The Book of Judges
Judges 12
Chapter XII · Vol. II, pp. 606–607
1 The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, and discerned by the word Shibboleth, are slain by the Gileadites. 7 Jephthah dieth. 8 Ibzan, who had thirty sons and thirty daughters, 11 and Elon, 13 and Abdon, who had forty sons and thirty nephews, judge Israel.
1 And the men of Ephraim agathered themselves together, and went northward,1 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.2
a Heb. were called, ch.8.1. Ec.4.4. Ps.109.4. Jn.10.32. Pr.18.3,6,7; 21.23,24. Ja.3.6,8.
1 The passage should be thus translated: 'And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and passed over to Zaphon.' The Hebrew word Zaphon also means 'northward:' but here it is manifestly a proper name. It was a city of Gad, which stood on the east bank of the Jordan, near Succoth.—P.
A.M. 2858 B.C. 1146
2 Men often judge by success, and not by principle, and become jealous of the successful leader whom they would not aid in one of his struggles. The Ephraimites were also most probably stimulated by envy and covetousness when considering the spoil that must have been gleaned in the conquest of twenty cities. C.——In their address to Gideon in circumstances somewhat similar, ch. 8. 1, we have already had a proof of the domineering, ambitious spirit of this tribe. They began early to indicate a disposition to lord it over their brethren. In this instance their haughtiness met with its reward.—I.
2 And Jephthah said unto them, bI 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.
b ch.11.12-33.
3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, Ic 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?
4 Then Jephthah gathered together all dthe men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are efugitives3 of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
d ch.11.10. De.4.47,48.
e Ne.4.4. 1 Sa.25.10. Pr.15.1; 12.13. Ye are the very scum and refuse of these two tribes.
3 It is by no means unlikely, from consulting chap. 11. 3, that there might be a portion of truth in this railing accusation, which made it the more offensive as a general statement; it was, however, untrue.—C.
5 And the Gileadites ftook 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;
f ch.3.28; 7.24. Jos.2.7.
6 Then said they unto him, gSay now Shibboleth; and he said, Sibboleth:4 for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and hthere fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.5
g Mat.26.73; 12.36,37. Mar.14.70. Ps.64.8.
4 Shibboleth, a stream; sibboleth, a burden. Nothing is more common than for the people of one kingdom or province to be utterly unable to pronounce some of the vowel or consonant sounds of another.—C.
h Pr.18.19; 12.13; 29.23; 17.20. Ec.10.12.
5 At the last census, Nu. 26. 37, the Ephraimites amounted but to 32,500, so that the number slain appears in our translation unreasonably large. If the and be considered as a mark, not of numeration, but of addition, the number cut off would amount merely to 2040.—C.
7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years.6 Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
6 Cir. 1140 or 1159.
9 And he khad thirty sons and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty7 daughters from abroad for his sons: and he judged Israel seven years.
k ch.10.4; ver.14.
7 The sons and daughters-in-law continued to live with Ibzan, a custom uncommon amongst persons of rank, or even among the poor in those countries, but still followed in parts of the continent of Europe, and said to be productive of great family attachment.—C.
10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel:8 and he judged Israel ten years.
8 B.C. 1123 or 1142.
12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon, in the country of Zebulun.
13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.9
A.M. 2881 B.C. 1123
9 B.C. 1123 or 1142.
14 And he had forty sons, and thirty lnephews, that mrode on threescore and ten ass-colts: and he judged Israel eight years.
l Heb. sons' sons, Pr.17.6.
m ch.10.4; 5.10.
Notes
[Ver. 4. The meaning of this difficult passage appears to be the following: 'Refugees of Ephraim are ye Gileadites in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.' This contemptuous remark was not intended to apply to the whole tribes of Reuben and Gad, but only to those warriors whom Jephthah had gathered round him out of Gilead, and by whom he had conquered the Ammonites. P.]
Ver. 6. [The Ephraimites had crossed the Jordan to Gilead for the purpose of chastising Jephthah for his presumption. They themselves already presumed to rule Israel. Their bitter taunt brought upon them a bitter revenge at the hand of the rude eastern warrior. Having overthrown them on the battle-field, he intercepted them at the fords of the Jordan as they were attempting to cross to their native mountains. A difference in the pronunciation of a word enabled the Gileadites to identify the refugees. It is a remarkable fact that to this day the inhabitants of the country east of the Jordan pronounce certain letters in a manner entirely different from those on the west. P.]
Ver. 14. [That rode on threescore and ten ass-colts. This circumstance is mentioned as the most intelligible historical evidence of the fulfilment of the promises of God, and mark of the peace and prosperity of the land, so long as the people continued faithful to his covenant. C.]
Reflections.—Quarrels between brethren are often the most bitter and violent; for the most causeless wrath is the most outrageous and cruel. The most spotless characters are the fairest marks for envy; and the most signal services often expose men to the most virulent abuse of those whom they have saved from misery. But disregard of a calm self-vindication frequently forces the injured to harder measures. How mischievous is an insolent abusive tongue! It sets on fire the whole course of nature, and is set on fire of hell, and often issues in the ruin of the proprietor. They who are most in fault would often save themselves by being clamorous against the innocent: but the greatest boasters are usually the greatest cowards. Both God and men take pleasure in abasing the proud. These Ephraimites had gloried in their tribe; now they deny it. Lately they went over Jordan to burn Jephthah's house upon him; now they sneak homeward and are cut off from their own. Lately they reviled the Gileadites as fugitives; now, from an infirmity peculiar to their own country, they are discerned and slain in their flight. God sometimes calls men to an office without putting any remarkable work in their hand: and the days of the saints' honour or life are often but few and evil. Death's shafts fly thick—let us therefore so number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom.