Judges 19 · Verse 2

Judges 19:2

And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth–lehem–judah, and was there four whole months.

Judges 19:2, King James Version

Judges 19:2 in other translations

BSB	But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months,
WEB	His concubine played the prostitute against him, and went away from him to her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there for four months.
ASV	And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months.
YLT	and commit whoredom against him doth his concubine, and she goeth from him unto the house of her father, unto Beth-Lehem-Judah, and is there days--four months.
DARBY	And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-Judah, and was there some time, — four months.
BBE	And his servant-wife was angry with him, and went away from him to her father's house at Beth-lehem-judah, and was there for four months.
Webster	And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole months.

What does Judges 19:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

2. his concubine ... went away from him unto her father's house--The cause of the separation assigned in our version rendered it unlawful for her husband to take her back (De 24:4); and according to the uniform style of sentiment and practice in the East, she would have been put to death, had she gone to her father's family. Other versions concur with Josephus, in representing the reason for the flight from her husband's house to be, that she was disgusted with him, through frequent brawls.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 Played the whore - Neither the Vulgate, Septuagint, Targum, nor Josephus, understand this word as implying any act of conjugal infidelity on the woman's part. They merely state that the parties disagreed, and the woman returned to her father's house. Indeed all the circumstances of the case vindicate this view of the subject. If she had been a whore, or adulteress, it is not very likely that her husband would have gone after her to speak friendly, literally, to speak to her heart, and entreat her to return. The Vulgate simply states, quae reliquit eum, that she left him; the Septuagint, ωργισθη αυτῳ, that she was angry with him; the Targum ובסרת עלוהי ubserath alohi, that she despised him; Josephus, αλλοτοιως ειχε, that she was alienated, or separated herself, from him. Houbigant translates the clause: quae cum ab eo alienata esset, vel irata in eum esset, eum reliquit; "who when she was alienated from him, or angry with him, left him;" and he defends this version in his note. I think the true meaning to be among the above interpretations. They had contentions; she ceased to love him, her affections were alienated from him; and she left his house, and went home to her father.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Judges 19:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתִּזְנֶ֤הva.tiz.Nehand she was angryH2181

עָלָיו֙'a.Lavtowards himH5921

פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔וֹpi.lag.Shoconcubine hisH6370

וַתֵּ֤לֶךְva.Te.lekhand she wentH1980

מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙me.'i.Tofrom with <the> himH854

אֶל\־'el-toH413

בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004

אָבִ֔יהָ'a.Vi.hafather herH1

אֶל\־'el-toH413

בֵּ֥יתbeitBeth-H1035

לֶ֖חֶםLe.chem-lehemH1035

יְהוּדָ֑הye.hu.DahJudahH3063

וַתְּהִי\־va.te.hi-and she wasH1961

שָׁ֕םshamthereH8033

יָמִ֖יםya.MimdaysH3117

אַרְבָּעָ֥ה'ar.ba.'AhfourH702

חֳדָשִֽׁים\׃cho.da.ShimmonthsH2320

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 19:2

Ezekiel 16:28
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Deuteronomy 22:21
Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
Leviticus 21:9
And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

played.
Le 21:9; De 22:21; Eze 16:28
four whole months. or, a year and four months. Heb. days,four months.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Judges 19:1
And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth–lehem–judah.
Judges 19:2
And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth–lehem–judah, and was there four whole months.
Judges 19:3
And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

Read all of Judges 19

Judges 19:2 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y su concubina adulteró contra él, y fuese de él á casa de su padre, á Beth-lehem de Judá, y estuvo allá por tiempo de cuatro meses.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et sa concubine lui étant infidèle se prostitua, et s’en alla d’avec lui à la maison de son père, à Bethléhem de Juda; et elle fut là quelque temps, quatre mois.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und sein Kebsweib hurte neben ihm; und sie ging von ihm weg in das Haus ihres Vaters, nach Bethlehem-Juda, und war daselbst eine Zeitlang, vier Monate.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	quæ reliquit eum, et reversa est in domum patris sui in Bethlehem, mansitque apud eum quatuor mensibus.