Bible Commentaries
Judges 12

Verse 1

12:1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went {a} northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call {b} us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

(a) After they had passed Jordan.

(b) Thus ambition envies God’s work in others as they did against Gideon, Jud 8:1.

Verse 3

12:3 And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, {c} 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?

(c) That is, I ventured my life, and when man’s help failed, I put my trust only in God.

Verse 4

12:4 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 {d} among the Ephraimites, [and] among the Manassites.

(d) You ran from us, and chose Gilead, and now in respect to us you are nothing.

Verse 6

12:6 Then said they unto him, Say now {e} 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.

(e) Which signifies the fall of waters, or an ear of corn.

Verse 8

12:8 And after him {f} Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

(f) Some think that this was Boaz the husband of Ruth.