Judges 12:1

Judges 12:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.
• New International Version (NIV)The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!”

Context of Judges 12:1

And the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. 2And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hand. 3And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

Judges 12:1 word by word

וַיִּצָּעֵק֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶפְרַ֔יִם וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖ר צָפ֑וֹנָה וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ לְיִפְתָּ֜ח מַדּ֣וּעַ׀ עָבַ֣רְתָּ׀ לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם בִּבְנֵי־עַמּ֗וֹן וְלָ֙נוּ֙ לֹ֤א קָרָ֙אתָ֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת עִמָּ֔ךְ בֵּיתְךָ֕ נִשְׂרֹ֥ף עָלֶ֖יךָ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear

• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• togetherעִם‛im · withH5973
• passedעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• northwardצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · ZaphonH6828
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Jephthahיִפְתָּחyiphtâch · JephthahH3316
• fightלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898
• againstעַל‛al · uponH5921
• childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• burnשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

People and places in Judges 12:1

• Ephraim
• Jephthah
• Ammon
• Zaphon

Cross-references for Judges 12:1

• Judges 8:1And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide with him sharply.
• 2 Samuel 19:41And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king; and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and brought the king, and his household, over Jordan, and all David’s men with him?
• Psalms 109:4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
• Ecclesiastes 4:4Then I saw all labour and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
• John 10:32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
• Judges 14:15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us? is it not so?
• Judges 15:6Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they said, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he hath taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
• Proverbs 27:3A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s vexation is heavier than them both.
• James 3:16For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.
• James 4:1Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?

Commentaries on Judges 12:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The men of Ephraim gathered themselves together - ויצעק vaiyitstsaek, they called each other to arms; summoning all their tribe and friends to arm themselves to destroy Jephthah and the Gileadites, being jealous lest they should acquire too much power.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Compare the similar complaint of the Ephraimites to Gideon Judges 8:1, when a civil war was only avoided by Gideon‘s wise and patriotic moderation. The overhearing pride of Ephraim comes out in both occurrences (see also Joshua 17:14-18). We will burn thine house upon thee with fire - Compare the fierce threat of the Philistines to Samson‘s wife Judges 14:15, and the yet fiercer execution Judges 15:6. Burning appears as a mode of capital punishment…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Ephraimites quarrel with Jephthah. (1-7) Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon judge Israel. (8-15) Verses 1-7 The Ephraimites had the same quarrel with Jephthah as with Gideon. Pride was at the bottom of the quarrel; only by that comes contention. It is ill to fasten names of reproach upon persons or countries, as is common, especially upon those under outward disadvantages. It often occasions quarrels that prove of ill consequence, as it did here. No contentions are…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Zaphon was just east of the Jordan River, opposite the area belonging to the tribe of Ephraim.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-31. the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together--Hebrew, "were summoned." and went northward--After crossing the Jordan, their route from Ephraim was, strictly speaking, in a northeasterly direction, toward Mizpeh. the men of Ephraim ... said unto Jephthah, Wherefore ... didst [thou] not call us?--This is a fresh development of the jealous, rash, and irritable temper of the Ephraimites. The ground of their offense now was their desire of enjoying the…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 12:1

• Ammonites
• Citizens
• Ephraim
• Israel
• Jealousy
• Jephthah
• Judge
• Strife
• Treason
• War

In the dictionaries

• Ammon
• Ephraim
• Jephthah
• Shibboleth
• Strife
• Abdon (1)
• Gilead (1)
• Israel, History of
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period of

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