When he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.
"That the woman is put on a donkey recalls Judges 1:14, where the woman Achsah is also riding on a donkey. The two scenes form a tragic envelope-structure for the book of Judges. Whereas Achsah is an active subject, stating her desire for ’a present’ or ’a blessing’ from her father, and getting it, the Levite’s concubine remains nameless and without a voice. Whereas Achsah prospers, the Levite’s concubine is tragically victimized. This envelope-structure is part of the larger pattern in the book of Judges. The progressive deterioration that starts with Gideon and reaches its nadir in Judges 17-21 is signaled in part by the increasing violence against women . . . It is the case, then and now, that the disease of a society manifests itself in the abuse of women." [Note: McCann, p. 131.] 