שופטים, פרק כ׳, פסוק ד׳

Standing before the gathered assembly of Israel, a grieving man begins his difficult testimony. He carefully chooses his words to highlight the severity of the crime, the innocence of his victimized wife, and the collective guilt of the perpetrators. By introducing himself first and foremost as the husband of the victim, he establishes her honorable status [מצודת דוד]. She was legally married, had never betrayed him, and remained a faithful spouse. He also makes it absolutely clear that she was murdered, ruling out any possibility that she died from natural causes or exposure to the cold, and firmly establishing that her death was a direct act of violence [מלבי״ם].

As he continues his account, he notes his arrival at the city of Gibeah [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. By specifically pointing out that the city belongs to the tribe of Benjamin, he is not merely giving a geographic location. Instead, he intentionally places the blame on the entire city and the wider tribe. He implies that the society as a whole is responsible for raising such wicked individuals, faulting the community that allowed these criminals to thrive rather than just blaming an isolated group of wrongdoers [אלשיך].

Finally, he emphasizes that he and his wife had arrived in the city simply to spend the night. Highlighting this innocent intention draws a direct parallel to the infamous sin of Sodom, where guests also came to seek shelter and the locals demanded they be brought out for abuse. This stark comparison illustrates the immense shame and disgrace that this terrible act has brought upon the entire nation of Israel [מלבי״ם].