1. Judges 19:9 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What explains the repetitive style of the father-in-law’s speech?

Judges 19:9 (ESV)

9 And when the man and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold, the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”

The father-in-law in this verse has a rather repetitive style of speech. Some believe this to be a sign of textual corruption. But instead, it can be seen as a sign of the agitated state of the man. He badly wants the Levite to stay, but he is out of things to say to that effect. All that is left for him is to plead with his son-in-law and repeat himself.