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:
Now hand over to us those wicked men who are in Gibeah, so we can execute them and remove this evil from Israel. But the people of Benjamin refused to listen to their fellow Israelites.
The other tribes of Israel demanded that Benjamin hand over the men who committed a terrible crime, but Benjamin refused to cooperate with their brothers.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes after the horrific gang rape and murder of a Levite's concubine in Gibeah, a Benjamite city. The other eleven tribes of Israel had assembled and demanded justice, asking Benjamin to surrender the perpetrators for execution. Benjamin's refusal to hand over the criminals would lead to a devastating civil war that nearly wiped out the entire tribe.
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