Chapter 12
And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and 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 thine house upon thee with fire.
gathered
Heb. were called. Wherefore.
8:1 2 Samuel 19:41-43 Psalms 109:4 Ecclesiastes 4:4 John 10:32
we will burn
14:15 15:6 Proverbs 27:3,4 James 3:16 4:1,2
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.
I and my
And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
put
9:17 1 Samuel 19:5 28:21 Job 13:14 Psalms 119:109 Romans 16:4 Revelation 12:11
wherefore
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
and the men
11:10 Numbers 32:39,40 Deuteronomy 3:12-17
fugitives
1 Samuel 25:10 Nehemiah 4:4 Psalms 78:9 Proverbs 12:13 15:1
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.
Say now
Shibboleth
which signifieth a stream, or flood.
Psalms 69:2,15 Isaiah 27:12 {Shibboleth}:; though it is a common sound among the Arabians. To this day, many of the German Jews cannot articulate [t] th, for which they substitute ss; thus for {baith,} a house, they say {baiss.}
there fell
Proverbs 17:14 18:19 Ecclesiastes 10:12 Matthew 12:25 Galatians 5:15
forty
Arb‰im ooshenayim aleph, "forty and two thousand." Here the [w] and, may mean simple addition; and this number may denote 2,040 and not 42,000. At the last census of the Israelites (Nu 26:37) the whole tribe of Ephraim only amounted to 32,500, compared with which this last number appears far too great.
And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.
Ibzan
A.M. 2823. B.C. 1181. An. Ex. Is. 310. "He seems to have been only a civil judge to do justice in North-east Israel."
Beth-lehem
Genesis 15:19 1 Samuel 16:1 Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1
And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.
A. M. 2830. B.C. 1174. An. Ex. Is. 317. "A civil judge in North-east Israel."
Verse 12
And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.
Aijalon
Joshua 19:42 1 Chronicles 6:69 8:13
And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.
A. M. 2840. B.C. 1164. An. Ex. Is. 327. "A civil judge also in North-east Israel."
Verse 14
And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.
nephews
Heb. sons' sons. rode.
And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.