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.
JUDGES 19:29KJVWhat does Judges 19:29 mean?
Judges 19:29 describes how, after returning to his house, a man took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces, sending each piece throughout all the regions of Israel. This act was meant to get the attention of all the tribes of Israel by showing them the horror of what had happened.
The man in this verse is the Levite from the previous verses, and the concubine is the woman who was abused and killed in Gibeah. By dividing her body and sending the pieces to each tribe, the Levite was making a shocking public statement, calling all Israel to respond to a terrible crime. This event sets up the rest of the story, where the tribes gather to address the outrage.
The Hebrew behind Judges 19:29
- כָּתַת (H5408, natas) — "divided": This word means to cut or divide, emphasizing the deliberate and violent nature of the Levite’s actions in physically separating the body into parts.
- עֶצֶם (H6106, etsem) — "bones": The verse notes that the dividing included the bones, highlighting the thoroughness and brutality of the act, not just a superficial cutting.
- שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר (H8147, H6240, shenayim asar) — "twelve": The number twelve is significant because it matches the twelve tribes of Israel, showing that each tribe received a piece, making this a national call to attention.
- גְּבוּל (H1366, gevul) — "coasts": This word means borders or territories, clarifying that the pieces were sent throughout all the regions, not just to a few places.
Why Judges 19:29 matters
- Judges 19:29 clears up that the Levite’s actions were not random violence but a calculated message to all Israel, demanding a national response.
- The verse emphasizes the unity of the twelve tribes by involving every region, showing that the crime in Gibeah was seen as an issue for the whole nation, not just one town.
- This verse sets the stage for the following chapters, where the tribes gather and decide how to deal with the crime, highlighting the seriousness of justice and community responsibility in ancient Israel.