The Meaning of Judges 20:12 Explained

Judges 20:12

KJV: And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?

YLT: And the tribes of Israel send men among all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, 'What is this evil which hath been among you?

Darby: And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What wickedness is this that has taken place among you?

ASV: And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is come to pass among you?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the tribes  of Israel  sent  men  through all the tribe  of Benjamin,  saying,  What wickedness  [is] this that is done  among you? 

What does Judges 20:12 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Judges 20

1  The Levite in a general assembly declared his wrong
8  The decree of the assembly
12  The Benjamites, being cited, make head against the Israelites
18  The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand
26  They destroy by a plan all the Benjamites, except six hundred

What do the individual words in Judges 20:12 mean?

And sent the tribes of Israel men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying what [is] wickedness this that has occurred among you
וַֽיִּשְׁלְח֞וּ שִׁבְטֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים בְּכָל־ שִׁבְטֵ֥י בִנְיָמִ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר מָ֚ה הָרָעָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִהְיְתָ֖ה בָּכֶֽם

וַֽיִּשְׁלְח֞וּ  And  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
שִׁבְטֵ֤י  the  tribes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אֲנָשִׁ֔ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
בְּכָל־  through  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
שִׁבְטֵ֥י  the  tribe 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שֵׁבֶט  
Sense: rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe.
בִנְיָמִ֖ן  of  Benjamin 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּנְיָמִין 
Sense: Jacob’s and Rachel’s youngest son, Joseph’s full brother.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מָ֚ה  what  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
הָרָעָ֣ה  wickedness 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הַזֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נִהְיְתָ֖ה  has  occurred 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בָּכֶֽם  among  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural