Judges 19:10 Meaning and Explanation
“But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Levite refuses to stay and sets out, traveling as far as Jebus, that is, Jerusalem.
What Does Judges 19:10 Mean?
This time the man will not be kept. He rises, departs, and travels until he comes opposite Jebus, which the narrator pauses to tell us is Jerusalem. His donkeys are saddled and his concubine is with him as the small company sets out into the waning day. The decision to leave has finally been made, and the road carries them toward a city not yet belonging to Israel.
The note that Jebus is Jerusalem is a quiet thread of hope laid into a grim chapter, for this city, still in foreign hands, will one day become the city of the great King and the place of God's house. The Levite, however, presses on past it, and the choices ahead will prove fateful. Scripture often plants such reminders of what God intends amid the failures of the present, so that the reader keeps in view a future the characters cannot yet see, a city that will be redeemed though it is bypassed here in the dusk.
Judges 19:10 in the Original Language
Yevus (יְבוּס), 'Jebus' -- the older name of the city later known as Jerusalem, while it was still held by the Jebusites.
Frequently Asked Questions About Judges 19:10
What does Judges 19:10 mean?
The Levite refuses to stay and sets out, traveling as far as Jebus, that is, Jerusalem.