Judges 20:13 Meaning and Explanation
“Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Israel asks Benjamin to hand over the wicked men of Gibeah for justice, but Benjamin refuses to listen.
What Does Judges 20:13 Mean?
The envoys make a specific, measured demand: surrender the guilty men of Gibeah, called 'children of Belial,' so they may be punished and evil purged from Israel. The request is just; it targets the offenders, not the tribe, and aims to 'put away evil from Israel,' a phrase rooted in the law's call to keep the community holy. But Benjamin refuses to listen.
Here the tragedy turns. Benjamin chooses kinship with the guilty over justice for the innocent, shielding wrongdoers rather than purging the wrong. Their refusal to 'hearken to the voice of their brethren' is the fatal step. The verse exposes how loyalty can become complicity when it protects sin instead of confronting it. To put away evil sometimes costs us those nearest to us; to refuse that cost, as Benjamin does, is to share in the evil itself.
Judges 20:13 in the Original Language
Belial (בְּלִיַּעַל), 'worthlessness' -- a term for those given over to lawlessness and ruin, utterly without moral worth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Judges 20:13
What does Judges 20:13 mean?
Israel asks Benjamin to hand over the wicked men of Gibeah for justice, but Benjamin refuses to listen.