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:

JUDGES 20:13KJV
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Judges 20:13 (KJV)

What does Judges 20:13 mean?

Judges 20:13 describes how the other Israelite tribes demand that the tribe of Benjamin hand over the men from Gibeah, called "children of Belial," so they can be executed and evil can be removed from Israel. However, the Benjaminites refuse to listen to their fellow Israelites and do not surrender the men.

In this verse, the leaders of Israel are speaking to the tribe of Benjamin after a terrible crime was committed in the town of Gibeah. The Israelites want justice by punishing those responsible, but Benjamin chooses to protect their own people instead of cooperating. This refusal sets the stage for a larger conflict between Benjamin and the rest of Israel.

The Hebrew behind Judges 20:13

  • "children of Belial" (בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל, b'nei beliya'al) means "worthless men" or "lawless men." The phrase emphasizes the deep moral corruption of those being accused.
  • "deliver" (נָתַן, natan) means "to give" or "hand over." The Israelites are not asking for a trial but for the immediate surrender of the guilty men.
  • "put away evil" (בָּעַר רָע, ba'ar ra) means "to burn out" or "remove evil." This is a strong phrase often used for purging wrongdoing from the community, showing the seriousness of the offense.

Why Judges 20:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the conflict was not originally against the whole tribe of Benjamin, but against specific guilty individuals; the wider war only came because Benjamin refused to cooperate.
  • The phrase "children of Belial" highlights the gravity of the crime and the expectation that the community should not tolerate such evil.
  • The refusal of Benjamin to "hearken" (listen) to the rest of Israel shows how loyalty to one's own group can sometimes override justice, leading to tragic consequences for the whole nation.

Where else these words appear

“Belial” Hebrew H1100 · used in 26 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
  • 1 Samuel 30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
  • Job 34:18 Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?

“Gibeah” Hebrew H1390 · used in 43 verses

  • Joshua 15:57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:
  • Judges 20:25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
  • 1 Samuel 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

“would” Hebrew H14 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
  • 1 Samuel 26:23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,

“away” Hebrew H1197 · used in 90 verses

  • Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
  • 2 Samuel 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
  • Isaiah 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.