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Judges 12:4

in Judges 12

Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

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.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Judges 12

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

And fought with Ephraim - Some commentators suppose that there were two battles in which the Ephraimites were defeated: the first mentioned in the above clause; and the second occasioned by the taunting language mentioned in the conclusion of the verse, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim. Where the point of this reproach lies, or what is the reason of it, cannot be easily ascertained.

This site's exposition

Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead

on Judges 12:4-7

The war turns on the taunt that the Gileadites were “fugitives in Ephraim”, a point Adam Clarke says is lost. The test at the ford rests on one consonant, and Clarke argues the difference between “Shibboleth” and “Sibboleth” was plain to a Hebrew ear. The 42,000 Ephraimites killed are the heaviest loss of one tribe, and Jephthah's six years are the shortest term of any judge.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Ye Gileadites - These words are a contemptuous expression of the Ephraimites concerning the Gileadites, whom they call fugitives of Ephraim; the word Ephraim being here taken largely, as it comprehends the other neighbouring tribes, of which Ephraim was the chief; and especially their brethren of Manasseh, who lived next to them, and were descended from the same father, Joseph.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

They said in scorn, "You Gileadites that dwell here on the other side Jordan are but fugitives of Ephraim, the scum and dregs of the tribes of Joseph, of which Ephraim is the chief, the refuse of the family, and are so accounted among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Because they said ... - This passage is extremely obscure. Render: - “The men of Gilead smote Ephraim, for they (the Gileadites) said, Ye are. the fugitives of Ephraim. (Gilead lies between Ephraim and Manasseh; and Gilead took the fords of Jordan before Ephraim, and it came to pass, when the fugitives of Ephraim said Let me pass over, and the Gileadites asked him, art thou an Ephraimite, and he answered No, Then (the Gileadites) said to him say Shibboleth, etc. So they (the Gileadites) killed them at the fords of Jordan”). All that is included in the parenthesis is explanatory of the brief statement “They smote them, for they said, Ye are the fugitives of Ephraim;” i. e. in spite of denial they ascertained that they were the fugitives of Ephraim, and so pitilessly slaughtered them when they endeavored to return to their own country through Gilead. This part of Gilead, where the fords were, was clearly not in Manasseh, but in Gad. “Slew” Jdg 12:6 implies “slaughtering” in cold blood, not killing in battle (see Jer 39:6). The word in the original text is the proper word for slaying animals for sacrifice.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

Since the contemptibles of Ephraim had said, "What are you,Gilod?" The lowliest in Ephraim would mock Gilod, saying, "Of what significance are you, Gilod, among Ephraim and among Menasheh?" This is Targum Yonasan's interpretation.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Judges 12:4:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
The Gilodites captured the Yardein crossings. They posted sentries at the crossing areas.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Judges 12:5:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

24 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיִּקְבֹּ֤ץand he gathered

    vaiyikbotzH6908 →

  • יִפְתָּח֙Jephthah

    yiftachH3316 →30 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • אַנְשֵׁ֣י[the] men of

    ʾansheiH582 →566 times

  • גִלְעָ֔דGilead

    giladH1568 →134 times

  • וַיִּלָּ֖חֶםand he fought

    vaiyilachemH3898 →177 times

  • אֶת־with

    ʾet-H854 →929 times

  • אֶפְרָ֑יִםEphraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

  • וַיַּכּוּ֩and they attacked

    vaiyakuH5221 →499 times

  • אַנְשֵׁ֨י[the] men of

    ʾansheiH582 →566 times

  • גִלְעָ֜דGilead

    giladH1568 →134 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אֶפְרַ֗יִםEphraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

  • כִּ֤יfor

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • אָמְרוּ֙they had said

    ʾameruH559 →5305 times

  • פְּלִיטֵ֤י[are] fugitives of

    peliteiH6412 →

  • אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙Ephraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

  • אַתֶּ֔םyou

    ʾatemH859 →1094 times

  • גִּלְעָ֕דO Gilead

    giladH1568 →134 times

  • בְּת֥וֹךְin [the] midst of

    betokhH8432 →418 times

  • אֶפְרַ֖יִםEphraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

  • בְּת֥וֹךְin [the] midst of

    betokhH8432 →418 times

  • מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃Manasseh

    menashehH4519 →146 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

9 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Kings 17:1Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”4 works1 Samuel 25:10But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.3 worksProverbs 12:13An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.3 worksPsalms 78:9The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.2 worksJudges 11:10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”2 worksDeuteronomy 3:12–17So at that time we took possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead, along with its cities.2 works
The other 3 cross-references, with their words ▾
Numbers 32:39–40The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.2 worksNehemiah 4:4Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.2 worksProverbs 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Proverbs 12:13

    An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 21:23

      He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

    • Proverbs 11:8

      The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.

    • Psalms 64:8

      They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads.

    • Proverbs 6:2

      if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,

  • Through

    1 Samuel 25:10

    But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.

    it leads to

    • Judges 9:28

      Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Psalms 78:9

    The archers of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle.

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 31:1

      Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

    • Deuteronomy 1:41–44

      “We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it…

  • Through

    Judges 11:10

    And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 42:5

      Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us.

About Judges

Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Judges: the study guide →Read Judges 12 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Judges 12 →