NOTES for Jdg 20:1-23
Righteous anger stirred the people, who had begun to grow accustomed to their cooling relationship with the Lord, and made them turn to Him again. The same anger led the eleven tribes to a unanimous decision to eradicate wickedness. But for the sons of Benjamin, tribal solidarity proved stronger than horror at evil. And so the whole people take up arms against the Benjaminites, and yet another fratricidal war begins.
Yes, the war was provoked by those who, refusing to eradicate evil, shared responsibility with those who committed it. Innocent blood falls upon those who shed it and their accomplices. Yet that brings no relief. Even while carrying out the Lord's will to eradicate wickedness, even in their anger, the Israelites do not forget that they are forced to shed the blood of their brothers. The evil that entered the world continues to grow and multiply.