Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.” New Living Translation The people of Ephraim responded, “You men of Gilead are nothing more than fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.” So Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and attacked the men of Ephraim and defeated them. English Standard Version Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” Berean Standard Bible 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.” King James Bible Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. New King James Version Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.” New American Standard Bible Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are survivors of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” NASB 1995 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” NASB 1977 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” Legacy Standard Bible Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim down because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” Amplified Bible Then Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and fought with [the tribe of] Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim, in the midst of [the tribes of] Ephraim and Manasseh.” Christian Standard Bible Then Jephthah gathered all of the men of Gilead. They fought and defeated Ephraim, because Ephraim had said, “You Gileadites are Ephraimite fugitives in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.” Holman Christian Standard Bible Then Jephthah gathered all of the men of Gilead. They fought and defeated Ephraim, because Ephraim had said, “You Gileadites are Ephraimite fugitives in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.” American Standard Version Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh. Contemporary English Version But the men from Ephraim said, "You people of Gilead are nothing more than refugees from Ephraim. You even live on land that belongs to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh." So Jephthah called together the army of Gilead, then they attacked and defeated the army from Ephraim. English Revised Version Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh. GOD'S WORD® Translation Then 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." Good News Translation Then Jephthah brought all the men of Gilead together, fought the men of Ephraim and defeated them. (The Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites in Ephraim and Manasseh, you are deserters from Ephraim!") International Standard Version Then Jephthah mustered all the men of Gilead, fought the tribe of Ephraim, and defeated them, because they had been claiming, "You descendants of Gilead are fugitives in the midst of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh." Majority Standard Bible 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.” NET Bible Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying, "You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim's and Manasseh's territory." New Heart English Bible Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, "You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh." Webster's Bible Translation Then Jephthah collected all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. World English Bible Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the middle of Ephraim, and in the middle of Manasseh.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead, and fights with Ephraim, and the men of Gilead strike Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites [are] fugitives of Ephraim, in the midst of Ephraim—in the midst of Manasseh.” Young's Literal Translation And Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead, and fighteth with Ephraim, and the men of Gilead smite Ephraim, because they said, 'Fugitives of Ephraim are ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim -- in the midst of Manasseh.' Smith's Literal Translation And Jephthah will gather together all the men of Gilead, and he will war with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead will strike Ephraim because they said, The escaped of Ephraim, ye of Gilead, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThen calling to him all the men of Galaad, he fought against Ephraim: and the men of Galaad defeated Ephraim, because he had said: Galaad is a fugitive of Ephraim, and dwelleth in the midst of Ephraim and Manasses. Catholic Public Domain Version And so, calling to himself all the men of Gilead, he fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck down Ephraim, because he had said, “Gilead is a fugitive from Ephraim, and he lives in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” New American Bible Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, New Revised Standard Version Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives from Ephraim, you Gileadites—in the heart of Ephraim and Manasseh.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThen Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote the men of Ephraim, because they said, The Ephraimites dominate Ephraim and Manasseh. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And Naphthakh gathered all the men of Gelad and they fought with Aphreim, and the men of Gelad struck the men of Aphreim because they said: “The Aphreimites are of the house of Aphreim and Manasheh" OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said: 'Ye are fugitives of Ephraim, ye Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim, and in the midst of Manasseh.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And Jephthae gathered all the men of Galaad, and fought with Ephraim; and the men of Galaad smote Ephraim, because they that were escaped of Ephraim said, Ye are of Galaad in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasse. