Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 13:12

"If thou shalt hear tell concerning one of thy cities, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to dwell there, saying," — Deuteronomy 13:12 (ASV)

If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities. —The only case of this kind is the case of Gibeah. We may fairly assume the abominations done there to have been connected with idolatry, from the allusions in Hosea 9:9; Hosea 10:9. But the outrage rather than the idolatry seems to have excited the indignation of Israel . It is noticeable that in the remonstrance with the Benjamites at Gibeah—(Judges 20:13): “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” —there seems to be an allusion to the language of this chapter in Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 13:11.