Juízes 12

Juízes 12

Constable - Unfortunately Jephthah treated his own brethren, the Ephraimites, as he had dealt with Israel's enemy, the Ammonites. He unleashed his zeal and took vengeance far out of proportion to what might have been legitimate. Pfeiffer notes that “the existence of distinct dialects of Hebrew during the period of the Judges is consistent with the concept of tribal, rather than national, consciousness that appears throughout the book.” (Borrow the Wycliffe Bible Commentary) King James Bible Commentary - Bruce (p. 251) notes that this linguistic test shows that the Ephraimite dialect followed the Arabic influence in which s took the place of sh. This pronunciation test would be very similar to the efforts of northern and southern soldiers during the Civil War in the United States to discover one another by certain words. (See context King James Version Bible Commentary) Expositor's Bible Commentary on 42,000 - With the loss of 42,000 men, Ephraim's military capability was virtually wiped out (cf. Nu 1:33 = "numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500."). Jephthah was vindicated and his position as leader of Gilead was strengthened. Nevertheless, the intertribal warfare illustrated the serious problems that confronted the nation as a whole. Stone on 42,000 - On any interpretation of "thousand," this is more Ephraimites than are listed in any Old Testament census and constitutes the most devastating loss of Israelite lives in the book so far. However justified Jephthah's complaint with Ephraim, his treatment of them as a common enemy rather than errant kin marks Jephthah for vindictive cruelty. (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary – Volume 3: Joshua, Judges, Ruth) Easy English on 42,000 - As a result, that tribe was now much smaller. It was never the biggest tribe again. The Hebrew word ‘thousand’ can also mean a family group rather than an actual number. So maybe Jephthah and his men killed 42 families rather than 42 000 people. Nobody is quite sure about this. *Israel’s people were becoming foolish. And as a result, the 12 *tribes were not helping each other so much any more. Jephthah did what he had said. He was like the man in Psalm 15:4. He ‘did what he had promised, even when it hurt’. Jephthah still needed to learn a lot about God. But he was loyal to what he knew. Bush on 42,000 - Heb. ארבעים ושנים אלף arbaim ushenayim aleph. As the Hebrew mode of enumeration is peculiar, the copulative ו vau here may perhaps imply simply addition, so that the sum will be 2,040 instead of 42,000. At the last census, Num. 26:37, the whole tribe of Ephraim only amounted to 32,500, compared with which the last number appears far too great; especially as it is reasonable to believe that only a part of the tribe crossed the Jordan on this expedition. George Bush - Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth. The original differs only in the first letter, ס samech, instead of ש sheen. It is well known that several nations cannot pronounce certain letters. The sound of th, so familiar to English organs, cannot be pronounced by the people of some European countries, nor by the Persians, though a common sound among the Arabians. To this day, many of the German Jews cannot articulate this sound in reading their own Hebrew Scriptures, but substitute ss, as baiss for baith, a house, bereshiss for bereshith, the beginning. It has been remarked also, that sh, which is entirely wanting in many languages, is of peculiarly difficult pronunciation to persons whose organs have not in childhood been inured to it. The word chosen by the Gideonites as a test-word, signifies ear of corn, and also a stream, and was, perhaps, suggested by being the name of the object immediately before them, the river on the banks of which they stood. ‘Sibboleth,’ on the other hand, denotes a burden, and how these different objects were distinguished in the pronunciation of the Ephraimites, it is difficult to say. Differences of pronunciation, however, even among those speaking the same language, or the same dialect, are nothing extraordinary. In later times, Peter was easily distinguished as a Galilean in Pilate’s hall by his pronunciation, Mark. 14:70, and travellers in the East inform us, that the Arabic of Cairo, of Aleppo, and of Bagdad, is so different, that one who has made himself master of this language in one of these cities, cannot, without great difficulty, understand or be understood in the others. England itself offers considerable variety both of dialect and modes of pronunciation, and so probably does every other country. He could not frame to pronounce it right. Heb. לא יכין לדבר כן lo yäkin ledabbër kën, he did not direct to speak it so; i. e. so as he was required. The original does not say that he could not, but that he did not; because, perhaps, not suspecting the design, he may have uttered it rapidly in his usual manner. Still the present translation is by no means a bad one. And slew him. The predominant usage of the original is in reference to that kind of slaughter which was common in the case of animal victims offered upon the altar; i. e. by cutting the throat, jugulation; as if they made