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Judges 12:5

GileadJordan

3 When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”

4 Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,”

6 they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were killed.

7 Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

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Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,”
KJV
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
WEB
The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. Whenever a fugitive of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No;”
ASV
And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when [any of] the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
DARBY
And Gilead took the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim; and it came to pass that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Art thou an Ephraimite? and he said, No.
BLB
And Gilead seized the fords of the Jordan to Ephraim, and when a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me pass over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “[Are] you an Ephraimite?” And if he said, “No,”
ÅB
Og gileadittene stengte vadestedene over Jordan for Efra'im; og hver gang det kom en efra'imitt som hadde flyktet fra slaget og sa: La meg slippe over, da sa Gileads menn til ham: Er du en efra'imitt? Han svarte: Nei.
OTB
Gileadittene tok kontroll over vadestedene ved Jordan som førte til Efraim, og når en overlevende fra Efraim sa: «La meg komme over,» spurte mennene fra Gilead ham: «Er du en efraimitt?» Hvis han svarte: «Nei,»
B1930
Og gileadittene stengte vadestedene over Jordan for Efra'im; og hver gang det kom en efra'imitt som hadde flyktet fra slaget og sa: La mig slippe over, da sa Gileads menn til ham: Er du en efra'imitt? Han svarte: Nei.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Judges 3:28

    “Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

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  • Joshua 22:11

    Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”

    Read in context

  • Judges 7:24

    Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.

    Read in context

  • Joshua 2:7

    So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.

    Read in context