Judges 11:28
in Judges 11But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
KJV
Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
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This verse in Judges 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The bravest officers have always been averse to war; so Jephthah, whose courage was indisputable, resolved not only to make it clearly appear that hostilities were forced upon him, but to try measures for avoiding, if possible, an appeal to arms: and in pursuing such a course he was acting as became a leader in Israel (De 20:10-18).
This site's exposition
May the LORD, the Judge, decide today
on Judges 11:27-28
The speech ends by handing the case to "the LORD, the Judge," and the title he gives God is the book's word for its heroes. Genesis 18:25 asks the same of the same office, whether "the Judge of all the earth" will "do what is right".
This site's exposition
paid no heed to the message
Matthew Henry reads the speech as built for two outcomes: to turn the Ammonites back, or to justify Jephthah's war if they came on. The king's refusal settles which one follows. John Gill adds that he ignored the appeal to the LORD as Judge as well as the arguments.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
With this solemn reference of the matter to the Judge of heaven and earth he designs either to deter the Ammonites from proceeding and oblige them to retire, when they saw the right of the cause was against them, or to justify himself in subduing them if they should go on. Note, War is an appeal to heaven, to God the Judge of all, to whom the issues of it belong.
Howbeit, the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. He attended not to the arguments Jephthah made use of, and did not choose to seem at least to be convinced by them, nor to regard the awful appeal he had made to the great Jehovah.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמַ֔ע | shama' | he listened | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| מֶ֖לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַמּ֑וֹן | amon | Ammon | H5983 → | 106 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דִּבְרֵ֣י | divrei | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| יִפְתָּ֔ח | yiftach | Jephthah | H3316 → | 30 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁלַ֖ח | shalach | he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֵלָֽיו׃ פ | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמַ֔עhe listened
shama'H8085 →1159 times
מֶ֖לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עַמּ֑וֹןAmmon
amonH5983 →106 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דִּבְרֵ֣י[the] words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
יִפְתָּ֔חJephthah
yiftachH3316 →30 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
שָׁלַ֖חhe sent
shalachH7971 →845 times
אֵלָֽיו׃ פto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
it leads to
- Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
- Isaiah 2:11–12
The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
- Proverbs 18:12
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
- Obadiah 1:3–4
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
- Proverbs 29:23
A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
- Proverbs 11:2
Through
2 Kings 14:11But Amaziah would not listen, and Jehoash king of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
it leads to
- Joshua 19:38
Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities, along with their villages.
- 2 Chronicles 25:16
While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has…
- 2 Chronicles 25:20
But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.
- Joshua 19:38
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Judges
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.