Verse Lens · Expanded explanation

Judges 19:18 Explained in Context

Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.

Selected verse

Verse 18. And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions

Quick Meaning

This verse gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him.

Read It With

  • Judges 19:11–21

Read Judges 19:11–21 together. This verse gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him. The servant's Jebus proposal, Levite's Israelite-city preference, failed progress to Gibeah, public-square waiting, old man's arrival and inquiry, travelers' account, warning not to remain outside, and household welcome form the lodging scene; verse 22 begins the assault on the house.

Why This Verse Appears Here

The Levite's expectation of safety among fellow Israelites is contradicted first by failed hospitality and then by the coming violence, exposing covenant identity without covenant conduct. Within that movement, gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him.

Read Judges 19:11–21 together

Why these verses belong together: The servant's Jebus proposal, Levite's Israelite-city preference, failed progress to Gibeah, public-square waiting, old man's arrival and inquiry, travelers' account, warning not to remain outside, and household welcome form the lodging scene; verse 22 begins the assault on the house.

Verse 11. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

Verse 12. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

Verse 13. And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

Verse 14. And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

Verse 15. And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

Verse 16. 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.

Verse 17. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

Verse 18. And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

Verse 19. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

Verse 20. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

Verse 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

Follow the Context

  1. The party bypasses Jebus because the Levite prefers an Israelite city.
  2. At Gibeah no one offers lodging, leaving the travelers exposed in the public square.
  3. An Ephraimite sojourner recognizes the danger, provides hospitality, and brings them inside.

Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation

“And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim…”

In plain language: gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him

Near evening the servant suggests lodging in Jebus, but the Levite refuses a city of foreigners and chooses Gibeah or Ramah among Benjamin. They reach Gibeah at sunset and sit in the square because no resident welcomes them. An old man from Ephraim, himself a sojourner, learns they have supplies but no shelter, urges them not to remain outside, brings them home, feeds the animals, and hosts the party. Within that movement, this wording gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him.

Why it matters: This wording carries a material narrative, textual, historical, violence, vulnerable-person, land, leadership, or misuse boundary.

How certain? probable

What This Verse Is Not Saying

Judges 19:18 does not stand alone from 19:11–21. The Levite's preference does not authorize xenophobia. Its verse-specific role is: gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him.

What Remains True

Gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him. Shared identity is not a substitute for actual safeguarding, and marginalized residents may model the care insiders neglect.

How It Can Shape Life

  • Because Judges 19:18 gives the Levite's route, destination, and complaint that no one receives him, evaluate lodging and community safety by verified practice, not ethnic familiarity, and establish protection for travelers and resident outsiders.

Teach It Back

Explain Judges 19:18's precise role in Judges 19:11–21. Include the scene's ancient covenant setting, one material uncertainty, the affected people, and one conclusion or violent imitation the context does not authorize.

Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.

Continue in Context

The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.

Read Judges 19:11–21 — The travelers bypass Jebus and wait in Gibeah
Sources used for this Verse Lens

How certain is this explanation? probable

Where care is needed

Historical relationships among Gibeah, Jebus, and later traditions are contested. The story's critique of failed Gibeah hospitality does not require settling those questions.

The exact status of Jebus at the story's narrated time and the relation to other Jerusalem traditions are debated. The literary reversal of expected in-group safety is clear.

These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.

Exact location: Judges 19:11–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Judges

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clause relationships, repeated terms, wordplays, and translation control.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Judg.xml, 19:11–21

Open source ↗

translation and translator notes

NET Bible: Judges with translators' notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2006

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, poetic, geographical, social, and uncertainty notes.

Exact location: NET Bible Judges PDF, printed pp. 484-485, translation and notes on 19:11–21

Open source ↗
Open the complete thought-unit research record
Open a verse without taking it out of context.

Try Judges 2:18, Judg 2:18, or Jdg 2:18.

Choose book, chapter, and verse