the inability of the organs of speech in the throat to utter certain sounds, a pretence for putting them to death in this manner. In view of the means here adopted by the Gileadites for detecting the fugitives of Ephraim, we can scarcely fail to reflect how closely they resemble those tests or standards of uniformity in religion, which under the pretence of promoting brotherly union are often made the means of persecution and exclusion. “Say now Shibboleth:” say exactly as we say, hold exactly as we hold, without the liberty to vary a single letter in your profession of faith, or we cannot let you pass for a Christian at all. May God teach us a better way of communion, a more comprehensive standard of truth! May He give us at once the spirit of a sound mind, and the feelings of a charitable heart! (Judges 12 Commentary) A H Fausset - (Judges 12:6) Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth [a stream. The Ephraimites commonly left out the aspirate by defective pronunciation. “Ask leave to cross the Shibboleth”]; and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame [Heb., “He was not preparing,” viz., his heart (the omission is so supplied in 2 Chron. 12:14, 30:19). He took no heed] 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 [probably the whole number of invaders, part slain in battle, and part at the fords of Jordan (so Judges 4:16). Those who begin strife, generally suffer in the end (Prov. 17:14, 26:17)]. (Judges 12 Commentary) QUESTION - What is the meaning of shibboleth in the Bible? ANSWER - A word occurring only once in the Bible (in Judges 12:6), shibboleth literally means “ear of corn” or “river.” However, it is not the literal meaning of shibboleth that marks its significance but its clever use by the tribe of Gilead to distinguish between enemy and ally. During the time of the judges, there was a mighty warrior from Gilead named Jephthah who had been banished by his half-brothers because his mother was a prostitute. However, when the king of the Ammonites began to war against Gilead, the elders of Gilead approached Jephthah, begging that he might become their commander (Judges 11:1–3). Jephthah accepted the call and, filled with the Spirit of the Lord, led a great victory against the Ammonites (verses 29–32). This victory was won without the help of the Ephraimites, who had refused to help Gilead (Judges 12:2). The use of the word shibboleth figures into Jephthah’s story this way: the tribes of Israel were divided by the Jordan River—some located on the west and some on the east. The eastern tribes, including Jephthah’s, had adopted certain pronunciations and practices of foreign nations, distinguishing themselves from their brothers in the west. The word shibboleth was an example. Those in Gilead pronounced it “shibboleth,” but those in Ephraim, west of Jordan, pronounced it “sibboleth.” The dialect was different. After Jephthah’s great victory against the Ammonites, the men of Ephraim crossed the river to fight against their brothers from Gilead. The Ephraimites’ stated reason for fighting was that they were enraged they had not been included in the battle (Judges 12:1), although it is more likely they just wanted part of the spoil. In the ensuing fight, Jephthah’s men captured the fords of the Jordan leading back to Ephraim, but many Ephraimites still tried to cross over, hoping their Gileadite brothers would not be able to distinguish friend from foe. However, the men of Gilead knew the people of the west could not pronounce the sh sound, as they had not mixed with foreigners as their brothers from the east had. So the Gileadite soldiers asked each man who tried to cross over the fords to say, “Shibboleth.” Every man who was from Ephraim would respond, “Sibboleth,” therein revealing his identity. With the help of this clever tactic, Jephthah’s men caught forty-two thousand men and put them to death that day (Judges 12:2–6). Shibboleth is one of many words that the English-speaking world has borrowed from the Bible. In modern contexts, a shibboleth is any identifying word, manner of speaking, or behavior that shows someone to be part of a particular group. A person’s reference to gasoline as “petrol” is a shibboleth pointing to British influence. The word shibboleth can also refer to an old, oft-repeated idea that is widely believed but of questionable veracity; for example, a trite saying such as “great minds think alike” could be considered a shibboleth.Gotquestions.org Deffinbaugh - Now it is the Gileadites under Jephthah who capture the fords of the Jordan, blocking the Ephraimites from crossing the Jordan and fleeing for their lives. There was a problem, however. Many people crossed the Jordan River. How would the Gileadites be able to distinguish their Ephraimite enemies from the rest of those seeking to cross the Jordan? They devised a very simple, but effective test. The Ephraimites could not pronounce the “sh” sound. The best they could do was to produce a simple “s” sound. This is true today. My Indian brothers have difficulty producing the “v” sound; it comes out more like a “w” sound. Other races have their own unique pronunciation problems. There are sounds in Spanish that I cannot