching out their hands to save themselves what they can; or of such who lay themselves down to sleep with their hands under their heads, and which her husband thought was her case, by what follows.

Geneva Study Bible

And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. With instinctive art the Hebrew story-teller leaves much to the imagination (cf. Jdg 11:39); but at the end of the verse he adds a detail which betrays the pathos of the tragedy.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - The woman was fallen down at the door, etc. Poor thing! with her last breath she turned to the house where he was who should have been her protector, but who had deserted her in her hour of need. Judges 19:27

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

There her husband found her, when he opened the house-door to go his way (having given up all thought of receiving her back again from the barbarous crowd), "lying before the house-door, and her hands upon the threshold" (i.e., with outstretched arms), and giving no answer to his word, having died, that is to say, in consequence of the ill-treatment of the night. He then took the corpse upon his ass to carry it to his place, i.e., to his home.