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Texts -- Judges 12:4-15 (NET)

Context
12:4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim . The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim , because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying , “You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim , living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s territory .” 12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim . Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said , “Let me cross over ,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite ?” If he said , “No ,” 12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth !’” If he said , “Sibboleth ” (and could not pronounce the word correctly ), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan . On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead . 12:7 Jephthah led Israel for six years ; then he died and was buried in his city in Gilead .
Order Restored
12:8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel . 12:9 He had thirty sons . He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons . Ibzan led Israel for seven years ; 12:10 then he died and was buried in Bethlehem . 12:11 After him Elon the Zebulunite led Israel for ten years . 12:12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun . 12:13 After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite led Israel . 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys . He led Israel for eight years . 12:15 Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim , in the hill country of the Amalekites .

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Bible Dictionary

  • Judge

    [ebd] (Heb. shophet, pl. shophetim), properly a magistrate or ruler, rather than one who judges in the sense of trying a cause. This is the name given to those rulers who presided over the affairs of the Israelites during the inte...
    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2

    [isbe] ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2 - III. Period of the Judges. 1. General Character of Period: In such a period of weakened national and religious life, it could easily happen that Israel would again lose the supremacy that it had won b...

  • Ibzan

    [ebd] illustrious, the tenth judge of Israel (Judg. 12:8-10). He ruled seven years.
    [isbe] IBZAN - ib'-zan (ibhtsan): The 10th judge of Israel. His city is given as Bethlehem (whether of Judah or Zebulun is not stated). He judged Israel 7 years, and when he died he was buried in his native place. The only personal...
    [smith] (illustrious), a native of Bethlehem of Zebulun, who judged Israel for seven years after Jephthah. (Judges 12:8,10) (B.C. 1137.)
    [nave] IBZAN, a Bethlehemite, and judge of Israel, Judg. 12:8-10.

  • Abdon

    [ebd] servile. (1.) The son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, the tenth judge of Israel (Judg. 12:13-15). He is probably the Bedan of 1 Sam. 12:11. (2.) The first-born of Gibeon of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36). (3.) The son o...
    [smith] (servile). A judge of Israel, (Judges 12:13,15) perhaps the same person as Bedan, in (1 Samuel 12:11) (B.C. 1233-1225). Son of Shashak. (1 Chronicles 8:23) First-born son of Jehiel, son of Gideon. (1 Chronicles 8:30...
    [nave] ABDON 1. A judge of Israel, in the time of the judges, Judg. 12:13-15. 2. A Levitical city, Josh. 21:30; 1 Chr. 6:74. 3. A Benjamite chief, 1 Chr. 8:23. 4. Son of Gibeon, 1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36. 5. Son of Micah, 2 Chr. 34:20....

  • Hillel

    [ebd] praising, a Pirathonite, father of the judge Abdon (Judg. 12:13, 15).
    [isbe] HILLEL - hil'-el (hillel, "he greatly praised"; Septuagint Ellel): An inhabitant of Pirathon in the hill country of Ephraim, and father of Abdon, one of the judges of Israel (Jdg 12:13,15).
    [smith] (praise), a native of Pirathon in Mount Ephraim, father of Abdon, one of the judges of Israel. (Judges 12:13,15)
    [nave] HILLEL, father of Abdon, Judg. 12:13, 15.

  • Jephthah

    [ebd] whom God sets free, or the breaker through, a "mighty man of valour" who delivered Israel from the oppression of the Ammonites (Judg. 11:1-33), and judged Israel six years (12:7). He has been described as "a wild, daring, Gi...
    [isbe] JEPHTHAH - jef'-tha (yiphtach, "opened," or "opener," probably signifying "Yahweh will open"; Iephthae; used as the name of a place, as in Josh 15:43; 19:14; of a man, Jdg 10:6 through 12:7): Ninth judge of the Israelites. H...
    [smith] (whom God sets free), A judge about B.C. 1143-1137. His history is contained in (Judges 11:1; Judges 12:8) He was a Gileadite, the son of Gilead and a concubine. Driven by the legitimate sons from his father?s inheritance, he...
    [nave] JEPHTHAH A judge of Israel. Illegitimate, and therefore not entitled to inherit his father's property, Judg. 11:1, 2. Escapes the violence of his half-brothers, dwells in the land of Tob, Judg. 11:3. Recalled from the land...

