‘And he said to her, “Up, and let us be going.” But there was no answer.'
He thought that she was sleeping and spoke to her to wake her and let her know that they were leaving this dreadful place. But the callousness of his words are probably intended to remind us of her position. Or possibly they were said gently and with compassion.
However, when there was no answer, the Levite realised with unbelievable bitterness in his heart what had happened. She was dead. They had killed her. What she had suffered had been too much for her and her heart had given way. And the beasts who had raped her had gone back to their houses, also unaware of what they had finally done, and unaware too of the vengeance they had brought on themselves.
Had she lived that might have been the end of the affair. A lesson learned, an experience endured which was no doubt experienced by many travellers, but life going on. But she died, and her death would have awful consequences.
‘Then he took her up on the ass, and the man rose up and took himself to his place.'
There was no visit to the house of Yahweh. He had nothing now to give thanks for. So he carried off her dead body, without making any remonstrance to the inhabitants, from whom he could not expect any justice. But the demands for justice and vengeance were in his heart.