“And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth–lehem–judah.”
A Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, and he took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah (וַיְהִי אִישׁ־לֵוִי גָּר בְּיַרְכְתֵי־הַר־אֶפְרַיִם וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ פִּילֶגֶשׁ מִבֵּית־לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה) — a Levite from the remote Ephraim hills takes a concubine from Bethlehem. The term פִּילֶגֶשׁ (pilegesh, concubine) denotes a woman of lesser legal status than a wife, indicating a relationship lacking full marital protection and rights. Unlike the case of Samson's wife or the Levite's previous employer, this woman has fewer protections; she is dependent on the Levite's will and whims. The narrative's opening establishes a relationship fundamentally unequal in power and legal standing.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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