A Levite’s concubine runs from him to her father’s house at Beth-lehem; he goeth to fetch her back; is kindly entertained by her father; he departs, and comes to Gibeah of Benjamin, and his concubine with him, 1-14. An old man of Mount Ephraim entertains them, 15-21. The men of the city encompass the house, to debauch the Levite, who through necessity delivers unto them his concubine, whom they abuse to death, 22-28. He carrieth her body home; divideth it into twelve parts; sendeth them into all the coasts of Israel, 29, 30.
This is definitely one of the more graphic stories in the Bible.
It is to be remembered that God had warned Israel that, if they left the Canaanites in the land, they would learn their manners. God knows us so much better than we know ourselves! When God warns us concerning temptation, we must not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
Behold, the sins of Sodom committed in Israel by Israelites, within a small handful of years of the death of Joshua!
Matthew Henry: 'The three remaining chapters of this book contain a most tragical story of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, patronised by the tribe of Benjamin, for which that tribe was severely chastised and almost entirely cut off by the rest of the tribes. This seems to have been done not long after the death of Joshua, for it was when there was no king, no judge, in Israel (verse 1, and Judges 21:25), and Phinehas was then high priest, Judges 20:28. These particular iniquities, the Danites' idolatry, and the Benjamites' immorality, let in that general apostasy, Judges 3:7. The abuse of the Levite's concubine is here very particularly related. I. Her adulterous elopement from him, verses 1-2…