Judges 20:14 - The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

Generated Verse: Judges 20:14

What does "Judges 20:14" mean?


Judges 20:14 describes a pivotal moment in a civil war within Israel. Let's break down what it means:

"The children of Benjamin": This refers to the men of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

"gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah": The men of Benjamin were assembling and converging from all their towns and settlements toward the city of Gibeah. Gibeah was a Benjamite city and also the location where a heinous crime had been committed that sparked the conflict.

"to go out to battle against the children of Israel": The purpose of this gathering was to prepare for war. The Benjamites were preparing to fight against the rest of the tribes of Israel ("the children of Israel").

In Summary:

The verse indicates that the tribe of Benjamin was mobilizing its forces. Instead of surrendering the guilty men from Gibeah (who committed the horrible act of gang rape and murder), they chose to defend them and prepare for war against the other Israelite tribes who demanded justice.

Context and Significance:

This verse is significant because it highlights the Benjamites' defiance and unwillingness to cooperate with the rest of Israel, even in the face of overwhelming moral outrage and calls for justice. It sets the stage for a bloody and tragic civil war, described in detail in the subsequent verses of Judges 20.

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