The story of the concubine in Gibeah in the Book of Judges is one of the most difficult stories in the entire Bible. It encompasses:

• The gang rape of the unfortunate concubine
• Complete alienation among the Israelites
• A murder
• A civil war in which eleven tribes nearly exterminate the twelfth tribe

Despicable

The biblical story of the concubine clearly alludes to the story of Sodom. And this comparison means that the tribe of Benjamin had reached a despicably low level. It had sunk as low as the city of Sodom, which deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth. And that is almost what happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The astonishment grows the better one gets to know the tribe of Benjamin. It was once one of the most chosen and pleasant tribes of Israel. How could it sink so low?

“Tell us how this evil came upon us!” (Judges 20:3)

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