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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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 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.
- NKJV Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites.
- NASB Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjaminites.
- NLT That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe of Benjamin.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
An old man returning from his fields is the only one to notice the travelers. Notably, he is himself an outsider from Ephraim.
Overview
The lone person willing to help is not a native Benjamite but a sojourner from Ephraim. The detail sharpens the indictment of Gibeah, whose own citizens offered no welcome. The old man's compassion stands as a small light against the town's encroaching darkness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 14:23There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
- Judg 19:1Now in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
- Ps 104:23Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.
- Ps 128:2For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.
- Judg 19:14So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
- Eph 4:28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- 1 Th 4:11–12and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
- 2 Th 3:10For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”
- Gen 3:19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
- Eccl 1:13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
- Prov 13:11Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
- Prov 24:27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
- Eccl 5:12The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 19:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.