  • Zebulonite

    [ebd] the designation of Elon, the judge who belonged to the tribe of Zebulun (Judg. 12:11, 12).
    [smith] a member of the tribe of Zebulun. (Judges 12:11,12) Applied only to Elon, the one judge produced by the tribe. (Judges 12:11,12)
    [nave] ZEBULONITE Judg. 12:11, 12

  • Elon

    [ebd] oak. (1.) A city of Dan (Josh. 19:43). (2.) A Hittite, father of Bashemath, Esau's wife (Gen. 26:34). (3.) One of the sons of Zebulun (Gen. 46:14). (4.) The eleventh of the Hebrew judges. He held office for ten years (Judg. ...
    [smith] (an oak). A Hittite, whose daughter was one of Esau?s wives. (Genesis 26:34; 36:2) (B.C. 1797.) The second of the three sons attributed to Zebulun, (Genesis 46:14; Numbers 26:26) and the founder of the family of the Elonites...
    [nave] ELON 1. Father-in-law of Esau, Gen. 26:34; 36:2. 2. A son of Zebulun, Gen. 46:14; Num. 26:26. 3. A town of Dan, Josh. 19:43. 4. A Hebrew judge, Judg. 12:11, 12.

  • CHRONOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] CHRONOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT - kro-nol'-o-ji: I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Difficulties of the Subject 2. Plan of Treatment 3. Bible to be Regarded as Highest Authority II. THE AGES BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS III. PERSIAN PERIOD IV. BA...

  • Shibboleth

    [ebd] river, or an ear of corn. The tribes living on the east of Jordan, separated from their brethren on the west by the deep ravines and the rapid river, gradually came to adopt peculiar customs, and from mixing largely with the...
    [isbe] SHIBBOLETH - shib'-o-leth (shibboleth): A test of speech applied by the men of Gilead to the Ephraimites, who wished to cross the Jordan, after defeat. If they pronounced the word cibboleth, their dialectic variety of speech...
    [smith] (a stream), (Judges 12:6) is the Hebrew word which the Gileadites under Jephthah made use of at the passage of the Jordan, after a victory over the Ephraimites, to test the pronunciation of the sound sh by those who wished to...
    [nave] SHIBBOLETH, Judg. 12:6.

  • Pirathon

    [ebd] prince, or summit, a place "in the land of Ephraim" (Judg. 12:15), now Fer'on, some 10 miles south-west of Shechem. This was the home of Abdon the judge.
    [smith] (princely), "in the land of Ephraim in the mount of the Amalekite," a place in (Judges 12:15) Its site, now called Fer?ata , is about one mile and a half south of the road from Jaffa, by Hableh , to Nablus . Pirathonites are ...
    [nave] PIRATHON A place in the land of Ephraim, Judg. 12:15. Men of, Judg. 12:13; 2 Sam. 23:30; 1 Chr. 11:31; 27:14.

  • FORD

    [ebd] Mention is frequently made of the fords of the Jordan (Josh. 2:7; Judg. 3:28; 12:5, 6), which must have been very numerous; about fifty perhaps. The most notable was that of Bethabara. Mention is also made of the ford of the...
    [isbe] FORD - ford (ma`abhar (Gen 32:22; "pass" (of Michmash), 1 Sam 13:23; "stroke" (the Revised Version, margin "passing"), Isa 30:32); ma`barah (Josh 2:7; Jdg 3:28; 12:5,6; Isa 16:2; "pass" (of Michmash), 1 Sam 14:4; "passages" ...

  • PIRATHONITE

    [ebd] (1.) Abdon, the son of Hillel, so called, Judg. 12:13, 15. (2.) Benaiah the Ephraimite (2 Sam. 23:30), one of David's thirty heroes.
    [smith] a native of or dweller in Pirathon. Two such are named in the Bible:-- Abdon ben-Hillel. (Judges 12:13,15) "Benaiah the Pirathonite of the children of Ephraim," (1 Chronicles 27:14)

  • EZBON

    [isbe] EZBON - ez'-bon: (1) ('etsbon; Peshitta, 'etsba`on; Septuagint Thasoban): A son of Gad (Gen 46:16) = Ozni of Nu 26:16 (see OZNI). (2) ('etsbon; Septuagint Asebon): In 1 Ch 7:7 is said to be a grandson of Benjamin. Curtis (Ch...

  • War

    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • EBEZ

    [isbe] EBEZ - e'-bez ('ebhets, meaning unknown; Rhebes; the King James Version Abez): One of the 16 cities in Issachar (Josh 19:20). The name seems to be cognate to that of the judge Ibzan (Jdg 12:8-10). All else concerning it is c...

