But the men would not listen to him: But is a good rendering of the Hebrew waw conjunction here, since the men of Gibeah refused to accept the old man’s suggestion. Presumably they refused because they wanted the Levite and not the women. The Hebrew verb for listen (shamaʿ) has the sense of “obey” or “do as asked” here (see verse 2.2). The pronoun him refers to the old man. We might say “But the men refused to listen [or, accept his offer].”
So the man seized his concubine: Who is the man in this clause? In this passage this expression is used to refer both to the Levite and to the old man, though usually the old man is referred to by a longer or different expression (see verse 19.23). The last masculine singular form refers to the old man, and he has already offered the Levite’s concubine to the men, seemingly without any discussion with her husband. However, it is also possible and perhaps more likely that it is the Levite who seized his concubine. Seeing that the old man was willing to offer his own virgin daughter, the Levite may have impulsively forced his wife outside. Many versions accept this latter interpretation by rendering the man as “the Levite” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) or “the husband” (New American Bible). Like Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh preserves the ambiguity here, but it may be better to simply make a choice and follow through with it in the next clause. Seized renders the same Hebrew verb translated “made … stay” in verse 19.4 (see comments there), coming from a root meaning “strength.” Good News Translation and New International Version use the verb “took,” which seems too weak in this context. A better rendering is “grabbed” (Contemporary English Version).
And put her out to them: Put … out renders the same Hebrew verb translated “bring out” in verse 19.22 (see comments there). The subject here would be the same as in the previous clause, either the old man or the Levite. The pronoun her refers to the Levite’s concubine. Even though the old man also offered his daughter, evidently only the concubine was put outside. The pronoun them refers to the men who surrounded the old man’s house. This clause may be rendered “and pushed her outside to them.”
And they knew her: Even though the men refused the offer of the old man, once the concubine was outside, they forgot about her husband and attacked her. The Hebrew verb rendered knew appears in verse 19.22, where it refers to a homosexual act. Here it refers to the gang-rape of the concubine by the men of Gibeah. Contemporary English Version is very direct: “The men raped her.”
And abused her all night until the morning: The Hebrew verb rendered abused means “deal ruthlessly” or “treat badly,” but in this context it implies sexual abuse. Translators will have to find a term that will imply sexual mistreatment. All night until the morning is an emphatic temporal expression, stressing the continuous abuse of this woman. We might say “all night long until the morning.”
And as the dawn began to break, they let her go is literally “and they sent her away when the dawn came up.” Revised Standard Version reverses the order of these two clauses in Hebrew, which other languages may prefer to do as well.
As the dawn began to break adds a note of sadness to the story. Usually a new day is a sign of hope. Here it signals the end of a life. Thus this may be yet another touch of irony added by the storyteller. The Hebrew word for dawn refers to the very early time in the morning when the first light can be seen. Some languages will say “when the sun came up” or “when morning came.”
They let her go renders the key Hebrew verb meaning “send” (shalach), which is often used at the beginning or end of important conflicts (see verse 1.25). The text here really means “they sent her away,” but as will become evident, she is in no state to go very far. We might even say “they threw her aside.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• But the men didn’t listen to the old man. So the Levite grabbed his concubine and pushed her out to them. They gang-raped her and abused her all night. Then in the morning, as the sun came up, they let her go.
• But the men rejected the old man’s offer, and the Levite seized his concubine and shoved her outside to them. They raped and abused her all night long. Then early in the morning as the dawn was breaking, they abandoned her.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .