Judges 12:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

NIV: Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

NASB: Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

CSB: and when he died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

NLT: When he died, he was buried at Bethlehem.

KJV: Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

NKJV: Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

Ibzan is the ninth judge described in the book of Judges. Everything known about him is contained in this and the prior two verses (Judges 12:8–9). His strength seems to have been found in his sixty sons and daughters, and the alliances achieved in marrying all of them to spouses from outside his own clan.

His role as judge over Israel lasted just seven years and then he was buried in his hometown of Bethlehem. It is unknown whether this Bethlehem is the one in Judea where Christ will later be born or the one in Galilee within the territory of Zebulun.

Judges 12:8–15 briefly names three men who follow Jephthah as judges. These, along with men like Shamgar (Judges 3:31), Tola (Judges 10:1), and Jair (Judges 10:3) are sometimes called "minor" or "secondary" judges since so little is known about them. This passage mentions Ibzan of Bethlehem, Elon of Zebulun, and Abdon of Pirathon.

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).

Accessed 12/21/2024 9:46:42 PM