Judges 20:6
New International Version
I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel.

New Living Translation
So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory assigned to Israel, for these men have committed a terrible and shameful crime.

English Standard Version
So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

King James Bible
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

New King James Version
So I took hold of my concubine, cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel, because they committed lewdness and outrage in Israel.

New American Standard Bible
And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed an outrageous sin and vile act in Israel.

NASB 1995
“And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

NASB 1977
“And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
And I seized my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

Amplified Bible
So I took my concubine and cut her [corpse] in pieces and sent her [body parts] throughout the land of the inheritance of Israel; for the men of Gibeah have committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

Christian Standard Bible
Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel’s territory, because they have committed a wicked outrage in Israel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel’s territory, because they committed a horrible shame in Israel.

American Standard Version
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

Contemporary English Version
It was a terrible thing for Israelites to do! So I cut up her body and sent the pieces everywhere in Israel.

English Revised Version
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So I took my concubine and cut her into pieces. Then I sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel. I did this because the citizens of Gibeah did this perverted and godless thing in Israel.

Good News Translation
I took her body, cut it in pieces, and sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. These people have committed an evil and immoral act among us.

International Standard Version
So I grabbed my mistress, cut her in pieces, and sent her remains throughout the territory of Israel's inheritance, because they've committed a vile, stupid outrage in Israel.

Majority Standard Bible
Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel?s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

NET Bible
I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout the territory occupied by Israel, because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity in Israel.

New Heart English Bible
I took my secondary wife, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed wickedness and disgrace in Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

World English Bible
I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and I lay hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel;

Young's Literal Translation
and I lay hold on my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and send her into all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have done wickedness and folly in Israel;

Smith's Literal Translation
And I laid hold of my concubine and I cut her in pieces, and sent her into all the field of the inheritance of Israel: for they did wickedness and folly in Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I took her and cut her in pieces, and sent the, parts into all the borders of your possession: because there never was so heinous a crime, and so great an abomination committed in Israel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And taking her up, I cut her into pieces, and I sent the parts into all the borders of your possession. For never before was such a nefarious crime, and so great a sin, committed in Israel.

New American Bible
So I took my concubine and cut her up and sent her through every part of the territory of Israel, because of the terrible thing they had done in Israel.

New Revised Standard Version
Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel’s territory; for they have committed a vile outrage in Israel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent them throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they had committed sin and wickedness in Israel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I took my Concubine and I cut her in pieces and I sent her to all the estates of the inheritance of Israel, because they had done sin and evil in Israel
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and wantonness in Israel

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I laid hold of my concubine, and divided her in pieces, and sent the parts into every coast of the inheritance of the children of Israel; for they have wrought lewdness and abomination in Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Decree of the Assembly
5And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. 6Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”…

Cross References
Hosea 9:9
They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their guilt; He will punish their sins.

Hosea 10:9
Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity?

Deuteronomy 13:12-18
If, regarding one of the cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it said / that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known), / then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you, ...

Judges 19:29-30
When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. / And everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!”

1 Samuel 11:7
He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man.

Genesis 34:7
When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.

Deuteronomy 22:21-24
she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the evil from among you. / If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. / If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, ...

2 Samuel 20:1
Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

1 Kings 21:13
And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.

Jeremiah 6:15
Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD.

Ezekiel 16:36-38
This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them, / therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. / And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.

Ezekiel 23:45-47
But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands. / This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder. / The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.

Matthew 10:14-15
And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. / Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 11:23-24
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. / But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”


Treasury of Scripture

And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

cut her

Judges 19:29
And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

folly in Israel

Judges 20:10
And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

Judges 19:23
And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

Genesis 34:7
And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

Jump to Previous
Abomination Act Committed Concubine Country Cut Cutting Disgraceful Heritage Hold Inheritance Israel Israel's Lewdness Parts Piece Pieces Region Throughout Wantonness Wickedness
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Abomination Act Committed Concubine Country Cut Cutting Disgraceful Heritage Hold Inheritance Israel Israel's Lewdness Parts Piece Pieces Region Throughout Wantonness Wickedness
Judges 20
1. The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8. The decree of the assembly
12. The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18. The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26. They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred.














I took my concubine
The term "concubine" in the Hebrew context refers to a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives. In ancient Israel, concubines were often considered part of the household and had certain rights, though not equal to those of a wife. The Hebrew word used here is "pilegesh," which indicates a recognized relationship, albeit one that reflects the patriarchal structure of the society. This phrase sets the stage for the gravity of the situation, as the concubine was under the protection of her partner, yet she became a victim of a heinous crime.

cut her into pieces
This phrase is shocking and gruesome, reflecting the severity of the crime committed against the concubine. The act of dismemberment was not only a response to the atrocity but also a symbolic gesture meant to provoke a reaction from the tribes of Israel. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such acts were sometimes used to communicate urgency and demand justice. The Hebrew verb "nathach" implies a deliberate and methodical action, underscoring the Levite's desperation and the seriousness of the call to action.

and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance
The phrase "throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance" refers to the territories allotted to the tribes of Israel. The act of sending the pieces of the concubine to each tribe was a call for national assembly and judgment. It was a dramatic and unprecedented appeal to the collective conscience of Israel. The term "inheritance" (Hebrew: "nachalah") emphasizes the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, reminding the tribes of their shared identity and responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness in the land given to them by God.

because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel
The words "lewd and disgraceful act" translate the Hebrew "zimmah," which denotes a heinous crime, often of a sexual nature, and "nebalah," meaning folly or outrage. This phrase highlights the moral and social corruption that had infiltrated the tribe of Benjamin, where the crime occurred. The use of these terms indicates not only a violation of social norms but also an affront to the holiness expected of God's people. The phrase serves as a moral indictment, calling the nation to recognize the depth of the sin and the need for communal repentance and justice.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then I took
וָֽאֹחֵ֤ז (wā·’ō·ḥêz)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 270: To grasp, take hold, take possession

my concubine,
בְּפִֽילַגְשִׁי֙ (bə·p̄î·laḡ·šî)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6370: A concubine, a paramour

cut her into pieces,
וָֽאֲנַתְּחֶ֔הָ (wā·’ă·nat·tə·ḥe·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5408: To cut up, cut in pieces, divide by joints

and sent her
וָֽאֲשַׁלְּחֶ֔הָ (wā·’ă·šal·lə·ḥe·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

throughout
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the land
שְׂדֵ֖ה (śə·ḏêh)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7704: Field, land

of Israel's
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

inheritance,
נַחֲלַ֣ת (na·ḥă·laṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5159: Something inherited, occupancy, an heirloom, an estate, patrimony, portion

because
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they had committed
עָשׂ֛וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

a lewd
זִמָּ֥ה (zim·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2154: A plan, device, wickedness

and disgraceful act
וּנְבָלָ֖ה (ū·nə·ḇā·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5039: Foolishness, wickedness, a crime, punishment

in Israel.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (bə·yiś·rā·’êl)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: Judges 20:6 I took my concubine and cut her (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 20:5
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