What's easily missed is that this "concubine" was actually considered his wife, differing mainly in the inheritance rights of any children. This wasn't a casual arrangement but a recognized, though lesser, form of marriage in that era, making the subsequent events all the more tragic.
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The book of Judges is recounting a period of utter chaos in Israel, marked by "everyone doing what was right in their own eyes" because there was no central leadership. This chapter begins by introducing a Levite living on the fringes of Ephraim who takes a concubine, a type of wife with less legal standing, from Bethlehem. The stage is set for a horrific event that will expose the moral decay of the nation, beginning with this Levite's journey to retrieve his concubine after she leaves him.
The book of Judges repeatedly opens chapters with a stark reminder: 'In those days there was no king in Israel.' What does this phrase really mean for the people of God?
This recurring phrase isn't just a historical footnote; it's the backdrop to the chaos and moral decay described in the book.
A Land Adrift
Without a central king or governing authority to uphold justice and righteousness, Israel was adrift. The commentary highlights how this absence led to a breakdown of societal norms, where 'all sorts of disorders' could flourish.
Personal Responsibility
While a king would provide external order, the implication is a call to internal, personal responsibility. Each person and community was left to navigate life without a clear leader, often leading to self-serving actions and moral compromise.
The Levite's Role
Even the Levites, who were set apart for God's service and should have been beacons of faithfulness, are shown here sojourning in remote areas, seemingly disconnected from a central spiritual or governmental structure. This underscores how widespread the moral decline was.
The verse mentions a 'concubine.' This wasn't a simple marital status, but a complex social and legal arrangement that tells us a lot about the era's values.
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The term 'concubine' in ancient Israel, particularly as seen in this passage, signifies a relationship that was recognized but carried fewer rights and privileges than a primary wife.
More Than a Mistress
Commentaries explain that a concubine was often considered a 'secondary wife' or a 'wife with inferior rights.' While not a mistress, she and her children might not have the same inheritance rights or social standing.
A Matter of Status and Dowry
The Hebrew term itself is sometimes translated as 'a wife, a concubine,' suggesting she held a marital status but lacked the full legal and ceremonial protections of a primary wife. This could be due to the husband's inability to provide a dowry, especially for a sojourner like this Levite.
Reflecting Societal Norms
These arrangements, though potentially carrying moral questions for us today, were customary. The narrative doesn't condemn the status itself but highlights how even these recognized relationships could become entangled in the era's broader moral decay, leading to devastating consequences.
Understand the original words
melek · Hebrew Noun
A ruler or sovereign who holds supreme authority over a nation or people. In the context of Israel's history, it highlights a period of leadership crisis and spiritual moral decay characterized by individuals doing what was right in their own eyes.
Leviy · Hebrew Noun
A member of the tribe of Levi, set apart by God for priestly and tabernacle service. They were meant to be the spiritual leaders and teachers of the Law for the nation of Israel.
pilegesh · Hebrew Noun
A woman who lived with a man as a secondary wife. While recognized legally in ancient Near Eastern law, the position often lacked the full social and covenantal protections of a primary wife.
zanah · Hebrew Verb
To deviate from a covenant or trust, specifically in a marital or spiritual sense. In the Old Testament, this term is frequently used to describe both sexual immorality and the betrayal of God's covenant by Israel.
The phrase 'when there was no king in Israel' highlights the lack of centralized law and order, setting the stage for the extreme violence and moral chaos described in this passage.
c. 1300-1050 BC
Period of the Judges
A tumultuous era in Israel's history following Joshua's death, marked by cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance, with tribal rather than unified governance.
c. 1300-1050 BC
Ark at Shiloh
The Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant were located at Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim, a spiritual center for the tribes.
c. 1300-1050 BC— this verse
Levites Serving Local Sanctuaries
With no central authority, Levites often served as priests and religious functionaries at various local shrines and high places throughout the land.
c. 1050 BC
Saul Anointed King
The rise of the monarchy under Saul, marking the end of the Judges period and the beginning of a more unified Israelite nation.
This verse establishes the recurring theme of individual lawlessness and moral decay in the absence of strong leadership, mirroring the context set by Judges 19:1.
Ruth 1:1This passage also begins with 'in those days when the judges ruled,' setting a similar historical backdrop and highlighting the period's instability, even as it focuses on a different, more hopeful story starting in Bethlehem.
Genesis 34:1-2This earlier account describes Dinah, Jacob's daughter, going out and being defiled, illustrating a similar vulnerability and the potential for horrific violence when moral and governmental structures are weak.
Judges 21:25This concluding verse of the book directly reiterates the refrain 'In those days there was no king in Israel,' serving as a stark reminder of the societal chaos that directly follows the events described, starting with this Levite's story.
bensonJudges 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 Bethlehemjudah."
Jdg 19:1 . Who took him a concubine — Hebrew, a wife, a concubine, that is, such a concubine as was also his wife: called a concubine only because she was not endowed. Perhaps he had nothing to endow her with, being himself only a sojourner. “Women of this sort differed little from the wife…
clarkeJudges 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 Bethlehemjudah."
There was no king in Israel - All sorts of disorders are attributed to the want of civil government; justice, right, truth, and humanity, had fallen in the streets. Took to him a concubine - We have already seen that the concubine was a sort of secondary wife; and that such connections were…
What's easily missed is that this "concubine" was actually considered his wife, differing mainly in the inheritance rights of any children. This wasn't a casual arrangement but a recognized, though lesser, form of marriage in that era, making the subsequent events all the more tragic.
The book of Judges is recounting a period of utter chaos in Israel, marked by "everyone doing what was right in their own eyes" because there was no central leadership. This chapter begins by introducing a Levite living on the fringes of Ephraim who takes a concubine, a type of wife with less legal standing, from Bethlehem. The stage is set for a horrific event that will expose the moral decay of the nation, beginning with this Levite's journey to retrieve his concubine after she leaves him.
The book of Judges is recounting a period of utter chaos in Israel, marked by "everyone doing what was right in their own eyes" because there was no central leadership. This chapter begins by introducing a Levite living on the fringes of Ephraim who takes a concubine, a type of wife with less legal standing, from Bethlehem. The stage is set for a horrific event that will expose the moral decay of the nation, beginning with this Levite's journey to retrieve his concubine after she leaves him.
"In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she…" — What's easily missed is that this "concubine" was actually considered his wife, differing mainly in the inheritance rights of any children. This wasn't a casual arrangement but a recognized, though l…
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Last reviewed October 2026
