ABSURD BELIEFS · VIOLENCE
Levite’s Concubine Horror
While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.” The owner of the house went outside and said, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.” But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.
This gruesome narrative matters because it forces readers to confront extreme moral depravity within the biblical text. For Muslims, who expect revelations to guide, uplift, and reinforce moral standards, such stories are unsettling. They highlight the dramatic differences in how sacred texts handle gruesome material. By examining this account, believers can better understand why some find these portrayals contradictory to the notion of a divine text intended for moral and spiritual enlightenment.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
This horrifying event is descriptive, not prescriptive. It reflects the moral chaos in Israel when people lived without righteous leadership. The Bible records these dark episodes to show the consequences of abandoning God’s law. It’s intended as a warning of how depravity arises when society rejects divine guidance.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
The brutality and moral depravity depicted here are deeply troubling. Islam’s scripture avoids graphic glorification of such horrific acts. This story raises doubts about the Bible’s nature as a moral guide and leads Muslims to question why God’s Word would include accounts so repugnant and seemingly devoid of uplifting moral instruction.
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Levite’s Concubine Horror