(KJV) Judges 121

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⥃Jephthah Defeats Ephraim

[1] And the men of Ephraim gathered2 themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore3 passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn4 thine house upon thee with fire. [2] And Jephthah said unto them, I and my5 people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. [3] And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, I put6 my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand: wherefore7 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 men8 of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites [are] fugitives9 of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, [and] among the Manassites. [5] 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;10 [6] Then said they unto him, Say now11 Shibboleth12: 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 fell13 at that time of the Ephraimites forty14 and two thousand. [7] And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in [one of] the cities of Gilead.

⥃Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

[8] And after him Ibzan15 of Beth–lehem16 judged Israel. [9] 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.17 [10] Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth–lehem.

[11] [¶]And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.18 [12] And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon19 in the country of Zebulun.

[13] [¶]And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.20 [14] And he had forty sons and thirty nephews21, that rode22 on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. [15] And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite23 died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount24 of the Amalekites. 25

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  1. Judg 12:1, The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, and discerned by Shibboleth, are slain by the Gileadites; Judg 12:7, Jephthah dies; Judg 12:8, Ibzan, who had thirty sons, and thirty daughters; Judg 12:11, and Elon; Judg 12:13, and Abdon, who had forty sons, and thirty nephews, judge Israel. ↩

  2. Heb. were called ↩

  3. Judg 8:1; 2Sam 19:41-43; Ps 109:4; Eccl 4:4; John 10:32 ↩

  4. Judg 14:15, Judg 15:6; Prov 27:3-4; Jas 3:16, Jas 4:1-2 ↩

  5. Judg 11:12-33 ↩

  6. Judg 9:17; 1Sam 19:5, 1Sam 28:21; Job 13:14; Ps 119:109; Rom 16:4; Rev 12:11 ↩

  7. Judg 11:27; 2Chr 13:12 ↩

  8. Judg 11:10; Num 32:39-40; Deut 3:12-17 ↩

  9. 1Sam 25:10; Neh 4:4; Ps 78:9; Prov 12:13, Prov 15:1 ↩

  10. Judg 3:28, Judg 7:24; Josh 2:7, Josh 22:11 ↩

  11. Matt 26:73; Mark 14:70 ↩

  12. which signifieth a stream, or flood, Ps 69:2, Ps 69:15; Isa 27:12 Heb: Shibboleth also means an ear of corn (Job 24:24), and sibboleth signifies a burden (Exod 6:6); and a heavy burden they were obliged to bear who could not pronounce this test letter. It is well known that several nations cannot pronounce certain letters. The sound of th cannot be pronounced by the Persians, no more than by some of our Continental neighbours; though it is a common sound among the Arabians. To this day, many of the German Jews cannot articulate ϊ th, for which they substitute ss; thus for baith, a house, they say baiss*. ↩

  13. Prov 17:14, Prov 18:19; Eccl 10:12; Matt 12:25; Gal 5:15 ↩

  14. Arbaim ooshenayim aleph, "forty and two thousand." Here the ε, and, may mean simple addition; and this number may denote 2,040 and not 42,000. At the last census of the Israelites (Num 26:37) the whole tribe of Ephraim only amounted to 32,500, compared with which this last number appears far too great. ↩

  15. am 2823, bc 1181, An, Ex, Is, 310, "He seems to have been only a civil judge to do justice in Northeast Israel." ↩

  16. Gen 15:19; 1Sam 16:1; Mic 5:2; Matt 2:1 ↩

  17. Judg 12:14, Judg 10:4 ↩

  18. am 2830, bc 1174, An, Ex, Is, 317, "A civil judge in Northeast Israel." Judg 12:11 ↩

  19. Josh 19:42; 1Chr 6:69, 1Chr 8:13 ↩

  20. am 2840, bc 1164, An, Ex, Is, 327, "A civil judge also in Northeast Israel." Judg 12:13 ↩

  21. Heb. sons' sons ↩

  22. Judg 5:10, Judg 10:4 ↩

  23. 2Sam 23:30 ↩

  24. Judg 3:13, Judg 3:27, Judg 5:14; Gen 14:7; Exod 17:8; 1Sam 15:7 ↩

  25. am 2848, bc 1156, An, Ex, Is, 335 ↩