  • ABDON (1)

    [isbe] ABDON (1) - ab'-don (`abhdon, perhaps "service"; Abdon): (1) A judge of Israel for eight years (Jdg 12:13-15). The account says that he was the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, and that he was buried in Pirathon in the land of...

  • BOAZ

    [isbe] BOAZ - bo'-az (bo`az; Booz; "quickness" (?) Ruth 2 through 4; 1 Ch 2:11,12; Mt 1:5; Lk 3:32): (1) A resident of Bethlehem and kinsman of Elimelech, Naomi's husband. In Ruth 2:1 he is described as a gibbor chayil, a phrase wh...

  • JUDGES, PERIOD OF

    [isbe] JUDGES, PERIOD OF - || I. SOURCES II. CHRONOLOGY III. GENERAL POLITICAL SITUATION 1. The Canaanites 2. Foes Without IV. MAIN EVENTS 1. Struggles of Individual Tribes 2. Civil Strife 3. The Six Invasions 4. Need of Central Go...
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  • God forbids it (Ecc. 7:9; Matt. 5:22; Rom. 12:19); it is a characteristic of fools and a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:20; Prov. 12:16; Prov. 14:29; Prov. 27:3; Ecc. 7:9). Anger is connected with pride, cruelty, clamorous and evi...
  • God forbids it (Ecc. 7:9; Matt. 5:22; Rom. 12:19); it is a characteristic of fools and a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:20; Prov. 12:16; Prov. 14:29; Prov. 27:3; Ecc. 7:9). Anger is connected with pride, cruelty, clamorous and evi...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses included this relatively short genealogy (toledot) in the sacred record to show God's faithfulness in multiplying Abraham's seed as He had promised. He also did so to provide connections with the descendants of Esau ref...
  • Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently. Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey consistently. In this r...
  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • Israel's JudgesJudgeScriptureIsrael's OppressorsLength in YearsNation(s)King(s)OppressionJudgeshipPeaceOthniel3:7-11MesopotamiaCushan-rishathaim8(ca. 1358-1350 B.C.)40(ca. 1350-1310 B.C.)Ehud3:12-30Moab (with Ammon & Amal...
  • God had to rouse Deborah to oppose the Canaanites; she did not initiate this action. God also aroused her to sing His praise after the victory. After God stimulated Deborah and Barak into action, several Israelite survivors o...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • Verses 1-33 record Jephthah's success. The rest of his story (11:34-12:7) relates his failure. The writer likewise recorded Gideon's success first (6:1-8:23) and then his failure (8:24-9:57). We shall find a similar pattern w...
  • The writer's emphasis now shifts from Jephthah's foolishness to Ephraim's arrogance.The Ephraimites were the Gileadites' neighbors to the west. They resented the fact that Jephthah had not requested their assistance in the wa...
  • These three men were quite clearly successors of Jephthah (vv. 8, 11, 13). Probably Ibzan followed Jephthah (v. 8), and then Elon and Abdon succeeded Ibzan (vv. 11, 13). The writer noted no special deeds of theirs either beca...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba"(v. 1) became a common expression during the united monarchy indicating the whole of Israel. Gilead refers to the part of Israel east of the Jordan River. The Mizpah referred to here (v. 1) w...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
  • The location of the forest of Ephraim is unknown, but it was probably in Gilead (cf. Judg. 12:1-5).256As early as the judges period so many Ephraimites had settled in Gilead that the western Ephraimites called the Gileadites ...
  • Controversy over who should succeed to Israel's throne raged for six years (885-880 B.C.) in Israel and threatened to consume the nation. Civil war followed Zimri's death (vv. 21-22). Omri finally overpowered Tibni and probab...
  • 9:18 Wickedness is not a little misguided playfulness but rebellion against God's order for life.126It proceeds from a little fire to a raging inferno because, like fire, wickedness has an insatiable appetite.9:19 The Lord of...
  • 13:1 When members of the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the other Israelites trembled because they looked to Ephraim for leadership (cf. Judg. 8:1-3; 12:1-6). Jacob had prophesied that Ephraim would lead (Gen. 48:13-20), and the fir...
  • "This text is one of the most messianically significant passages of all the Bible, in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. Judaism sees in it a basis for a royal messianic expectation, whereas the NT and Christianity see...
  • This is only the second incident that all four evangelists recorded, the other being the feeding of the 5,000 (cf. 6:30-44). This fact reflects its importance. Mark's account of this event gives much detail indicating its eye...
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