Judges 19: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Judges 19 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

A Levite from Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem Judah, but she played the prostitute and returned to her father's house for four months (vv. 1-2). The Levite went to speak kindly to her and bring her back.

Key verse

“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 had fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.”
Judges 19:27 (WEB)

Outline

Judges 19:1–3 The Levite and His Concubine
Judges 19:4–9 Hospitality of the Father-in-Law
Judges 19:10–15 Journey to Gibeah
Judges 19:16–21 An Old Man Offers Shelter
Judges 19:22–25 The Assault by Wicked Men
Judges 19:26–29 The Aftermath of Violence
Judges 19:30 A Call to Israel

Discussion questions

In v2, what action does the concubine take against the Levite?
What does the father of the young lady do in v4 after seeing the Levite?
In v24, why does the master of the house offer his daughter and the concubine to the men of Gibeah?
Concerning the concubine’s treatment in vv. 25-26, what does this say about the values of the people in Gibeah?
When have you witnessed a lack of hospitality like the Levite experienced in Gibeah?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Judges 19: Judges 20, Genesis 19, 2 Samuel 13.

Before next time: read Judges 20.