20140304 Tuesday, March 4 2014
Judges 12: Shibboleth or Sibboleth?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right"

Gilead was the name used for the region east of the Jordan River that was given to the Israelite tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh (see the Fact Finder question below) in the time of Moses (Moses died and was buried there, as well; see Deuteronomy 33: Moses' Farewell Song and Blessing and Deuteronomy 34: The Passage Of Moses).

"3:12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 3:13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants." (Deuteronomy 3:12-13 KJV)

"Shibboleth" is the English rendering of a Hebrew word that literally meant a head of grain, but was also later used as a term for a stream of water. It was in that later meaning that the word was used in the famous "Shibboleth" and "Sibboleth" incident at a ford of the Jordan River.

"12:1 And the men of Ephraim [see Joshua 16: Ephraim's Inheritance] gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

12:2 And Jephthah [see Judges 11: Jephthah's Vow] said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. 12:3 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 [Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God] delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. 12:5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; 12:6 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.

12:7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead." (Judges 12:1-7 KJV)

After Jephthah came other Judges: "Ibzan of Bethlehem," "Elon, a Zebulonite" and " Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite."

"12:8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 12:9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 12:10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

12:11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

12:12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. 12:13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. 12:14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. 12:15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites." (Judges 12:8-15 KJV)

Fact Finder: How and why did some of the Israelite tribes settle east of the Jordan River? Did they cross the Jordan River with Joshua and the other tribes? When did they cross back over the Jordan to return to their homelands
See Numbers 32: The Israel Of East Jordan and Joshua 22: The Return Of The Eastern Tribes