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

JUDGES 19:21KJV
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Judges 19:21 (KJV)

What does Judges 19:21 mean?

Judges 19:21 describes how a man welcomed travelers into his house, provided food for their donkeys, and allowed them to wash their feet before they ate and drank together. This verse shows the host’s hospitality and care for both his guests and their animals.

The setting is in the town of Gibeah, where an old man invites a Levite, his concubine, and their servant into his home after they had trouble finding lodging. The verse highlights the basic acts of hospitality in ancient Israel: feeding animals (using the word for "provender"), washing feet after travel, and sharing a meal. These actions set the stage for the events that follow in the story.

The Hebrew behind Judges 19:21

  • "Provender" (בְּלִיל, belil) refers to mixed feed or fodder for animals, showing the host’s attention to the needs of the travelers’ donkeys, not just the people.
  • "Washed" (רָחַץ, rachats) and "feet" (רֶגֶל, regel) together point to the common custom of washing dusty feet after a journey, a practical and welcoming gesture in a dry, dusty land.
  • "Eat" (אָכַל, akhal) and "drink" (שָׁתָה, shatah) are straightforward but together emphasize the completeness of the hospitality—providing both food and drink.

Why Judges 19:21 matters

  • This verse clarifies that hospitality in ancient Israel included caring for both people and their animals, not just offering a meal.
  • The attention to washing feet and feeding animals shows the host’s respect and thoroughness, which contrasts sharply with the later actions of the townspeople in the story.
  • Understanding these customs helps the reader see how shocking the later events in Gibeah are, since they violate the basic standards of hospitality shown here.

Where else these words appear

“provender” Hebrew H1101 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
  • Numbers 7:13 And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • Numbers 15:6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.

“washed” Hebrew H7364 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • Leviticus 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 23:11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.

“asses” Hebrew H2543 · used in 93 verses

  • Genesis 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
  • Numbers 31:28 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
  • 1 Samuel 25:42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.