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jephthah Defeats Ephraim…3When 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?” 4Jephthah 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.” 5The 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,”… Cross References Judges 11:1-3 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father. / And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.” / So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him. Judges 11:12-28 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?” / The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.” / Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites ... Judges 11:29-40 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites. / Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand, / then whatever comes out the door of my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” ... 1 Samuel 12:11 So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely. 2 Samuel 19:41-43 Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?” / And all the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is our relative. Why does this anger you? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense or received anything for ourselves?” / “We have ten shares in the king,” answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the men of Judah spoke more fiercely than the men of Israel. 2 Samuel 20:1-2 Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!” / So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 1 Kings 12:16-19 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home, / but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah. / Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. ... 2 Kings 14:8-14 Then Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said. / But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. / You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?” ... Proverbs 17:14 To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out. Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised. Hosea 5:10-14 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary stones; I will pour out My fury upon them like water. / Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow worthless idols. / So I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like decay to the house of Judah. ... Hosea 10:9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity? Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. Mark 3:24-25 If a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. / If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. Luke 11:17 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall. Treasury of Scripture Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. and the men Judges 11:10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Numbers 32:39,40 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it… Deuteronomy 3:12-17 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites… fugitives 1 Samuel 25:10 And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. Nehemiah 4:4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: Psalm 78:9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. Jump to Previous Defeated Ephraim E'phraim Ephraimites Jephthah Manasseh Manas'seh Midst Smote Struck TogetherJump to Next Defeated Ephraim E'phraim Ephraimites Jephthah Manasseh Manas'seh Midst Smote Struck TogetherJudges 12 1. The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, are slain by the Gileadites7. Jephthah dies 8. Ibzan, who had thirty sons, and thirty daughters 11. and Elon 13. and Abdon, who had forty sons, and thirty nephews, judge Israel Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead This phrase introduces Jephthah, a judge of Israel, who is rallying the men of Gilead. The name "Jephthah" means "he opens" or "whom God sets free," reflecting his role as a deliverer. Gilead, a region east of the Jordan River, was known for its balm and rugged terrain. Historically, Gilead was a place of refuge and conflict, often caught between larger powers. Jephthah's gathering of the men signifies a call to unity and action, emphasizing the importance of leadership and community in times of crisis. and fought with Ephraim And the men of Gilead struck down Ephraim because they had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim, living in Ephraim and Manasseh.” And the men of Gilead smote Ephraim because they said . . .--The translation and the meaning are here highly uncertain. It seems to be implied that in spite of Jephthah's perfectly reasonable answer the Ephraimites advanced to attack Gilead, and goaded the Gileadites to fury by intolerable taunts, which prevented the Gileadites from giving any quarter when they had won the victory. Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim.--If the English Version is here correct, the meaning is, "You people of the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh are a mere race of runaway slaves, who belong neither to Ephraim nor to Manasseh" (1Samuel 25:10). It is very possible that fierce jealousies may have sprung up between the Eastern Manassites and their tribal brethren of the West, and that these may have mainly originated in the fact that the Eastern Manassites less and less acknowledged the lead of Ephraim, but changing their character and their habits, threw in their lot more and more with the pastoral tribes of Reuben and Gad. The taunt sounds as if it had sprung from a schism in clanship, a contemptuous disclaimer on the part of Ephraim of any ties with this Eastern half-tribe. Indeed, the taunt may have been so far true that very probably any who fell into debt or disgrace in Ephraim and Eastern Manasseh might be as likely to fly to Western Manasseh as an English defaulter might escape to New York. And if the Ephraimites indulged in such