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 19:29KJV
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Judges 19:29 (KJV)

What 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.

Where else these words appear

“knife” Hebrew H3979 · used in 4 verses

  • Genesis 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
  • Genesis 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
  • Proverbs 30:14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

“divided” Hebrew H5408 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.
  • Leviticus 1:12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
  • 1 Samuel 11:7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

“pieces” Hebrew H5409 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 29:17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.
  • Leviticus 1:8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
  • Leviticus 9:13 And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar.

“concubine” Hebrew H6370 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 22:24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
  • Judges 19:27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.
  • 2 Samuel 21:11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.