In the previous chapter we saw how after God gave a great victory to Jephthah over the Ammonites, Judges 11:32-33, and he dedicated his daughter to temple service as promised in his vow, Judges 11:34-40. The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon, Judges 12:1.
Notice how the Ephraimites ask why they weren’t called to help him out, Judges 12:1. This wasn’t the case, since the Ephraimites were probably called before the elders came to Jephthah, Judges 11:4-11. This seems to be a consistent problem with the people of the tribe of Ephraim, they gave a similar response to Gideon, Judges 8:1.
It’s possible that the Ephraimites wanted some of the spoil of the Ammonites or it may have been that they wanted credit for defeating the Ammonites among their own people. Whatever the reason was, they didn’t come to the original call to battle, though they were called. They go on to threaten Jephthah by saying they are going to burn down his house over his head, Judges 12:1.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Burning appears as a mode of capital punishment, Genesis 38:24 / Joshua 7:25, and as a mode of desperate warfare, Judges 1:8 / Judges 20:48 / Joshua 8:8 / Joshua 8:19.’
Jephthah tells them that that he did call for help from them, Judges 11:4-11, but they didn’t come, Judges 12:2. When he saw that they wouldn’t help, he took his life in his hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and God gave him the victory over them, Judges 12:3 / Judges 11:32-33.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Jephthah took his life in his hand. This phrase occurs in some other places of Scripture, 1 Samuel 19:5 / 1 Samuel 28:21. And the words of the Conqueror, Isaiah 63:5, seem to confirm the above view of the subject.’
Because they were not the official army who represented any of the tribes of Israel, they couldn’t claim anything or any victory in Israel’s name. Jephthah then asks them why have they come up today to fight him? Judges 12:3. As a result of this questioning from the Ephraimites, the Gileadites go on to fight against Ephraim, Judges 12:4. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, you Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh, Judges 12:4.
The Gileadites defeated the Ephraimites, and the Ephraimites fled to their homes. Sadly for them, they had to pass over the fords of the Jordan before they could get home, Judges 12:5, therefore, the Gileadites set up a roadblock at the fords. It appears that the Ephraimites had been away from the tribes of Israel for so long, that their accent changed.
In the pronunciation of the word ‘shibboleth’, Judges 12:6, the Ephraimites couldn’t say it like the Israelites who lived on the west side of the Jordan. The word ‘shibboleth’ means either ‘ear of grain’ or ‘flowing stream’.
With this word, the people from the tribe of Ephraim were easily identified by their dialect. They had a hard time pronouncing the ‘h’ in Shibboleth and said Sibboleth instead, therefore giving themselves away, Judges 12:6. As a result, forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed, Judges 12:6. Jephthah led Israel for six years, then he died and was buried in the town of Gilead, Judges 12:7.
The only information we have about Ibzan is what is written here.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Some have fancied him the same as Boaz, Ruth 2:1, of Bethlehem-Judah. Others, from the juxtaposition of Elon the Zebulonite Judges 12:11, understand Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulon, Joshua 19:15.’
He obviously had a large family, Judges 12:8-9. Notice however, he gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan, Judges 12:9.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This identifies Ibzan as a polygamist. No specific reason is given for his seeking spouses for his sixty offspring from ‘abroad.’ He might have been striving to build up his influence with other tribes of Israel.’
He led Israel for seven years, Judges 12:9. He died and was buried in Bethlehem, Judges 12:10, not to be confused with the Bethlehem in Judea, this Bethlehem was a small village in the southwest area of Zebulun.
Josephus, in his writings, says the following.
‘Ibzan did nothing in his seven years of administration that was worth recording or deserved a memorial.’
The only information we have about Elon is what is written here. He was a Zebulunite who led Israel for ten years, Judges 12:11. He died and was buried in Aijalon, which is located in the land of Zebulun, Judges 12:12 / Judges 4:10 / Judges 5:18.
The only information we have about Abdon is what is written here. He was the son of Hillel, from Pirathon, Judges 12:13 / 1 Chronicles 27:14. He had a large family and he was probably wealthy as sons and grandsons rode on seventy donkeys, Judges 12:14.
The mention of the sons and daughters of these judges indicates the family influence a specific judge had among the people. It appears that families carried on the heritage of their fathers who were key judges.
He led Israel for eight years, died, Judges 12:14, and was buried in Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites, Judges 12:15.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It does not appear that anything particular took place in the civil state of the Israelites during the time of these latter judges; nothing is said concerning their administration, whether it was good or bad; nor is anything mentioned of the state of religion. It is likely that they enjoyed peace without, and their judges were capable of preventing discord and sedition within. Yet, doubtless, God was at work among them, though there were none to record the operations either of his hand or his Spirit but the people who feared him no doubt bore testimony to the word of his grace.’