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.
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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 14:23In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
- Judg 19:1And 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 Bethlehemjudah.
- Ps 104:23Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
- Ps 128:2For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
- Judg 19:14And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.
- Eph 4:28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- 1 Th 4:11–12And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
- 2 Th 3:10For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
- Gen 3:19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
- Eccl 1:13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
- Prov 13:11Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
- Prov 24:27Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
- Eccl 5:12The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
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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
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