even begin to approximate. So, when a person came to one of the fords of the Jordan River, they were asked if they were an Ephraimite. Naturally, an Ephraimite would deny their origins because they knew that they would be killed if they admitted to being one of the enemy. And so those who denied being Ephraimites were given a simple test, “Say ‘Shibboleth.’” A non-Ephraimite could easily do so, but no matter how hard an Ephraimite might try, the best they could do was to say “Sibboleth” (without the “sh” sound). And when they did so, they were executed. In all, 42,000 Ephraimites died in this conflict. our text teaches us that words really do matter. The title of this message is “Words Matter.” The words of Scripture which record the history of God’s dealings with Israel matter. The words of Jephthah’s vow mattered. Had he chosen his words more carefully, it would not have cost him his daughter. Words mattered to those Ephraimites who attempted to cross the Jordan River, and who tried to say the word “Shibboleth.” The Scriptures have much to say about the importance of our words: Death and life are in the power of the tongue,and those who love its use will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). “Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). “I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). Our words, like those of Jephthah, can have unintended consequences. I am convinced that Jephthah never intended that his words would cost him his daughter, but that is what happened. I know that my words have many unintended consequences. This past week the House of Representatives narrowly passed a nearly 2,000-page health care reform bill. It is frightening to me to think of all the intentional consequences of such a bill, but can you imagine the immensity of unintentional consequences this monstrous bill will have? No wonder Proverbs contains a warning concerning many words When words abound, transgression is inevitable, but the one who restrains his words is wise (Proverbs 10:19). Now think about the Bible, with all of its pages and many words. If it were merely a fallible book written by men and containing human error, how would we ever be able to stake our present and eternal well being on such a book? Words do matter, and no words matter more than the words of Scripture: But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). “You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). God’s Word is inspired, inerrant, relevant, and reliable. His words are without error, so that we can trust them (and the God they present) without hesitation: “Look, today I am about to die. You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized – not one promise is unfulfilled! (Joshua 23:14; see also 1 Kings 8:56). The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground, where it is thoroughly refined (Psalm 12:6). Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him (Proverbs 30:5). After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3). Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 4 while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:1-4). (Words Matter) Judges 12:6 F B Meyer Our Daily Homily And he said Sibboleth. It was only the omission of “h,” but it meant the death of the man who missed it. One little letter, and the whole wonder and beauty of a human life was forfeited. It is only recently that the peace of an empire was in jeopardy, because a full-stop was misplaced. This scene has become proverbial of those who exact compliance with some arbitrary test, before admitting their fellows into their sect or church. But how thankful we should be, that our admission to the privilege of the Kingdom of God does not depend upon our pronunciation; that the reality of the new-birth is not tested by the accuracy with which we utter the creed; that we shall not be excluded from the gates of the New Jerusalem because we fail in the utterance of an “h”! Our acceptance with God does not depend on how much we believe. The woman who was healed had very inadequate notions of faith and Christ. She thought that his garment would communicate blessing, yet she was cured. The dying thief had but a glimmering ray of knowledge of the majesty and power of Jesus, but he entered Paradise in His company. The prime necessity with us, is not faith in the sense of creed, but as standing for trust. It is not our belief about Christ, but our trust in Him; not our ability to answer the questions of the Catechism, but our coming to Him, and finding rest to our souls — this only is necessary to pass us across the fords of Jordan. