Judges 20:6

And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

Judges 20:6 (KJV)

Context

This verse is part of the account in Judges 19-21 that leads to civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel. The speaker is a Levite who had been traveling with his concubine. They stopped for the night in Gibeah, a city of Benjamin. Wicked men of the city surrounded the house where they stayed and demanded that the Levite be handed over to them for violent abuse. Instead, the Levite sent his concubine out to them. The men abused her throughout the night, and she died at the doorstep.

The Levite then carried her body home, cut it into twelve pieces, and sent the pieces throughout the territories of Israel (Judges 19:29). In this verse, he explains his shocking action to the assembled tribes. He wanted to expose the crime committed in Gibeah and to call the nation to respond.

Meaning

The Levite openly takes responsibility for cutting up the body. He does this so that no one would think the guilty men of Gibeah had also committed this act. His purpose was to alarm the whole nation and to make the horror of the crime impossible to ignore. The phrase “country of the inheritance of Israel” reminds the people that the land was a sacred gift from God. The crime in Gibeah defiled that inheritance.

The words “lewdness and folly” describe more than simple foolishness. In the Old Testament, “folly” often means a serious moral and spiritual failure. “Lewdness” points to a shameful and disgraceful act. Together they show that the men of Gibeah had committed a grave sin against God and against the community.

Biblical connections

The period of the judges was marked by spiritual decline, when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). This verse illustrates the terrible results of abandoning God’s standards. The Levite’s action succeeded in uniting the tribes, for they gathered as one man to seek justice against Benjamin. The shocking method was a desperate measure to awaken the nation to the seriousness of the sin.

Application

This passage shows the devastating consequences of sin and how far people can fall when they reject God’s moral law. It warns against allowing cultural pressures to blur the difference between right and wrong. The Levite’s call for justice reminds believers to stand against evil and to seek redress for wrongs committed. The response of the tribes also teaches the importance of unity among God’s people when confronting wickedness.

At the same time, the text does not say that God commanded the Levite’s specific actions. It records what happened and reveals the moral decay of that era. Readers should learn from the tragedy without treating every detail as an example to follow.

Reflection

This verse challenges us to examine how we respond to evil in our own communities. Do we ignore injustice because it is uncomfortable, or do we act with courage and unity? The Levite’s gruesome message forced Israel to face the truth. God still calls His people to confront sin with honesty and to pursue justice in ways that honor Him.