No details are given of the Levite’s journey back home and there is still no mention of the death of his concubine. This is assumed. Instead, the narrator quickly gives the gruesome details of what happened when the Levite returned home. Since there is a change in location, some languages will mark a paragraph here (New Living Translation). In this verse there are five verbs linked together with the Hebrew waw conjunction and no overt subject nouns, giving the impression of swift actions, one following the other.

And when he entered his house renders an independent clause in Hebrew, literally “And he came to his house.” Revised Standard Version and many other English versions express it as a dependent temporal clause, as a way of framing the following important actions to follow. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And can be omitted (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Some languages might want to clarify that the pronoun he refers to “the Levite.” We might say “When he reached home” (New International Version) or “When he got home” (Contemporary English Version).

He took a knife: Took renders the same Hebrew verb translated “put” in verse 19.28 (see comments there). Here it may be rendered “picked up” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The word knife should not pose any translation problems, but the word should refer to a knife sufficiently big to carry out the task mentioned here. Contemporary English Version says “butcher knife,” which seems too specific.

And laying hold of his concubine renders an independent clause in Hebrew, literally “and he grabbed his concubine.” Revised Standard Version renders it as a subordinate clause, since the main action seems to appear in the next clause. Laying hold of renders the same verb translated “seized” in verse 19.25 (see comments there). Here it may be rendered “grasped” (similarly New Revised Standard Version) or “grabbed” ( NET Bible). For clarity it may be necessary to render his concubine as “the body of his concubine” or “her dead body,” though the text never announces her death explicitly. It is unthinkable that the Levite would have killed her by cutting her up. Many versions omit this clause (Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Living Translation), perhaps because it seems too detailed and gruesome. However, in Hebrew narrative, actions portray character. This description shows the Levite to be both determined and brutal. There seems to be no justification for omitting this clause. Some languages may prefer to reverse this clause and the previous one, saying “he grabbed his concubine and took a big knife.”

He divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces: Compare verse 1 Sam 11.7 and verse 1 Kgs 11.30. This clause is literally “and he cut her up to her bones to two [plus] ten pieces.” The Hebrew verb rendered divided is often used to describe cutting up an animal for sacrifice. In most languages the verb “cut” (Good News Translation) can be used. Revised Standard Version renders “to the bone” as limb by limb, but this changes what the text says. Some versions omit this phrase (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), but again the narrator purposely includes this gruesome detail. The Levite cut his concubine into twelve pieces because he had a plan to send one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Again this is an important fact, which must be kept in the translation.

And sent her throughout all the territory of Israel: Sent renders the Hebrew verb shalach, which occurs throughout the book, often in contexts of battle and victory. Its use here is ironic. When the text says the Levite sent her, it clearly means he sent the twelve pieces of her body, a fact that can be made explicit here. Good News Translation says specifically “and sent one piece to each….” The Hebrew word for territory usually refers to a “border,” more often in connection with other nations than with Israel (see, for example, verse 11.18, 20, 22). Revised English Bible thinks throughout all the territory of Israel implies “through the length and breadth of Israel.” New International Version says “into all the areas of Israel,” but Good News Translation expresses another nuance with “to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.” Translators will have to decide on a meaning and find an appropriate expression. The purpose of this act was evidently to announce to each tribe the crime perpetuated by the Benjaminites, to provoke some kind of moral indignation that would lead to some reaction. It is unlikely the Levite delivered each piece personally. However, Contemporary English Version may be going too far by saying “Then he told some messengers, ‘Take one piece to each tribe of Israel.’ ” Translators should try to follow the Hebrew text, for example, “Then he had one piece sent to each tribe of Israel.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• Reaching home, the Levite took a knife, grabbed the concubine’s body, and cut it into twelve pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout the whole land of Israel.

• When he reached home, he took hold of the woman’s body, took a knife and butchered her, dividing her into twelve pieces. Then he had these pieces sent to each of the tribes of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .