Judges 12:5-6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 12:1-7

Here Is, I. The unreasonable displeasure of the men of Ephraim against Jephthah, because he had not called them in to his assistance against the Ammonites, that they might share in the triumphs and spoils, Jdg. 11:1. Pride was at the bottom of the quarrel. Only by that comes contention. Proud men think all the honours lost that go beside themselves, and then who can stand before envy? The Ephraimites had the same quarrel with Gideon (Jdg. 8:1), who was of Manasseh on their side Jordan, as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 12:5

And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites ,.... Being either swifter of foot, or going a nearer and shorter way, being better acquainted with their own country: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, let me go over ; the fugitives of Ephraim, as before called, who ran away from the battle, made their escape, and the best of their way to the passages of Jordan, to get over there to their own country: that the men of Gilead said... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 12:6

Then said they unto him, say now "Shibboleth", .... Which signifies a stream or course of water, at which they now were; and so it was as if they had bid them say,"may I, or let me, pass over the stream of this river;'so Jarchi; and this being the case, though it was done to try them, and by their pronunciation learn whether they were Ephraimites or not, they were not upon their guard, but in an hurry, and at once expressed the word as they commonly did: and he said, sibboleth ;... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 12:6

Say now Shibboleth ; and he said Sibboleth - The original differs only in the first letter ס samech , instead of ש sheen ; סבלת ויאמר שבלת נא אמר emar na Shibboleth , vaiyomer Sibboleth . The difference between ש seen , without a point, which when pointed is pronounced sheen , and ס samech , is supposed by many to be imperceptible. But there can be no doubt there was, to the ears of a Hebrew, a most sensible distinction. Most Europeans, and, indeed, most... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 12:6

Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth - This is a curious instance of dialectic difference of pronunciation between the East and West Jordanic tribes. It is an evidence of the sound “sh” having passed into the Hebrew from the East of Jordan, possibly from the Arabians, with whom the sound is common.Forty-two thousand - The number includes the slain in battle and those killed at the fords. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 12:5-6

Judges 12:5-6. If he said, Nay To avoid the present danger. Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth To find out the truth, they put him to this test; whether his pronunciation of some words was like that of the Gileadites; for people of the same nation, who speak the same language, generally differ very much in the pronunciation of it, according as they live in different parts of the country. As the word signifies a stream or river, and they desired to pass over one, it was a word... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Judges 12:1-15

Jephthah and five other judges (10:1-12:15)Little is known of the political or military activities of the judges Tola and Jair. They both exercised power for lengthy periods, and Jair’s family certainly enjoyed considerable power and prestige among the East Jordan tribes (10:1-5).Again the Israelites turned away from Yahweh and worshipped false gods, and again they were punished. The Ammonites conquered the eastern tribes, crossed Jordan, and seized large portions of Israelite territory in... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 12:5

passages = fords. read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 12:6

frame = take heed, give attention. forty and two thousand = 40 + 2,000 = 2,040. The whole tribe numbered only 32,500 at previous census (Numbers 26:37 ; see note on Judges 7:3 ), and that was less than the first numbering (Numbers 1:33 ). Only 1,000 from each tribe formed the army. Numbers 31:4 , Numbers 31:6 . read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Judges 12:6

Judges 12:6. Say, now, Shibboleth— The word has two senses in the Hebrew; namely, an ear of corn, and floods of water, Psalms 69:2. It is used in the latter sense here; and the test which the Gileadites put the Ephraimites to was to bid them say, "Let me pass over the water." The pronunciation of words of the same language varies greatly in different parts. An Athenian spoke Greek as differently from a Dorian as a northern man speaks English from an inhabitant of the south: it is no wonder,... read more

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