Judges 12:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

NIV: Then Elon died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

NASB: Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

CSB: and when he died, he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

NLT: When he died, he was buried at Aijalon in Zebulun.

KJV: And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

NKJV: And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

Elon of the tribe of Zebulun is the most obscure of all the judges of Israel during this period. He was the tenth judge and served for ten years, but nothing is told of his personality. Nor are we informed of the obstacles he faced or even of his children. The judge before him had thirty sons and thirty daughters, and the one who followed him had forty sons and thirty grandsons. No mention is made of Elon's offspring.

Even the place of his burial is unknown to modern historians. It is listed here as part of the territory of Zebulun. A town and a valley located in the territory of Dan are known as Aijalon, but this Aijalon in Zebulun is apparently lost to time, as are the stories of Elon's life.

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 5/1/2024 9:05:59 PM