So they sat down, and ate and drink, both of them together: and the young lady's father said to the man, Please be pleased to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.
Jebus (Jerusalem) was and is about six miles north of Bethlehem (Judges 19:10). The Levite and his concubine would have reached it in about two hours. Gibeah (Judges 19:12) was three miles farther north and Ramah (Judges 19:13) two miles beyond Gibeah. Jebus was then, and until David finally captured it (2 Samuel 5:6-9), a stronghold of the Jebusites who were one of the native Canaanite tribes. The Levite expected to find hate in Jebus and love in Gibeah. He would have been wiser to stop for the night in Jebus since he found no hospitality in Gibeah but hatred. All the "motels" there were full, or at least not open to the Levite and his party. Of all people, the Israelites were to give special consideration to their Levites (Deuteronomy 16:14; Deuteronomy 26:12).