shameful jibes, it might well be deemed sufficient to account for the ruthless character of the fighting. But the rendering of the English Version is very uncertain, and the versions vary in the view they take of the meaning, punctuation, and even of the reading of the passage. On the whole, the best view is to render the words thus: The men of Gilead smote Ephraim [not only in the battle, but in the far more fatal pursuit] because they [the men of Gilead] said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim (see on Judges 12:5). Then follows the geographical explanation and historical illustration of the clause, which is, "It was possible for the Gileadites to inflict this vengeance, for (1) Gilead [lies] between Ephraim and [Eastern] Manasseh." [Part, at any rate, of Gilead belonged to Gad, and lies geographically between the district of Eastern Manasseh and the district of Ephraim, as is sufficiently clear since Ephraim has advanced "northwards," or towards Tsaphon (Judges 12:1), for the attack.] Then (2) there follows the seizure of the fords, which led to the total slaughter of all these Ephraimite fugitives. One slight circumstance which adds probability to this view is that "fugitives" (comp. Jeremiah 44:14) is a term which could hardly be applied to a whole tribe. Verses 4, 5. - The English version of these somewhat obscure verses is obviously wrong, and devoid of sense. The obscurity arises partly from verses 5 and 6 being merely an amplification, i.e. a narrative in detail of what is more briefly related in ver. 4; and from the insertion of the explanatory words, "Gilead lies in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh," in ver. 4. The literal translation of the two verses is as follows: - And the men of Gilead smote Ephraim (at the fords of Jordan), for, said they, ye are fugitives of Ephraim. (Gilead lies in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh, i.e. between Manasseh and Ephraim, so that in coming from Manasseh, where they had taken refuge, to return to Ephraim they were obliged to pass through Gilead, and the Gileadites had taken the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites; and it was so, that when the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me pass over, that the men of Gilead said, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay, then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth, etc., i.e. they put him to the test of pronunciation; and if they found by his pronunciation of the word Shibboleth, viz., Sibboleth, that he was an Ephraimite, in spite of his denial, then they took him and slew him (killed him in cold blood) at the passages of Jordan. ) And there fell at that time, etc. The direct narrative goes on here from ver. 4. Omitting the long explanatory parenthesis from the latter part of ver. 4 to the latter part of ver. 6, the narrative runs (ver. 4), And the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, for, said they, ye are fugitives of Ephraim; and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. The parenthesis explains why the Ephraimites had to pass through Gilead, and how the Gileadites ascertained in each case whether a man was an Ephraimite or not.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then Jephthahיִפְתָּח֙ (yip̄·tāḥ) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3316: Jephthah -- 'He opens', a Gileadite, also a city of Judah gathered וַיִּקְבֹּ֤ץ (way·yiq·bōṣ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6908: To gather, collect all כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every of the men אַנְשֵׁ֣י (’an·šê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person of Gilead גִלְעָ֔ד (ḡil·‘āḏ) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites and fought וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם (way·yil·lā·ḥem) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 3898: To feed on, to consume, to battle against אֶת־ (’eṯ-) Preposition Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among Ephraim. אֶפְרָ֑יִם (’ep̄·rā·yim) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory And the men אַנְשֵׁ֨י (’an·šê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person of Gilead גִלְעָ֜ד (ḡil·‘āḏ) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites struck them down וַיַּכּוּ֩ (way·yak·kū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5221: To strike because כִּ֤י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction the Ephraimites אֶפְרַ֗יִם (’ep̄·ra·yim) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory had said, אָמְרוּ֙ (’ā·mə·rū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 559: To utter, say “You אַתֶּ֔ם (’at·tem) Pronoun - second person masculine plural Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you Gileadites גִּלְעָ֕ד (gil·‘āḏ) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites are fugitives פְּלִיטֵ֤י (pə·lî·ṭê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 6412: Escaped one, fugitive in Ephraim, אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ (’ep̄·ra·yim) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory living in the territories בְּת֥וֹךְ (bə·ṯō·wḵ) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre of Ephraim אֶפְרַ֖יִם (’ep̄·ra·yim) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory and Manasseh.” מְנַשֶּֽׁה׃ (mə·naš·šeh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4519: Manasseh -- 'causing to forget', a son of Joseph, also a king of Judah, also two Israelites Links Judges 12:4 NIVJudges 12:4 NLT Judges 12:4 ESV Judges 12:4 NASB Judges 12:4 KJV Judges 12:4 BibleApps.com Judges 12:4 Biblia Paralela Judges 12:4 Chinese Bible Judges 12:4 French Bible Judges 12:4 Catholic Bible OT History: Judges 12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men (Jd Judg. 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