Judges 12:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: they said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

NIV: they said, 'All right, say 'Shibboleth.'' If he said, 'Sibboleth,' because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

NASB: then they would say to him, 'Just say, ‘Shibboleth.’?' But he said, 'Sibboleth,' for he was not prepared to pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the crossing places of the Jordan. So at that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim fell.

CSB: they told him, "Please say Shibboleth." If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and executed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim died.

NLT: they would tell him to say 'Shibboleth.' If he was from Ephraim, he would say 'Sibboleth,' because people from Ephraim cannot pronounce the word correctly. Then they would take him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan. In all, 42,000 Ephraimites were killed at that time.

KJV: Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

NKJV: then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

The men of Ephraim badly miscalculated their chances of defeating the fighters of Gilead in battle. The tribe sent armed men across the Jordan River, armed and ready for battle, claiming anger over not being called to fight against Ammon (Judges 12:1–4). After being countered, and escalating the situation with insults, the Ephraimites are quickly and thoroughly defeated by Jephthah and the Gileadites (Judges 12:5).

The survivors of the battle scatter and attempt to head for crossing points at the Jordan River. Their intent is to escape back home. Unfortunately for them, Gilead soldiers have taken control of the fords, and proceed to kill off Ephraim invaders one-by-one as they try to cross over.

One might expect a fleeing soldier to lie and claim he is not one of Ephraim's warriors. How, then would the Gileadite soldiers know who to believe? Their solution is a pronunciation test: demanding the man say a specific word. The word they choose is transliterated—meaning spelled out in another alphabet but not translated—into English as "shibboleth." This word is normally translated in passages such as Genesis 41 to refer to heads of grain (Genesis 41:5–7). Apparently, the people of Gilead and the people of Ephraim pronounced this word very differently. The key syllable seems to be the opening sound: either pronounced with a "sh" sound, or a "th," compared to a hard "s" sound. In any case, those who could not say it correctly were quickly killed on the spot.

This biblical incident gave rise to English using the term "shibboleth" as a figure of speech. In that use, it refers to a custom, practice, or view, which distinguishes a particular group of people. At other times in history, soldiers and guards have used difficult-to-pronounce words as tests attempting to distinguish native speakers of that language.

Judges reports a devastating Ephraimite death toll in this brief civil war. As in other parts of Scripture, the term 'eleph is used, which can either mean "thousands," or "divisions" or "clans" (Judges 6:15). Some of the largest armies of the ancient world numbered in the hundreds of thousands, so for a single tribe to lose more than 40,000 men would imply an enormous Israeli army. Whether it was forty-two divisions of soldiers, or a literal 42,000 men, this would have been a huge loss for the tribe of Ephraim.

Loss of life in this incident is especially tragic given that the conflict was so foolish. Jephthah's utter victory would have established his reputation for power in the region, but the number of dead may also have revealed an utter lack of mercy.

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.

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).