English · ASV

Judges 12

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Jephthah and the Civil War with Ephraim 1–7

1
And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thy house upon thee with fire. ​
2
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand.
3
And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? ​
4
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh. ​
5
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
6
then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand. ​
7
And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried inone ofthe cities of Gilead. ​

The Minor Judges: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon 8–15

8
And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. ​
9
And he had thirty sons; and thirty daughters he sent abroad, and thirty daughters he brought in from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. ​
10
And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
11
And after him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.
12
And Elon the Zebulunite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13
And after him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
14
And he had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. ​
15
And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill-country of the Amalekites.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Judges 12

Verse 1

we will burn thine house upon thee with fire — Ephraim brings Jephthah the complaint it brought Gideon, 'thou calledst us not' (8:1), but with a threat. Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph, had been set 'before Manasseh' (Gen 48:20), and Gilead had been given to Machir of Manasseh (Num 32:40). The same threat of fire is made to Samson's wife in 14:15.

Verse 3

I put my life in my hands — Literally 'I set my soul in my palm' (nephesh, kaph). The phrase is used of David before Goliath (1 Sam 19:5), of the woman of Endor (1 Sam 28:21) and by Job (13:14). Jephthah says the LORD, not Ephraim, 'delivered them into my hand', as 11:32 records.

Verse 4

fugitives of Ephraim — Paliyt is one who has escaped, a runaway. The insult denies Gilead a place among the tribes, though Moses had given Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh (Num 32:40). The Gileadites answer the taunt in battle, and in v.5 they hold the Jordan crossings against Ephraim.

Verse 6

Shibboleth — The word means an ear of grain (Gen 41:5) and also a flood of water (Ps 69:2). The test lay in the first sound: the man said 'Sibboleth', a form that occurs only here. The 'passages' (ma'barah) are the fords, like 'the fords of Jordan' that Ehud held (3:28). Forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell.

Verse 7

Jephthah judged Israel six years — The six years follow eighteen years of Ammonite oppression (10:8). Jephthah is named with Jerubbaal, Bedan and Samuel among those the LORD sent to deliver Israel (1 Sam 12:11), and in the roll of faith as 'Jephthae' (Heb 11:32). He was buried 'in one of the cities of Gilead'.

Verse 8

Ibzan of Bethlehem — The name occurs only here and in v.10. Ibzan opens a run of three judges, Ibzan, Elon (v.11) and Abdon (v.13), each given only family, years and burial. The text does not say which Bethlehem is meant; Josh 19:15 lists one among the cities of Zebulun, and Elon who follows is 'a Zebulonite'.

Verse 9

thirty sons, and thirty daughters — Ibzan 'sent abroad' (shalach) thirty daughters and 'took in' thirty daughters 'from abroad' (chuts, from outside) for his sons. A household of this size recalls Jair's thirty sons (10:4) and Abdon's seventy descendants (v.14). Ibzan judged seven years.

Verse 14

threescore and ten ass colts — Abdon's forty sons and thirty 'nephews' (literally sons of sons) ride seventy colts ('ayir), as Jair's thirty sons rode thirty (10:4); in Judges the word occurs only in those two verses. Abdon the son of Hillel was a Pirathonite, buried in Pirathon 'in the land of Ephraim' (v.15).