What happensPermalink
A Levite goes to retrieve his unfaithful concubine. On the way home, they spend the night in Gibeah. The men of the city try to rape the Levite. He gives them his concubine, and they rape her to death. He divides her corpse into twelve pieces and distributes them around Israel.
Why it mattersPermalink
This story is nearly identical to the story of Lot and Sodom, suggesting that Benjamin at this time is no better than Sodom. In contrast to the evil Gibeahites, the woman’s father shows extraordinary hospitality, as does the old Ephraimite they encounter in Gibeah.
Key versePermalink
And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”