Judges 12:1 - Printer Friendly

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."

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."

NASB: Now the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed to Zaphon; and they said to Jephthah, 'Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you!'

CSB: The men of Ephraim were called together and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, "Why have you crossed over to fight against the Ammonites but didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house with you in it!"

NLT: Then the people of Ephraim mobilized an army and crossed over the Jordan River to Zaphon. They sent this message to Jephthah: 'Why didn’t you call for us to help you fight against the Ammonites? We are going to burn down your house with you in it!'

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.

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!”

The tribe of Ephraim is ready to fight about not being invited to join the conflict with the Ammonites. A similar confrontation happened with Gideon after the route of the Midianites. The fighting men of Ephraim were called at the last minute to cut off fleeing enemy soldiers (Judges 7:24; 8:1–3). Here, again, the tribe appears more motivated to bicker with their own people than they are to seek out their true enemy.

The war with the Ammonites is over (Judges 11:32–33). Yet the men of Ephraim cross the Jordan River into the territory of Gilead armed and ready for battle. Scholars believe Zaphon was located just east of the Jordan, about halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. There they found and confronted Jephthah.

It's unclear why the men of Ephraim are so upset about being left out of Israel's victory. It may be that their land was also attacked by the Ammonites at one point (Judges 10:8–9), though it was not occupied. It may be that missing the war meant missing the opportunity to partake in the spoils of battle. Or this might simply be another thin excuse (Judges 11:13) from a group eager for conquest. Rather than celebrating the end of Ammonite oppression, Ephraim threatens to burn Jephthah's house down with him in it.

Judges 12:1–7 introduces a new and unexpected conflict in Gilead. The men of the tribe of Ephraim cross the Jordan River armed for war. They demand to know why they were not included in the fight against the Ammonites. They threaten to kill Jephthah and insult the people of Gilead as "fugitives from Ephraim." Their approach implies they have come to defeat the Gileadites and take their land. Jephthah and his army strike and defeat the invaders. They cut off their escape at the fords of the Jordan, a civil war resulting in much bloodshed. Jephthah's tenure as judge ends after a relatively short six years.

Jephthah's controversial term as judge continues. The men of Ephraim arrive, armed for war and demanding to know why they weren't invited to fight against the Ammonites. They insult Gilead and threaten Jephthah. Jephthah's army defeats them and cuts off their escape back to Ephraim. A tragic number of Ephraimites are killed in the civil war between the two peoples of Israel. Jephthah dies and is followed by three lesser-known judges: Ibzan of Bethlehem, Elon the Zebulunite, and Abdon of Pirathon.

Judges 12 follows Jephthah's terrible task of fulfilling his foolish vow, which costs him his only child. Now he faces an unexpected confrontation from the men of Ephraim. They cross over the Jordan from the west, threatening to kill Jephthah for not including them in the fight against the Ammonites and taunting the people of Gilead. Jephthah defeats the men of Ephraim, killing many in a civil war. Jephthah is followed as judge by Ibzan of Bethlehem, Elon the Zebulunite, and Abdon of Pirathon. This leads to the introduction of another infamous biblical figure: Samson.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).