Judges 19:13

And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) Or in Ramah.—This town, now el-Ram, is only two miles beyond Gibeah. The two places are often mentioned together (Hosea 5:8). The Levite is naturally anxious to push on homewards as fast as he can. Perhaps he knew that Gibeah did not bear a good character, and that it would be better to get as far as Ramah if possible. In countries where there are no public inns, each town and village gets a character of its own from the reports of travellers.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

City of a stranger - This shows how completely, even in these early days, the Jebusite population had excluded both the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13. in Gibeah, or in Ramah—The first of these places was five miles northeast, the other from four to five north of Jerusalem.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Both which places lay in Benjamin’s portion, a little northward from Jerusalem, and in the road from Bethlehem-judah to Gibeah.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he said to his servant, come, and let us draw near,.... And get on as fast as we can:

to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah; which were both in the tribe of Benjamin, and he left it to his servant to go to either, to that which was most convenient, because of the time of the day, it being near sun setting; now, as before observed, Gibeah was not quite four miles from Jerusalem; whereas, according to Jerom (s), Ramah was six miles, and therefore we find they took up at Gibeah, as being nearest of these two places; See Gill on Joshua 18:24, Joshua 18:25, Hosea 5:8.

(s) De loc. Heb. fol. 94. B.

Geneva Study Bible

And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. Gibeah] Here, as in Isaiah 10:29 b, clearly south of Ramah, now er-Râm; it may well have occupied the ruined site called Tell el-Fûl, 2¾ miles N. of Jerusalem. This is the Gibeah of Saul mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:26; 1 Samuel 11:4; 1 Samuel 15:34, Is. l.c. (see Jos., Wars Jdg 19:2; Jdg 19:1), and known also as G. of Benjamin, 1 Samuel 13:2; 1 Samuel 13:15; 1 Samuel 14:16. It is to be distinguished from Geba, 1 Samuel 14:5, Isaiah 10:29 a etc., now Jeba‘, E. of er-Râm. The name = hill was a common one (e.g. Joshua 15:57 in Judah, ib. Joshua 24:33 RVm. in Ephraim), and easily leads to confusion.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 13. - Ramah (ha-Ramah, the height). Now er-Ram, less than an hour's journey from Gibeah, both being about equi-distant from Jerusalem. Judges 19:13

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

But as the day had gone far down when they were by Jebus (רד, third pers. perf., either of ירד with י dropped like תּתּה in 2 Samuel 22:41 for נתתּה, or from רדד in the sense of ירד), the attendant said to his master, "Come, let us turn aside into this Jebusite city, and pass the night in it." But his master was unwilling to enter a city of the foreigners (נכרי( sre is a genitive), where there were none of the sons of Israel, and would pass over to Gibeah. "Come (לך equals לכה, Numbers 23:13), we will draw near to one of the places (which he immediately names), and pass the night in Gibeah or Ramah." These two towns, the present Jeba and er Rm, were not a full hour's journey apart, and stood opposite to one another, only about two and a half or three hours from Jerusalem (see at Joshua 18:25, Joshua 18:28).