_northward_ The wrong direction; so follow marg. TO ZAPHON, a place on the E. of Jordan near Succoth, Joshua 13:27, and not far from the river; Jos., _Ant._xiii. 12, 5 (Asophon). _and didst not call us_ Untrue, see Judges 12:2. The western Ephraimites had no concern of their own with an Ammonite in... [ Continue Reading ]
Judges 12:1-7. _Jephthah's conflict with the men of Ephraim_ A sequel of the Ammonite war. Jephthah had returned to his house (Judges 11:34), two months at least had passed (Judges 11:39), the Gileadite forces had dispersed (implied by Judges 12:4), when the arrogant and jealous temper of the Ephra... [ Continue Reading ]
_were at great strife with the children of Ammon_ lit. -I was at strife, I and my people, and the children of A. exceedingly." Supply AFFLICTED ME in the last clause, with LXX. cod. A, Luc. etc., Syro-Hex. The verb (_-innûni_) was accidentally omitted, probably owing to its resemblance to _-Ammon_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_that_ THOU WAST NOT GOING TO SAVE _me_ Or omit _thou_, and render _that there was none to save_, LXX. cod. A, Luc. Cf. Isaiah 63:5. _I put my life in my hand_ Cf. 1 Samuel 19:5; 1 Samuel 28:21; Job 13:14; Psalms 119:109.... [ Continue Reading ]
_because they said … Manasseh_ These words, which make no sense where they stand, and are omitted by some mss. of the LXX and marked with an asterisk in Syro-Hex., probably belonged in part to Judges 12:6 -… and slew him at the fords of Jordan, _for they said, Ye are fugitives of Ephraim_." The word... [ Continue Reading ]
_took the fords_ Cf. Judges 3:28; Judges 7:24. Render _against_(dat. incommodi) rather than _toward_(marg.) in these passages.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shibboleth … Sibboleth_ An interesting proof of the difference in dialect between the eastern and western tribes. By confusion of sounds _shibbôleth_(שׁבלת) would become _sibbôleth_(שׂבלת), and then _sibbôleth_(סבלת the form here); though liable to confusion in pronunciation, the letters _shin_(ש)... [ Continue Reading ]
The story of Jephthah is brought to a close with the formula which is used of the Minor Judges, Judges 12:8-15; Judges 10:2-5. _was buried in one of the cities of Gilead_ The text has _in the cities of G_.! Can this mean that Jephthah was buried somewhere or other in Gilead? The vagueness of the exp... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ibzan_ His tribe or family is not mentioned. His city was probably not the Beth-lehem in Judah, because the Bk of Judges is not concerned with Judah; but the Beth-lehem in Zebulun (Joshua 19:15), now Bçt-laḥm, 7 m. N.W. of Nazareth.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The three last Minor Judges_ See introduction to ch. 10... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elon … Aijalon_ Nothing here but a name and a burying-place. Both probably should be pronounced alike, as in the LXX, for the consonants are practically identical; and the form should be Elon, this being the name of one of the -sons," i.e. families, of Zebulun, Genesis 46:14; Numbers 26:26. The hom... [ Continue Reading ]
_Abdon … the Pirathonite_ Pir-athon (2 Samuel 23:30 etc.) prob. = Far-atâ, situated on a high rock a little to the S.W. of Nâblus; if this is correct, Abdon belonged to an Ephraimite family. In 1 Chronicles 8:23 Abdon is a Benjamite; but the name was a common one.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites_ The Amalekites, however, were settled not in Ephraim, but in the Negeb, S. of Judah. It is true that _ch_. Judges 5:14 brings Ephraim into connexion with Amalek, but the text is too uncertain (see note _in loc_.) to be used in support o... [ Continue Reading ]