Judges 12 · Verse 1

Judges 12:1

And the men of Ephraim 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.
Judges 12:1, King James Version

Judges 12:1 in other translations

BSBThen the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”
WEBThe men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said to Jephthah, “Why did you pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house around you with fire!”
ASVAnd the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they 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 thy house upon thee with fire.
YLTAnd the men of Ephraim are called together, and pass over northward, and say to Jephthah, ‘Wherefore has thou passed over to fight against the Bene-Ammon, and on us hast not called to go with thee? thy house we burn over thee with fire.'
DARBYAnd the men of Ephraim were called together, and passed over northwards, and said to Jephthah, Why didst thou pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? We will burn thy house upon thee with fire.
BBENow the men of Ephraim came together and took up arms and went over to Zaphon; and they said to Jephthah, Why did you go over to make war against the children of Ammon without sending for us to go with you? Now we will put your house on fire over you.
WebsterAnd the men of Ephraim assembled, and went northward, and said to Jephthah, Why didst thou pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee; we will burn thy house upon thee with fire.

What does Judges 12:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Jud 12:1-3. The Ephraimites Quarrelling with Jephthah.

1. the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together--Hebrew, "were summoned." and went northward--After crossing the Jordan, their route from Ephraim was, strictly speaking, in a northeasterly direction, toward Mizpeh. the men of Ephraim ... said unto Jephthah, Wherefore ... didst [thou] not call us?--This is a fresh development of the jealous, rash, and irritable temper of the Ephraimites. The ground of their offense now was their desire of enjoying the credit of patriotism although they had not shared in the glory of victory.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

The Ephraimites are incensed against Jephthah, because he did not call them to war against the Ammonites; and threaten his destruction, Jdg 12:1. He vindicates himself, Jdg 12:2, Jdg 12:3; and arms the Gileadites against the men of Ephraim; they fight against them, and kill forty-two thousand Ephraimites at the passages of Jordan, Jdg 12:4-6. Jephthah dies, having judged Israel six years, Jdg 12:7. Ibzan judge seven years, Jdg 12:8. His posterity and death, Jdg 12:9, Jdg 12:10. Elon judge ten years, and dies, Jdg 12:11, Jdg 12:12. Abdon judge eight years, Jdg 12:13. His posterity and death, Jdg 12:14, Jdg 12:15. Verse 1 The men of Ephraim gathered themselves together - ויצעק vaiyitstsaek, they called each other to arms; summoning all their tribe and friends to arm themselves to destroy Jephthah and the Gileadites, being jealous lest they should acquire too much power.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 12:1-7
The Ephraimites had the same quarrel with Jephthah as with Gideon. Pride was at the bottom of the quarrel; only by that comes contention. It is ill to fasten names of reproach upon persons or countries, as is common, especially upon those under outward disadvantages. It often occasions quarrels that prove of ill consequence, as it did here. No contentions are so bitter as those between brethren or rivals for honour. What need we have to watch and pray against evil tempers! May the Lord incline all his people to follow after things which make for peace!

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Judges 12:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּצָּעֵק֙vai.yi.tza.'Ekand it was summonedH6817
אִ֣ישׁ'ish[the] man ofH376
אֶפְרַ֔יִם'ef.Ra.yimEphraimH669
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֖רvai.ya.'a.Vorand it passed overH5674
צָפ֑וֹנָהtza.Fo.nahZaphon towardsH6828
וַיֹּאמְר֨וּvai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
לְיִפְתָּ֜חle.yif.Tachto JephthahH3316
מַדּ֣וּעַ\׀ma.Du.a'why?H4069
עָבַ֣רְתָּ\׀'a.Var.tadid you pass overH5674
לְהִלָּחֵ֣םle.hi.la.Chemto wage warH3898
בִּבְנֵי\־biv.nei-against [the] people ofH1121
עַמּ֗וֹןa.MonAmmonH5983
וְלָ֙נוּ֙ve.La.nuand <to> <the> us
לֹ֤אlo'notH3808
קָרָ֙אתָ֙ka.Ra.tayou summonedH7121
לָלֶ֣כֶתla.Le.khetto goH1980
עִמָּ֔ךְ'i.Makhwith youH5973
בֵּיתְךָ֕bei.te.Khahouse yourH1004
נִשְׂרֹ֥ףnis.Rofwe will burnH8313
עָלֶ֖יךָ'a.Lei.khaover youH5921
בָּאֵֽשׁ\׃ba.'Eshwith <the> fireH784

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 12:1

  • Judges 8:1

    And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

  • John 10:32

    Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

  • James 3:16

    For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

  • James 4:1-2

    From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • Judges 14:15

    And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

  • Psalms 109:4

    For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

  • 2 Samuel 19:41-43

    And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all David’s men with him, over Jordan? And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? or hath he given us any gift? And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

  • Judges 15:6

    Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

  • Proverbs 27:3-4

    A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

  • Ecclesiastes 4:4

    Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, and discerned by Shibboleth, are slain by the Gileadites.
7 Jephthah dies.
8 Ibzan, who had thirty sons, and thirty daughters;
11 and Elon;
13 and Abdon, who had forty sons, and thirty nephews, judge Israel.

gathered. Heb. were called. Wherefore.
8:1; 2Sa 19:41-43; Ps 109:4; Ec 4:4; Joh 10:32
we will burn.
14:15; 15:6; Pr 27:3,4; Jas 3:16; 4:1,2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 12:1

    And the men of Ephraim 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.

  • Judges 12:2

    And Jephthah 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.

Read all of Judges 12

Judges 12:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y JUNTÁNDOSE los varones de Ephraim, pasaron hacia el aquilón, y dijeron á Jephté: ¿Por qué fuiste á hacer guerra contra los hijos de Ammón, y no nos llamaste para que fuéramos contigo? Nosotros quemaremos á fuego tu casa contigo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		*Et les hommes d’Éphraïm se rassemblèrent, et ils passèrent vers le nord, et dirent à Jephthé: Pourquoi as-tu passé pour combattre contre les fils d’Ammon, et ne nous as-tu pas appelés pour aller avec toi? Nous brûlerons au feu ta maison sur toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Männer von Ephraim versammelten sich und zogen hinüber nach Norden, und sie sprachen zu Jephtha: Warum bist du durchgezogen, um wider die Kinder Ammon zu streiten, und hast uns nicht gerufen, daß wir mit dir gingen? Wir werden dein Haus über dir mit Feuer verbrennen!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ecce autem in Ephraim orta est seditio: nam transeuntes contra aquilonem, dixerunt ad Jephte: Quare vadens ad pugnam contra filios Ammon, vocare nos noluisti, ut pergeremus tecum? igitur incendemus domum tuam.