Judges 12:5

Judges 12:5 in other versions

• King James Version (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;
• New International Version (NIV)The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" When he said, "No,"
• New King James Version (NKJV)The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Context of Judges 12:5

3When I saw that you would not rescue me, I risked my life and went to fight the people of Ammon. The Lord handed them over to me. So why did you come to fight against me today?” 4Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim. ⌞They did this because⌟ Ephraim had said, “You people from Gilead are nothing but fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.” The men of Gilead captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River leading back to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me cross,” the men of Gilead would ask, “Are you from Ephraim?” If he answered, “No,” 6they would tell him, “Say the word shibboleth.” If the fugitive would say sibboleth, because he couldn’t pronounce the word correctly, they would grab him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. At that time 42,000 men from Ephraim died. 7Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah of Gilead died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Judges 12:5 word by word

וַיִּלְכֹּ֥ד גִּלְעָ֛ד אֶֽת־מַעְבְּר֥וֹת הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְֽ֠הָיָה כִּ֣י יֹאמְר֞וּ פְּלִיטֵ֤י אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ אֶעֱבֹ֔רָה וַיֹּ֨אמְרוּ ל֧וֹ אַנְשֵֽׁי־גִלְעָ֛ד הַֽאֶפְרָתִ֥י אַ֖תָּה וַיֹּ֥אמֶֽר׀ לֹֽא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Gileaditesגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · GileadH1568
• tookלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
• the passagesמַעֲבָרָהma‛ăbâr ma‛ăbârâh · fordH4569
• of Jordanיַרְדֵּןyardên · JordanH3383
• before the Ephraimitesאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• which were escapedפָּלִיטpâlîyţ pâlêyţ pâlêţ · survivorH6412
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Let me go overעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• that the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• thou an Ephraimiteאֶפְרָתִי'ephrâthîy · EphraimiteH673

Cross-references for Judges 12:5

• Judges 3:28He told them, “Follow me! The Lord will hand your enemy Moab over to you.” They followed him and captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River that led to Moab and refused to let anyone cross.
• Judges 7:24Gideon also sent messengers to the whole mountain region of Ephraim with this message, “Go into battle against Midian. Capture the watering holes as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” All the men of Ephraim were also summoned to help. They captured the watering holes as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River.
• Joshua 2:7The king’s men pursued them on the road leading to a shallow place to cross the Jordan River. As soon as the king’s men had left, the gate was closed.
• Joshua 22:11The rest of the Israelites heard about it and said, “See there! Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the border of Canaan. It’s in the region near the Jordan River on Israel’s side.”

Commentaries on Judges 12:5

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5You could only cross the Jordan River at shallow spots where tributaries left silt. This was likely true where the Jabbok joined the Jordan.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-154-6. the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim--The remonstrances of Jephthah, though reasonable and temperate, were not only ineffectual, but followed by insulting sneers that the Gileadites were reckoned both by the western Manassites and Ephraimites as outcasts--the scum and refuse of their common stock. This was addressed to a peculiarly sensitive people. A feud immediately ensued. The Gileadites…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 12:5

• Ephraim
• Israel
• Jordan
• Judge
• Strife
• War

In the dictionaries

• Gilead
• Jordan
• Ephraimite
• Ford
• Passage
• Shibboleth
• Strife
• Abdon (1)
• Israel, History of
• Jephthah

Commentaries on Judges 12

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings