19:1–21:25 · Areas of Social Norms and Political Decisions:How appropriate, then, that as the first extended narrative ends and the second begins, the refrain “In those days Israel had no king” appears again in 19:1, bridging the two stories and subtly reminding the readers that those were days when “everyone did as they saw fit” (17:6; 21:25).

19:1–29 · The second extended narrative begins with the attempt of another Levite to woo back a concubine who has left him to return to her father’s house (19:2–10). Here, although the text clearly states that she has been unfaithful (from the Hebrew verb meaning “to prostitute”), some scholars suggest that the word may have come from an orthographically similar Hebrew verb that means “to be angry.” This is because, according to Leviticus 20:10, the …