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). Today in the Word The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system for marking pronunciation in any language. It was first published in 1888 by a group of French language teachers and is used by singers, dictionaries, and language-learning textbooks to transcribe sounds from any language into a consistent, universal system. Anyone using it properly should be able to pronounce sounds correctly even if they don’t know the language. The IPA might have helped the Ephraimites pass the deadly pronunciation test in today’s narrative. Jephthah is presented as a mighty warrior who was also a social outcast due to his mother being a prostitute (the story begins in Judges 10:6). He defeated the Philistines and Ammonites and rescued Israel from their oppression, but he also made a foolish vow to sacrifice the first thing he saw when he returned home (it turned out to be his daughter). The conflict in today’s reading took place because the Ephraimites were upset about being left out of this victory. Perhaps they were irritated that God had used people whom they saw as disreputable renegades. Jephthah argued that they hadn’t responded to his call for help and gave God the credit for the victory. Somehow this petty conflict escalated into a battle in which Jephthah’s Gileadites soundly defeated the Ephraimites. The Gileadites may have been forced to defend themselves initially, but in victory things got ugly. They slaughtered the Ephraimites (an extreme violation of today’s verse). In this story, words and language became a vehicle for the worst human impulses. If a person pronounced the word “shibboleth” with the wrong accent, they were identified as the enemy and killed, even though the battle was over. A single word fueled this grotesque revenge. Apply the Word - Pronunciation or accent remains a source of sinful prejudice in today’s world. In the United States, this is particularly true of ethnic variations, such as African-American or Hispanic English, but it can also occur with geographical variations, such as a Southern accent. We should love our neighbors whatever they sound like. Luke Wiseman - SHIBBOLETH IT not seldom happens that men whom the course of events has raised to the pinnacle of fame are in themselves miserably dejected. It is perhaps too flattering to Jephthah to compare him with St. Paul, who, to keep him humble amidst the abundance of the revelations, was buffeted by a thorn in the flesh; but how often, in the order of Divine providence, are great achievements and proud successes accompanied by humiliating trials! Just as we were felicitating ourselves upon the accomplishment of some cherished purpose, and expecting pleasure in the enjoyment of our finished plan, misfortune dashed from our lips the cup, and left us to contemplate the instability of earthly hopes. The conqueror of the Ammonites, already dejected by the loss of his only child, soon found that to be elevated to the judgeship, was to be burdened with cares such as had never before perplexed him. This trouble arose from the seditious turbulence of the tribe of Ephraim. As formerly in the time of Gideon, they were annoyed at not having been summoned to the battle with the children of Ammon; and perhaps equally annoyed at not having been invited to share in the booty. Their reputation for courage, certainly was not the highest. “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.”* They were numerous, haughty, and powerful. During the whole period of the Judges they were in possession of the precedency; and the sanctuary of God at Shiloh was in the heart of their tribe. They did not disguise their jealousy when other tribes were preferred before them; and now that a despised Gileadite had been raised to the supreme authority, and had succeeded in defeating a dreaded enemy without any help from their side of the Jordan, Ephraim could brook it no longer. A war-cry was raised: “The men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward,” to Mizpeh probably, and menacingly demanded of the judge the reason why they had not been sent for to assist in the defeat of the Ammonites? The blame was even laid at Jephthah’s door, and their exasperation was greater against him than it had been against Gideon.† Not satisfied with “chiding with him sharply,” they threatened summary vengeance: “We will burn thy house upon thee with fire,” and offered battle; so that he appeared to have no alternative but to fight.* A discouraging recompense to a man who had just saved his country! Before engaging with the army, he endeavoured to show them the justice of his cause. He denied the accusation that he had never summoned them to the enterprise; and told them plainly that they had refused to come to his assistance—true to their character of cowardly bowmen, as depicted in the 78th Psalm: “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. 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?”† There is a striking resemblance in general conception and in style between this reply and that to the Ammonites: nothing ideal or ingenious, but a plain, straightforward statement of the facts. It has often been contrasted with the felicitous reply of Gideon to the same tribe. But it has not so often been remembered, that the circumstances were widely different. Gideon’s life was not threatened, nor was an army brought against him. Besides, insolence cannot always escape chastisement. The peace-makers are indeed blessed: but “the haughty and quarrelsome will at length meet with those who are as ready to revenge, as others have been to endure, their affronts;”* and if the wrath, which a soft answer should have permanently turned away, re-appears with exacerbated bitterness, it is time that it should be dealt with in another way. Jephthah had evidently no wish for this fratricidal contest. He did his best to prevent it. But being put upon self-defence, he found no difficulty in rallying the Gileadites around him. The scurrility of the men of Ephraim on former occasions, in calling the Gileadites runaways and deserters from Ephraim and Manasseh, had aroused in the men of Gilead a resentment so deep, that they evidently were not sorry to have this opportunity of taking their revenge. Where the precise point of this taunt lay, cannot now easily be ascertained; probably in some event not preserved in history. But cowards are ever the most ready to accuse others of cowardice; and it was perfectly in character for the mock-valiant bowmen, who had themselves “turned back in the day of battle,” to reproach their neighbours across the Jordan as “fugitives of Ephraim”† as the worthless refuse of the descendants of Joseph, who had fled from justice and settled beyond the Jordan. Their fate illustrated the words of Solomon, that “the wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips.”‡ Their provoking ribaldry cost them dear. Even the best of men cannot always endure contemptuous taunts with perfect equanimity; and considering the state of society at that day, it is not surprising that at length the insolence of this hectoring tribe met with a fearful revenge. There appears to have been, first, a regular pitched battle on a great scale, in which, under the command of Jephthah, the Gileadites routed the men of Ephraim;* and after their defeat, the Ephraimites, flying towards the Jordan and attempting to cross that river, found themselves intercepted by strong parties of the men of Gilead who had placed themselves so as to command the fordable places. Their better knowledge of the practicable fords, and of the roads leading to them, may easily account for their reaching the river before the flying enemy could reach it. The rout of Ephraim may be inferred from the fact that they did not reach the Jordan in anything like an orderly march, but in a scramble—every man taking care of himself. It was under these circumstances that the memorable test of “Shibboleth” was applied, with which, however, the name of Jephthah is not connected. “The Gileadites took the passages of the Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped”—namely, from being slain in the pitched battle, wherein Jephthah had just defeated them—“said, Let me go over, that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said Nay, 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 the Jordan; and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.”* Many illustrations have been collected of this variety of dialect in the same language, which it can scarcely be necessary to reproduce here. That the language of Palestine was diversely spoken in its different provinces in the days of Christ, is evident from the ready recognition of Peter by the high-priest’s servant as a Galilean, his “speech betraying him.” In the present day, the Arabic of one part of Syria is so different from that of another, that a person well able to understand the people of Smyrna finds great difficulty in understanding those of Aleppo; and even in the small island of Malta, where a corrupt Arabic is spoken, the peasants of the several villages are said to be nearly unintelligible to each other. Our own country affords ample illustration. A vanquished army of Northumbrians, retreating across the Tees, might with equal facility be detected by being required to say the word “River,” as were the Ephraimites on the banks of the Jordan by being required to say the word “Shibboleth,” or “stream.” As our Northumbrians cannot pronounce the R, but utter instead of it a guttural sound resembling a W, the Ephraimites, unable to pronounce the Sh, discovered themselves at once by their saying Sibboleth for Shibboleth; and so fierce was the revenge of those whom they had taunted, that the blood of forty-two thousand men mingled with the stream of the Jordan. In this tragical scene, the vindictive fury of the men of Gilead cannot escape heavy censure. They had been irritated and exasperated by bitter words; but in this, as in many other instances in history, we see the terrific madness of popular revenge. No contentions are so bitter as those which arise among brethren: “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city.” Civil wars are usually carried on under greater exasperation of feeling than wars between nations of a different race; nor is the breach, when once made, so readily healed. As the sweetest wine, when acetous fermentation has set in, turns to the sourest vinegar, so it is in families and in Churches. How dismally protracted are some family feuds! And how embittered against each other are the adherents of the two opposed parties in a riven Church! Envy and variance set the world in flames, and the Church, too, alas! from age to age. How many “Shibboleths” have been invented to divide the Church of Christ; to be watchwords of angry disputants, and pretexts for professed disciples of the same Lord abusing and excommunicating each other! Let us not be too prodigal of our anathemas upon