Judges 11:3

Judges 11:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
• New International Version (NIV)So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

Context of Judges 11:3

1Jephthah was a soldier from the region of Gilead. Jephthah’s father was named Gilead. His mother was a prostitute. 2Gilead’s wife also gave birth to sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they threw Jephthah out. They told him, “You’ll get no inheritance from our father. You’re the son of that other woman.” Jephthah fled from his brothers. He went to live in the land of Tob. Worthless men gathered around Jephthah and went out ⌞on raids⌟ with him. 4Later, Ammon waged war with Israel. 5When the Ammonites attacked Israel, Gilead’s leaders went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

Judges 11:3 word by word

וַיִּבְרַ֤ח יִפְתָּח֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י אֶחָ֔יו וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב בְּאֶ֣רֶץ ט֑וֹב וַיִּֽתְלַקְּט֤וּ אֶל־יִפְתָּח֙ אֲנָשִׁ֣ים רֵיקִ֔ים וַיֵּצְא֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then Jephthahיִפְתָּחyiphtâch · JephthahH3316
• fledבָּרַחbârach · to fleeH1272
• fromפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• his brethrenאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• and dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Tobטוֹבţôb · TobH2897
• and there were gatheredלָקַטlâqaţ · to gatherH3950
• vainרֵיקrêyq rêq · worthlessH7386
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• and went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318

Cross-references for Judges 11:3

• Judges 5:13Then those mighty men who were left came down. The Lord’s people went into battle for me against the mighty soldiers.
• 2 Samuel 10:6The Ammonites realized that they had made themselves offensive to David. So they hired the Arameans from Beth Rehob and Zobah (20,000 foot soldiers), ⌞the army of⌟ the king of Maacah (1,000 men), and the men of Tob (12,000 men).
• Judges 9:4So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal Berith. With the silver, Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men to follow him.
• 1 Samuel 22:2Then everyone who was in trouble, in debt, or bitter about life joined him, and he became their commander. There were about four hundred men with him.
• 1 Samuel 27:2So David went with his 600 men to King Achish of Gath, Moach’s son.
• 1 Samuel 30:22Then every wicked and worthless man who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us, they shouldn’t be given any of the loot we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and leave.”
• Job 30:1“But now those who are younger than I am laugh at me. I didn’t think their fathers were fit to sit with the dogs of my flock.
• Acts 17:5Then the Jews became jealous. They took some low-class characters who hung around the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

Commentaries on Judges 11:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3There were gathered vain men to Jephthah - ריקים אנשים anashim reykim, empty men - persons destitute of good sense, and profligate in their manners. The word may, however, mean in this place poor persons, without property, and without employment. The versions in general consider them as plunderers.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The land of Tob - To the north of Gilead, toward Damascus. The readiness with which Jephthah took to the freebooter‘s life gives us a lively picture of the unsettled times in which he lived.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Jephthah’s worthless men remind us of Abimelech’s worthless and reckless men (see Judges 9:4), but Jephthah did not need to buy their loyalty.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Jephthah ... dwelt in the land of Tob--on the north of Gilead, beyond the frontier of the Hebrew territories (2Sa 10:6, 8). there were gathered vain men to Jephthah--idle, daring, or desperate. and went out with him--followed him as a military chief. They led a freebooting life, sustaining themselves by frequent incursions on the Ammonites and other neighboring people, in the style of Robin Hood. The same kind of life is led by many an Arab or Tartar…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 11:3

• Jephthah
• Prayer
• Tob

In the dictionaries

• Jephthah
• Bastard
• Fight
• Inherit
• Meet
• Tob, The land of
• Abdon (1)
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Fellow
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on Judges 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary