Judges 12:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years.

NIV: After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years.

NASB: Now Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; he judged Israel for ten years.

CSB: Elon, who was from Zebulun, judged Israel after Ibzan. He judged Israel ten years,

NLT: After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun judged Israel for ten years.

KJV: And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

NKJV: After him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. He judged Israel ten years.

The three judges mentioned at the end of this chapter are sometimes referred to as "minor judges," along with Shamgar (Judges 3:31) and the two judges mentioned at the beginning of chapter 10 (Judges 10:1–3). They were each legitimate judges, but truly little is known about them.

Perhaps the least-known judge of the entire Bible is introduced in this verse: Elon the Zebulunite. The writer provides no stories from his life. Nor are there descriptions of his offspring. All that is known is that he was from the tribe of Zebulun and served as judge over Israel for a decade. And then he died, and another man stepped in to take his place (Judges 12:12–13).

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 4/28/2024 11:03:52 PM