And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.
He went in ... sat him down in a street of the city. The towns of Palestine at this remote period could not, it seems, furnish any establishment in the shape of an inn or public lodging-house; and hence, we conclude that the custom, which is still frequently witnessed in the cities of the East, was then not uncommon for travelers who were late in arriving, and who had no introduction to a private family, to spread their bedding in the streets, or, wrapping themselves up in their cloaks, pass the night in the open air. In the Arab towns and villages, however, the sheikh, or some other person, usually comes out and urgently invites the strangers to his house. This was done also in ancient Palestine (Genesis 18:4; Genesis 19:2); and that the same hospitality was not shown in Gibeah seems to have been owing to the bad character of the people.