these cruel Gileadites at the fords of the Jordan, at least until we have taken leisure to compare the mutual aspect of civilized nations, and the mutual aspect of Christian Churches, in the later centuries, when a conduct so much less violent might have been epected. Are there not Church parties in our own day which set up Shibboleths of their own, and refuse the interchanges of brotherhood to all who do not pronounce the test-word in precisely the same manner as themselves? Does not the Established Church of England, for example, insist on her Shibboleth of Episcopal ordination with a rigour so relentless, that, not to say a word of nonconforming Churches, the ministers of her sister Established Church in these realms,—that of Scotland,—because they have received Presbyterian ordination, are as jealously excluded from preaching in her pulpits and from ministering at her altars, as if they were Mohammedans or infidels? The spirit of Jephthah’s Gileadites has not yet ceased to exist, nor is the common language of all the tribes of the Lord’s Israel as yet a passport to brotherly recognition; but one of the tribes, and one, too, which more than any other, lives upon the resources of the rest, presumes to treat as foreigners and as aliens all the others, whose pronunciation of the Shibboleth differs from its own! Still, the spirit of blessed charity is extending; and surely we live in the early dawn of that promised day when the tribes shall no longer cherish their ancient discordances: when “Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim”; when all the divisive Shibboleths of sectarian warfare, having been forgotten, as childish quarrels are forgotten in the discretion of riper years, the Churches shall advance and act in concert in combined and successful invasion of every point of the devil’s kingdom: “They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.”* After the massacre on the banks of the Jordan, we read of no other event during the administration of Jephthah. The period of his elevation was only six years; and the Hebrew text informs us that he was buried “in the cities of Gilead,” which our version interprets to mean, “in one of the cities of Gilead.”† Jewish ingenuity, however, as usual, has invented more than one fable to account for this peculiar mode of expression. According to one account, he died of a slow disease, which caused his limbs to drop off, one after the other, in the course of his official journeyings, and that each limb was buried where it dropped off; so that it was literally true, that he was buried “in the cities of Gilead.” Another account states that his body was cut up after his death, and the several portions buried in different places. It is a presumption in favour of the manner of his administration, that no traces occur of a public relapse into idolatry, either during his own time, or that of his successors in office to the commencement of the period of the kings. Judges 12:7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. Related Passage: Hebrews 11:32+ And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, JEPHTHAH'S JUDGESHIP ENDS Some writers say Jephthah was not raised up as a judge as some of the other judges had been, but this passage seems to solidify the fact that he did function as a judge of Israel. And Jephthah judged (shaphat) Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead This is a "new formula" in the book of Judges… previously we would read "Then the land had rest ____years… " But after Gideon we never read of peace in the land. Notice it says he judged Israel, but that is not likely to be the entire 12 tribes. More likely he was just the judge over the eastern tribes because as Cundall says "he would be persona non grata west of the Jordan after the slaughter of the Ephraimites!" Arthur Cundall makes an interesting comment - The decimation of the tribe of Ephraim was decisive, for this tribe, which aspired to a position of leadership, never regained its pre-eminence. This was not without importance in the adoption of a monarchical system, for up to this point Ephraim was too strong to accept a king from another tribe. On the other hand intertribal jealousy would make it difficult for the other tribes to accept an Ephraimite king. When a king was eventually chosen it is significant that a man of Benjamin, a weak tribe (especially after the events of chapter 20), was selected. He was succeeded by David, of the powerful tribe of Judah, and it was not long before the intertribal rivalries revived. It may be observed that there is no mention of the amphictyonic league, or of any mediation or intervention by the other tribes to prevent this act of fratricide. The decay of the intertribal structure is apparent in this period, but the lack of intervention may also be explained in part by the remoteness of the Transjordan region from the central sanctuary, and by the speed with which the crisis developed. (Borrow Judges & Ruth: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary) Jephthah is cited in Hebrews 11:32+ along with Gideon, Barak, and Samson. All these men had their faults, but they all, at one time or another, demonstrated great faith. It is often said that God does not save us and use us because of who or what we are but because of what we may become by His grace and in His power. Reformation Study Bible - Previous judges led for forty or eighty years, and peace lasted a generation or two. Jephthah's abbreviated rule, the increased number of gods being worshiped, and the civil war with Ephraim contribute to a picture of Israel's downward spiral. Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Pride caused the civil war within Israel. Pride almost always causes division, contention, and strife. An evil pride exalts a person above others as though he were better than others. This attitude causes division between that person and those he considers to be underneath him. If the prideful person is out to subject others or to take something of value away from them, then strife and struggle take place. Pride or self-exaltation is forbidden by God. George Bush - Was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. Heb. בערי גלעד beârë Gilâd, in the cities of Gilead. A curious specimen of Rabbinical conceit and of the not infrequent style of their exposition, is afforded in Rashi’s remarks upon these words. From him we learn that the ancient Jewish doctors maintained that Jephthah, as a punishment for putting his daughter to death, was visited by a disease that loosened the joints of the different limbs and members of his body, and caused them to fall off one after another, from time to time, as he was passing to and fro over the country, and that they were buried separately, wherever they happened to drop, so that when he died, it could be said, from this general distribution of his members, that he was ‘buried in the cities of Gilead!’ But how a man could be in a travelling condition, while his body was thus falling to pieces, is a part of the story which is wisely passed over in silence. The phraseology is doubtless idiomatic, the plural being put for the singular, as Gen. 19:29, where Lot is said to have dwelt, ‘in the cities,’ i. e. in one of the cities. So Jonah 1:5, the sides of the ship appears to denote one of the sides. (Judges 12 Commentary) A H Fausset - And Jephthah judged Israel six years; then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in (one of) the cities of Gilead [the sacred historian does not define which city, but says indefinitely (Hebrew) “in the cities” (so in Gen. 13:12, 19:29; Neh. 6:2, Hebrew. But the Septuagint “his city” (ו for י), viz., Mizpah: for the burial places of other judges are given (Jdg 8:32, 10:2, 5). (Judges 12 Commentary) Keith Krell - Judges 12:7 concludes with these words: “Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.” The Jephthah cycle ends without declaring that the Ammonite menace has been eliminated or that the land was secured during his tenure, let alone attributing this newfound security to the Lord. I own a high-tech piece of computer software called Bible Works. I have been using Bible Works since 1994. Over the course of many years, I have moved from version 3.5 to the brand new version 8. Yet, I am ashamed to admit that I have never read the user manual or watched the online videos. I keep saying, “I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on Bible Works and the various updates; I really need to learn all of the potential of this software program.” But I never do. I have all kinds of great intentions, but the tyranny of the urgent always keeps me from mastering the potential of this valuable software. When I talk with Bible Works users, I admit that I am probably only utilizing 5–10% of the software’s capacity. When it comes to the Bible, you may know just enough to be dangerous. Maybe you get by on the bare minimum. Yet, you know God has entrusted you with a great deal of knowledge and many resources. Perhaps the following statements reverberate through your heart and mind, “To whom much is given, much is required.” “Right theology and a thorough understanding of the Bible are essential.” If so, make a commitment that today you will seek to live out God’s Word like never before. A biblical mind is a terrible thing to waste. (Judges 10:6-12:7: Failure of the Family) Judged (08199) shaphat is a verb that means to judge or govern. While it frequently translated judge, this is somewhat misleading as shaphat is not typical of the modern concept of judge (as in a court of law), but is much more inclusive -- to function as ruler or governor - individuals (Jdg. 16:31; 1 Sa 7:16), king (1 Ki. 3:9); even God Himself (Ps. 50:6; 75:7) because He is the source of authority and will eventually conduct all judgments (Ps. 96:13). In a judicial sense shaphat could refer to the arbitration of civil, domestic, and religious disputes (Dt. 25:1), fulfilled by the congregation (Nu 35:24), by individual judges (Ex 18:16; Dt. 1:16), by the king (1 Sa 8:5, 6, 20) or by God Himself (Ge 16:5; 1 Sa 24:12, 15). The Septuagint (LXX) uses the Greek krites = Judges or krino meaning to judge. Uses of shaphat in Judges - Jdg. 2:16; Jdg. 2:17; Jdg. 2:18; Jdg. 2:19; Jdg. 3:10; Jdg. 4:4; Jdg. 10:2; Jdg. 10:3; Jdg. 11:27; Jdg. 12:7; Jdg. 12:8; Jdg. 12:9; Jdg. 12:11; Jdg. 12:13; Jdg. 12:14; Jdg. 15:20; Jdg. 16:31 Cyril