The Conflict with Ephraim and the Shibboleth Test
Study note
Just as Ephraim had complained to Gideon, they now angrily confronted Jephthah for not inviting them to fight the Ammonites. They even threatened to burn down his house. Unlike Gideon, Jephthah did not calm them down. He said he had called them but they refused to come. A civil war broke out, and Jephthah's forces defeated Ephraim. To catch fleeing Ephraimites at the Jordan crossings, Gileadites used a pronunciation test: they asked each man to say 'Shibboleth.' The Ephraimites could only say 'Sibboleth' because of their dialect, which gave them away. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed.
1 The men of Ephraim mobilized their troops and crossed north. They confronted Jephthah angrily: "Why did you go fight the Ammonites without asking us to join you? We are going to burn your house down with you inside it!" 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.
2 Jephthah replied, "My people and I were in a life-or-death struggle with the Ammonites. I asked you for help, and you did not come." 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.
3 "When I realized you were not going to help me, I put my own life on the line and went after the Ammonites myself, and the Lord gave me victory. So why are you here now picking a fight with me?" 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?
4 Jephthah gathered the men of Gilead and went to battle against Ephraim. The men of Gilead won because the Ephraimites had insulted them, saying, "You Gileadites are just runaway rejects from Ephraim and Manasseh!" 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.
5 The Gileadites took control of all the Jordan River crossings before any Ephraimites could escape. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim arrived and asked to cross, the Gileadites would say, "Are you from Ephraim?" If the man said no, 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;
6 they would test him by saying, "Alright then, say the word 'Shibboleth.'" Anyone from Ephraim would say "Sibboleth" instead, because they could not pronounce it correctly. When that happened, they grabbed him and killed him there at the crossing. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites died this way. 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.
7 Jephthah served as judge over Israel for six years. Then he died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
Three Minor Judges: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
Study note
After Jephthah judged Israel for six years and died, three minor judges followed in succession. Ibzan of Bethlehem judged for seven years and had thirty sons and thirty daughters. Elon from Zebulun judged for ten years. Abdon from Pirathon had forty sons and thirty grandsons who all rode donkeys, a sign of wealth and status. He judged for eight years. These brief accounts suggest relatively peaceful times between the major crises.
8 After Jephthah died, a man named Ibzan from Bethlehem became the leader of Israel. And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel.
9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He married his daughters off to men from other clans and brought in thirty wives from other clans for his sons. He judged Israel for seven years. 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.
10 When Ibzan died, he was buried in Bethlehem. Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
11 After Ibzan, a man named Elon from the tribe of Zebulun served as Israel's judge for ten years. And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.
12 When Elon died, he was buried in Aijalon in Zebulun's territory. And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.
13 The next judge was Abdon son of Hillel, from the town of Pirathon. And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.
14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, all of whom rode their own donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years. And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.
15 When Abdon son of Hillel died, he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim's territory, in the hill country of the Amalekites. 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.