This Bible passage has always bothered me.......

by palmtree67 66 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  palmtree67

  This is one of 2 Bible passages that have always bothered me.

  Its from Judges 19: (The entire chapter, so I will paraphrase.)

  A Levite marries himself a concubine. She's unfaithful and goes back home. He chases after her and her father convinces him to stay there for almost a week. The last night, even though it was becoming evening, he refuses to stay any longer and takes her, his asses and his attendant and leaves.

  They wind up in Gibeah. An old man in the public square invites them to his home for the night. They go.

  Vs. 22: "The men of the city, mere good-for-nothing men, surrounded the house, shoving one another against the door; and they kept saying to the old man, 'Bring out the man, that we may have intercourse with him.'"

  The old man refuses and hands over his virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine. The men of the city didn't want them, but the Levite throws her outside anyways.

  Vs. 25, 26: "They began to have intercourse with her, and kept on abusing her all night long until the morning, after which they send her off at the ascending of the dawn......the woman fell down at the entrance of the man's house where her master was."

  Vs. 27, 28: "Later, her master rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to get on his way, and look! the woman fallen at the entrance......So he said to her, 'Rise up, and let us go.' But there was no one answering."

  WHY IS THIS IN THE BIBLE?

  1. The guy HAD to have known what was going to happen to his wife when he handed her over.

  2. He hands her over and apparently goes to bed and has a great sleep, even sleeping in in the morning????

  3. He gets up, sees her on the ground, gives her a kick and tells her to get up, we got traveling to do????

  I don't understand why this is in the Bible. As a woman, I find it totally disgusting and repellant and it doesn't make me feel closer to God. In the past, I had tried to look up something on it, but other than a small blurb that doesn't explain anything, the WTS is silent on this passage.

  Can anyone explain this?

  Or what are your thoughts?
• 

  Stan Conroy

  The answer is simple. The bible is a compilation of myths and bizarre stories (such as this) and has nothing to do with reality. Who ever decided to write this horrible story must have been pretty proud of their lack of respect for the women in their lives.

  This isn't a book I would cherish, respect or acknowledge as anything more then the trash it is.

  Sorry, but you did ask for my thoughts.

  Stan
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  dudeson

  Very similar story to Lot and his daughters. Another totally insane STORY.
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  Lillith26

  As a woman I find that passage horrible too! I wont defend that book! but as a mother of 3 sons- I have a passage just as horrid to share...

  Exodus 4:24-26... the 'LORD' is hunting Moses down to kill him because he forgot to do something, but Zipporah did the deed and the 'LORD' let him go.... and what was that deed?- she slashed off her son's forskin and threw it at Moses feet! and we are supossed to become 'good parents' by learning from examples like this???? I dont think so!
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  JWdaughter

  Commentary said that it was just to show how wicked the men of Belial were. In ch. 20, the men of Israel rise against Benjamin (sons of Belial?), kill all the married women, steal all the virgins. It was a mess of men deciding what they thought was appropriate. No king around. It was a mess. THe story of the Levite man and his concubine was to explain the uprising against Benjamin, and I don't think that the few verses given regarding the concubine and her husband was a full explanation, but it sure DOES look like a cold blooded scene, doesn't it?
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  Stan Conroy

  "It was a mess of men deciding what they thought was appropriate. No king around. It was a mess."

  Where was their god? Their god could bring 10 plagues on Egypt, split the Red Sea, provide manna for nourishment, but wasn't paying attention when they decided that raping young girls was a good idea?

  This is just another example of the absurdity of the "good book".

  Stan
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  Stan Conroy

  By the way, you should have read a little farther. After the concubine died from a night of violent rape, he cuts her up into 12 pieces and distributes her dismembered parts to the tribes of Israel.

  Good times....

  Stan
• 

  palmtree67

  God doesn't change, right?

  This was all OK, but I can't live forever if I wish someone a happy birthday?

  I know there's nothing saying God AGREED with this thing, but geez, I think it says alot about how women were viewed.

  Do you think men who read that get that same cold, icy feeling that women get when they read it? Stan???
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  Satanus

  It's a story to give a lesson, like compared to a levite, a woman is but a pet animal. Also, compared to a levite, the regular jew is not much better than an animal.

  S
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  palmtree67

  Maybe the lesson is: don't marry a Levite. And if you do, bring a baseball bat with you when he takes you to Gibeah.

  Ya, that must be it.....I feel better now.