Judges 12:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?"

NIV: When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"

NASB: When I saw that you were no deliverer, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?'

CSB: When I saw that you weren’t going to deliver me, I took my life in my own hands and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why then have you come today to fight against me?"

NLT: So when I realized you weren’t coming, I risked my life and went to battle without you, and the Lord gave me victory over the Ammonites. So why have you now come to fight me?'

KJV: And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, 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?

NKJV: So when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”

Jephthah continues to defend his actions to the men of Ephraim. He rejects their claim that they were not asked to come and fight with Gilead against the Ammonites (Judges 12:1–2). Jephthah insists that Gilead did call for help from Ephraim while Gilead was being oppressed (Judges 10:17–18; 11:4). The Ephraimites did not cross over the Jordan to save Gilead. Only now, after the battle, are they arriving to complain about not being involved in the fight.

When he realized Ephraim was not coming to save him, Jephthah risked his own life and acted alone. Then the Lord subjected the Ammonites to defeat. Here, again, Jephthah describes everything happening to Gilead in personal terms (Judges 11:12, 27). He speaks as the one under attack, the one who struck back, and the one who gained the victory. Commentators take this in one of several ways. One option is that Jephthah is completely self-focused; he really thinks everything happening is all about him. The other option is that he so thoroughly identifies with his people that he sees their suffering and victory as his own. Another possibility is that Jephthah is speaking as a head-of-state, rather than as an individual.

After pointing out that Ephraim had opportunities to fight, if they really wanted to, Jephthah asks for the real reason behind their aggression. It's a good question, but it gets no clear answer. Based on the taunts of the Ephraimites in the following verse (Judges 12:4), some commentators speculate Ephraim wanted to claim Gilead as their own. Whatever their true motives, the men of Ephraim have come ready for battle, and don't seem interested in being pacified.

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).