Judges 12:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jephthah said to them, "I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand.

NIV: Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands.

NASB: So Jephthah said to them, 'I and my people were in a major dispute with the sons of Ammon; and I did call you, but you did not save me from their hand.

CSB: Then Jephthah said to them, "My people and I had a bitter conflict with the Ammonites. So I called for you, but you didn’t deliver me from their power.

NLT: Jephthah replied, 'I summoned you at the beginning of the dispute, but you refused to come! You failed to help us in our struggle against Ammon.

KJV: And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

NKJV: And Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands.

The men of Ephraim have arrived on the east side of the Jordan River, in the territory of Gilead. They are armed and ready for battle—but the fight with the Ammonites is over (Judges 11:32–33). Jephthah has led the people of Gilead and greater Manasseh to victory, pushing the Ammonites out of Israel's territory. The men of Ephraim claim to be furious they were not invited to the war. They are so angry, in fact, they threatened to burn Jephthah inside his own house (Judges 12:1). This resembles a similar incident where Gideon had to deal with angry Ephraimites during his war against Midian (Judges 7:24; 8:1–3).

Jephthah's response is simple enough, though the text does not explicitly indicate whether it's true. He claims Gilead did call on the Ephraimites for help while the Ammonites were oppressing them. The men of Ephraim did not come and save them, either before (Judges 10:17–18; 11:4) or during the decisive battle.

The greater point being made here is that Gilead—not Ephraim—was under the worst threat. The Ammonites were on the verge of driving them from their own territory east of the Jordan. If Ephraim wanted to help Gilead, they could have responded to the call for help at any time. Rather than taking this well, the Ephraimites will escalate through insults and spark a minor civil war (Judges 12:4–6).

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).