Judges 19:3

Jdg 19:3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, [and] to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

Ver. 3. And her husband arose, and went after her.] Either out of pity to her, or want of her company. She should have sought to him first, as being the peccant party; but she could not bring her heart to it.

“ Fastus inest pulchris, &c. ”

Having his servant with him.] This Levite had one servant. Balaam the false prophet rode with two. {Num 22:22} Oh, let not Christ’s true ministers be slaves to others, servants to themselves.

He rejoiced to meet him.] The father and daughter made no means for reconciliation; but when remission came home to them, none could entertain it more thankfully. The nature of many men is forward to accept, and negligent to sue for; they can spend secret wishes upon that which shall cost them no endeavour.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, at his meeting.

Hebrew, to her heart.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her--Hebrew, "speak to her heart," in a kindly and affectionate manner, so as to rekindle her affection. Accompanied by a servant, he arrived at the house of his father-in-law, who rejoiced to meet him, in the hope that a complete reconciliation would be brought about between his daughter and her husband. The Levite, yielding to the hospitable importunities of his father-in-law, prolonged his stay for days.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. He rejoiced to meet him.] He hoped to be able completely to reconcile his daughter and her husband.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) To speak friendly unto her.—Literally, to speak to her heart—i.e., to bring about a kindly reconciliation (Gen_34:3; Gen_1:21; Rth_2:13).

A couple of asses.—One was meant to convey back his wife on her return.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. to speak kindly unto her] See marg., and cf. Gen_34:3; Gen_50:21, Isa_40:2.

to bring her again] More natural than the alternative reading given in the marg.

a couple of asses] for the necessaries of the journey; by Eastern custom the woman would be expected to walk, Jdg_19:10.

and she brought him] implies that the reconciliation has taken place; but as nothing is said about this, many prefer to read with LXX. cod. A and he went.

he rejoiced] Evidently the Levite was considered to be a desirable son in law, and he had come back to claim his property.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And her husband arose,.... From the place where he lived:

and went after her; to Bethlehemjudah, where her father lived:

to speak comfortably to her "or to her heart" (l); having heard perhaps that she repented of her sin, or if it was only upon a quarrel between them, his anger might cool and subside, and therefore sought for a reconciliation; and which was the more commendable in him, as he did not put her away, but she departed from him: and

to bring her again; to his own city, and to his own house and bed, as before:

having his servant with him, and a couple of asses; one of them for her to ride upon, and the other to carry provisions on:

and she brought him into her father's house; it seems she met with him before he came thither, in the fields, or in the street; and by this it appears that she was glad to see him, and received him in a loving manner, and introduced him into her father's house, so that things looked well, and promised success:

and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him; having a good opinion of him, and perhaps understood, even by his daughter's story, that she was most in fault, and therefore was well pleased to see him come after her; though he ought before this time to have sent her home, or sought for a reconciliation of her to her husband.

(l) "ad cor", Pagninus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

With him. Hebrew, "her husband arose and followed her to speak to her heart, to bring her back," Genesis xxxiv. 3. He shewed great condescension and love, (Haydock) and she received him with suitable sentiments of regard, and did not become more haughty, as women, who perceive themselves to be courted, frequently do. If she had been married to another, she could not have been received by her former husband.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

To speak friendly unto her, or, to speak to her heart, i.e. kindly and comfortably, as that phrase is taken, Ge 1 21; Ho 2:14, to offer, her pardon and reconciliation, and restitution to her former state.

To bring her again, to wit, to his own house.

A couple of asses; partly for himself or his wife to ride upon, as there was occasion; and partly for carrying their provision, as appears from Jdg 19:19.

He rejoiced to meet him, hoping the breach would be made up by this means.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. To speak friendly unto her — Literally, to speak to her heart. “To conciliate her affection, to rekindle her tenderness, to whisper forgiveness to her, and to implore her to return to the home she had left desolate. He had, perhaps, heard that she was penitent; for the phrase often denotes the giving of comfort to one who is in sorrow.” — Kitto.

Rejoiced to meet him — To meet him on such an errand, for he might have come not to speak friendly to her, but to scourge her for her crime of conjugal infidelity. Lev_19:20.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To bring her again. So the Keri. But the Cethib has to bring him, i.e. it, again, viz. , her heart. But the phrase to speak to her heart is such a common one for to speak friendly or kindly to any one that it is not likely that it should here be used otherwise, so that the pronoun should refer to heart. If the masculine is here the right reading, it may be an archaism making the suffix of the common gender like the plural suffix in ver. 24, which is masculine, though applied to women, and like the masculine pronoun itself, which is so used throughout the Pentateuch and elsewhere. (see also Jud_1:21:12 Exo_1:21) A couple of asses. One for himself and one for her. He rejoiced. No doubt, in part at least, because the expense of his daughter"s maintenance would be transferred from himself to his daughter"s husband.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Friendly - To offer her pardon and reconciliation.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Some time afterwards, namely at the end of four months (הדשׁים ארבּעה is in apposition to ימים, and defines more precisely the ימים, or days), her husband went after her, "to speak to her to the heart," i.e., to talk to her in a friendly manner (see Gen 34:3), and to reconcile her to himself again, so that she might return; taking with him his attendant and a couple of asses, for himself and his wife to ride upon. The suffix attached to להשׁיבו refers to לבּה, "to bring back her heart," to turn her to himself again. The Keri השׁיבהּ is a needless conjecture. "And she brought him into her father's house, and her father received his son-in-law with joy, and constrained him (יהזק־בּו, lit. held him fast) to remain there three days." It is evident from this that the Levite had succeeded in reconciling his wife.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

His servant was with him, and a pair of donkeys

"He took with him his servant and two donkeys"

His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded

"His father-in-law, that is, the girl's father, persuaded" or "The girl's father persuaded"

persuaded him to stay

"spoke to him so he decided to stay"

translationWords

servant

donkey

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.