Judges 12:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in his city in Gilead.

NIV: Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in a town in Gilead.

NASB: Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

CSB: Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

NLT: Jephthah judged Israel for six years. When he died, he was buried in one of the towns of Gilead.

KJV: And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

NKJV: And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in among the cities of Gilead.

Jephthah's rule as a judge (Judges 2:16) ends after only six years. This is a brief stint when compared to most of the other judges (Judges 8:28; 10:2, 3). While Jephthah is labelled as a judge of Israel, it seems most of God's rescuers acted in regions, rather than over the entire nation at once. Jephthah's influence seems limited to Gilead and perhaps the nearby regions. When he dies, he is buried in his city in the territory of Gilead.

Jephthah, a complex figure, was nevertheless fully used by God to defeat Israel's oppressors, the Ammonites (Judges 11:32–33). However, his life was also marked by questionable ethics (Judges 11:1–3), and recklessness which cost him his only child (Judges 11:30–31, 34–35). In addition, he engaged in a brief-but-brutal civil war with his own Israelite brothers, resulting in catastrophic deaths (Judges 12:1–6).

Despite those flaws, Jephthah's words represented faith (Hebrews 11:32–34) and reliance on the Lord, rather than on false gods. That was a welcome change in Israel; it led to great victory over their enemies.

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).

Accessed 5/6/2024 6:47:24 AM