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Judges 12:1

in Judges 12

Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they 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 thy house upon thee with fire.

KJV

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.

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This verse in Judges 12

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together,.... Or "cried" (r); got together by a cry or proclamation made: in the Hebrew text it is, "a man of Ephraim"; not a single man, but a body of men, who met together and joined as one man.

This site's exposition

the men of Ephraim assembled

on Judges 12:1-3

Ephraim brought the same complaint to Gideon at 8:1, and here the tribe threatens to burn Jephthah's house. Jephthah answers with a fact the narrative never reported, that “when I called, you did not save me”. Albert Barnes places that call at his election in chapter 11.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Northward - Over Jordan, where Jephthah was, in the northern part of the land beyond Jordan. And said - Through pride and envy, contending with him as they did before with Gideon. Over - Not over Jordan, for there he was already; but over the borders of the Israelites land beyond Jordan.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Jacob having crossed hands, and given Ephraim the preference, looking as far forward as the kingdom of the ten tribes, which Ephraim was the head of, after the revolt from the house of David, that tribe, not content with that honour in the promise, was displeased if Manasseh had any honour done it in the mean time.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Compare the similar complaint of the Ephraimites to Gideon Jdg 8:1, when a civil war was only avoided by Gideon’s wise and patriotic moderation. The overhearing pride of Ephraim comes out in both occurrences (see also Jos 17:14-18). We will burn thine house upon thee with fire - Compare the fierce threat of the Philistines to Samson’s wife Jdg 14:15, and the yet fiercer execution Jdg 15:6. Burning appears as a mode of capital punishment Gen 38:24; Jos 7:25, and as a mode of desperate warfare (Jdg 1:8; Jdg 20:48; Jos 8:8, Jos 8:19, etc.).

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together--Hebrew, "were summoned." and went northward--After crossing the Jordan, their route from Ephraim was, strictly speaking, in a northeasterly direction, toward Mizpeh. the men of Ephraim . . . said unto Jephthah, Wherefore . . . didst [thou] not call us?--This is a fresh development of the jealous, rash, and irritable temper of the Ephraimites.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The men of Ephraim gathered themselves together - ויצעק vaiyitstsaek, they called each other to arms; summoning all their tribe and friends to arm themselves to destroy Jephthah and the Gileadites, being jealous lest they should acquire too much power.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

And crossed northward. They crossed the Yardein and travelled north in trans-Yardein to Gilod.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Judges 12:1:1, 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

21 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.

  • וַיִּצָּעֵק֙and it was summoned

    vaiyitzaekH6817 →55 times

  • אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • אֶפְרַ֔יִםEphraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

  • וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖רand it passed over

    vaiyaavorH5674 →556 times

  • צָפ֑וֹנָהZaphon towards

    tzafonahH6828 →153 times

  • וַיֹּאמְר֨וּand they said

    vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times

  • לְיִפְתָּ֜חto Jephthah

    leyiftachH3316 →30 times

  • מַדּ֣וּעַ׀why?

    madua'H4069 →72 times

  • עָבַ֣רְתָּ׀did you pass over

    ʾavartaH5674 →556 times

  • לְהִלָּחֵ֣םto wage war

    lehilachemH3898 →177 times

  • בִּבְנֵי־against [the] people of

    bivnei-H1121 →4930 times

  • עַמּ֗וֹןAmmon

    amonH5983 →106 times

  • וְלָ֙נוּ֙and <to> <the> us

    velanu

  • לֹ֤אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • קָרָ֙אתָ֙you summoned

    karataH7121 →733 times

  • לָלֶ֣כֶתto go

    lalekhetH1980 →1546 times

  • עִמָּ֔ךְwith you

    ʾimakhH5973 →1050 times

  • בֵּיתְךָ֕house your

    beitekhaH1004 →2046 times

  • נִשְׂרֹ֥ףwe will burn

    nisrofH8313 →117 times

  • עָלֶ֖יךָover you

    ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times

  • בָּאֵֽשׁ׃with <the> fire

    baeshH784 →378 times

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

Related verses

11 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.

Judges 8:1Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.5 worksJohn 10:32But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?”4 worksJames 3:16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.4 works2 Samuel 19:41Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”4 worksJames 4:1–2What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?3 worksJudges 14:15So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”3 works
The other 5 cross-references, with their words ▾
Ecclesiastes 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.2 worksProverbs 27:3–4A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.2 worksJudges 15:6“Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.2 worksPsalms 109:4In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.2 worksHosea 13:1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal, and he died.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

    James 3:16

    For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

    it leads to

    • James 3:14

      But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

    • 1 Corinthians 3:3

      for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

    • 1 John 3:12

      Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 1 Corinthians 14:33

      For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.

    • Galatians 5:20

      idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,

  • Through

    Judges 14:15

    So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us…

    it leads to

    • Judges 15:6

      “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and…

    • Judges 16:5

      The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him.…

  • Through

    Judges 8:1

    Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him…

    it leads to

    • Ecclesiastes 4:4

      I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

Where this verse is studied

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 on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Judges 12 →