Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageNow there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah — and he was a Levite — who had been residing there as a foreigner.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GNow there was a young man from Beit-Lechem in Yehudah, of the clan of Yehudah — and he was a Levi — who had been living there as a resident alien.
KJV
King James VersionAnd there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleAnd there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.
Footnotes
The phrase "of the clan of Judah" (*mimishpakhat Yehudah*, מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת יְהוּדָה) applied to a Levite creates an apparent contradiction: Levites held no tribal inheritance and were not genealogically classified under Judah. Most scholars read this as indicating he *resided among* the clan of Judah — his social location, not his genealogical origin. Some suggest his mother was Judahite (cf. the Danite narrative's clarification in 18:30). The key theological detail is his *displacement*: Levites were to be distributed among the tribes and provided for by Israel's tithes (Num. 18; Deut. 14:29), but this one is homeless, rootless, and available for hire — a symptom of covenantal breakdown at the national level. A displaced Levite is not a minor inconvenience; it is a sign that the entire support structure of Torah-keeping has collapsed. FOG uses *Levi* to keep the tribal identity sharp; FOG Message uses the familiar English form.
