Shoftim Chapter 19 | The Levite’s Concubine and the Text as a System of Gaps

The story of the Levite’s concubine is one of the Tanakh's most shocking narratives. One of its unique features is the starkly immoral behavior that emerges from all sides of the story. 1. Pay attention throughout the chapter to the relationship between the Levite and his concubine to understand his attitude towards her (like the verse’s order — "with a pair of loaded donkeys and his concubine"; Shoftim 19:10). 2. Notice the many parallels between the behavior of the men of Giv'a and the episode of Sedom and Amora.

A fascinating question that arises in the chapter is when exactly the concubine dies. After the abuse, the woman returns to the house by herself and collapses exhausted at the doorstep. What it does not say is that she died: "As dawn rose, the woman came back to the entrance of the man's house where her master was, and she collapsed there as it grew light." In the morning, the man comes to leave: "Her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house to set out and continue on his way — and there was his concubine, sprawled at the entrance of the house with her hands upon the threshold." The man sees her fallen, but it does not say he realizes she is dead. In the next verse, he addresses her, and when she does not answer, his next action is to "load" his concubine onto the donkey. Is she dead? Or was she still between life and death, dying later due to his indifference? This question is difficult to answer from the verses. The first time we know with certainty that she is no longer alive is when he dismembers her.

Here we find one of the strongest tools in literary study of Tanakh. In places where the verses are vague and ambiguous, we can try to determine what really happened. But we can also take the gap in the narrative’s details and say that there lies the prophet's message. Thus, we can approach the prophetic text as a system of gaps. The story’s design intentionally includes gaps, which themselves are part of the story’s purpose. In the context of the Levite’s concubine, the gap in the question of when the concubine died might reflect the reality that it is not clear who killed her or, in other words: everyone was guilty. If the verses had said the woman died from the abuse of the men of Giv'a, we would absolve the man. And if the verses had said that the man ultimately killed the woman, we would absolve the men of Giv'a.

The idea of viewing the text as a deliberate system of gaps can be applied to many other places in Tanakh. Many have debated whether Korach died in the fire with those who burned incense or in the earth that opened its mouth to swallow Datan and Aviram. If we understand that there is an intentional system of gaps here, perhaps the Torah leaves the method of Korach's death vague on purpose: Korach was part of both groups, so he deserved to die both by earth and by fire.

In his lecture, Dr. Yoshi Fargeon expands on the concept of the text as a system of gaps and illustrates it using the stories of Korach and the Levite’s concubine. This lecture is highly recommended!