Judges 19:21
in Judges 19So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
KJV
So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
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This verse in Judges 19
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Let me supply everything you need
on Judges 19:20-22
Washing the feet at verse 21 is the courtesy of Genesis 18:4 and 19:2. Verse 22 follows Genesis 19:4 and 19:5, the house surrounded, the door beaten, and the demand, “Bring out the man who came to your house”. The Hebrew calls them sons of Belial, a word first used at Deuteronomy 13:13, again of these men at Judges 20:13, and once in the New Testament at 2 Corinthians 6:15.
This site's exposition
So he brought him to his house
Matthew Henry notes that the host, a man with a house and fodder to spare, had still spent the day working in the field. He feeds the animals before the guests sit down to eat. The whole party is now under his roof.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
On his answering that he was traveling and was making for Mount Ephraim and that there was no one to take him in, the old man offered him hospitality and prepared a meal.
He answered, "I came from Bethlehem of Judah, I am going to Mount Ephrem, and my wife is here with me. But I have learned that there is no one here to give hospitality and provide us a chance to rest." He needed no food or drink for himself nor food for his flock, but they had been refused the hospitality of shelter. They had everything; only a bare lodging was needed. To this the old man kindly and calmly said, "Peace to you!
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
that he was a man of some substance, and yet had been himself at work in the field. No man's estate will privilege him in idleness. How free and generous he was in his invitation.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
So he brought him into his house,....
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְבִיאֵ֣הוּ | vayviehu | and he brought him | H935 → | 2568 times |
| לְבֵית֔וֹ | leveito | to house his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| וַיָּ֖בָל | vaiyibol | and he fed | H1101 → | |
| לַחֲמוֹרִ֑ים | lachamorim | <to> the donkeys | H2543 → | 96 times |
| וַֽיִּרְחֲצוּ֙ | vaiyirchatzu | and they washed | H7364 → | |
| רַגְלֵיהֶ֔ם | ragleihem | feet their | H7272 → | 247 times |
| וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ | vaiyokhelu | and they ate | H398 → | 810 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃ | vaiyishtu | and they drank | H8354 → | 217 times |
וַיְבִיאֵ֣הוּand he brought him
vayviehuH935 →2568 times
לְבֵית֔וֹto house his
leveitoH1004 →2046 times
וַיָּ֖בָלand he fed
vaiyibolH1101 →
לַחֲמוֹרִ֑ים<to> the donkeys
lachamorimH2543 →96 times
וַֽיִּרְחֲצוּ֙and they washed
vaiyirchatzuH7364 →
רַגְלֵיהֶ֔םfeet their
ragleihemH7272 →247 times
וַיֹּאכְל֖וּand they ate
vaiyokheluH398 →810 times
וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃and they drank
vaiyishtuH8354 →217 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 18:4Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
it leads to
- Genesis 19:2
and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 24:32
So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 43:24
And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 7:44
And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 13:5–15
After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him.
- Genesis 19:2
Through
Genesis 43:24And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
it leads to
- Genesis 18:4
Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 18:4
Through
Luke 7:44And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with…
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 5:10
and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.
- 1 Samuel 25:41
She arose, then bowed facedown and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
- 1 Timothy 5:10
About Judges
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 3.19.113; Ambrose of Milan, LETTER 33; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.