The Meaning of Judges 12:14 Explained

Judges 12:14

KJV: And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

YLT: and he hath forty sons, and thirty grandsons, riding on seventy ass-colts, and he judgeth Israel eight years.

Darby: He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy asses; and he judged Israel eight years.

ASV: And he had forty sons and thirty sons'sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he had forty  sons  and thirty  nephews,  that rode  on threescore and ten  ass colts:  and he judged  Israel  eight  years. 

What does Judges 12:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 12:1-15 - At The Fords Of Ephraim
In this second war, Jephthah showed the same conciliatory spirit as he had showed to Ammon. He parleyed sensibly and courteously before he went into the conflict. A great many Christians are less Christian than this. They ignore Christ's strict injunction, Matthew 18:15. Ephraim had acted in the same manner to Gideon, Judges 8:1. In each case that tribe wanted to retain its primacy without the sacrifice which leadership involves; and it was angry when deliverance had arisen from another source. Leadership must be won, not inherited. Ephraim, therefore, was clearly in the wrong; and when her troops, which had crossed the Jordan into Gilead, were hurled back, the slaughter at the ford fell as a national judgment. The omission of a letter in their speech betrayed them. Alas, that Christians have martyred their fellows for even less!
Jephthah died soon after. Probably he died, not of age nor the brunt of war, but of a broken heart. The sweet voice of his child was always calling him. But the Spirit of God wrote on his memorial tablet-"By faith Jephthah." [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 12

1  The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, 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

What do the individual words in Judges 12:14 mean?

and had He forty sons and thirty nephews grandsons who rode on seventy young donkeys and he judged - Israel eight years
וַיְהִי־ ל֞וֹ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים בָּנִ֗ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁים֙ בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים רֹכְבִ֖ים עַל־ שִׁבְעִ֣ים עֲיָרִ֑ם וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֥ט אֶת־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה שָׁנִֽים

וַיְהִי־  and  had 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אַרְבָּעִ֣ים  forty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
בָּנִ֗ים  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּשְׁלֹשִׁים֙  and  thirty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, common plural
Root: שְׁלֹשִׁים  
Sense: thirty, thirtieth.
בְּנֵ֣י  nephews 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בָנִ֔ים  grandsons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
רֹכְבִ֖ים  who  rode 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
שִׁבְעִ֣ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
עֲיָרִ֑ם  young  donkeys 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: he-ass, male ass.
וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֥ט  and  he  judged 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה  eight 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמֹנֶה  
Sense: eight, eighth.
שָׁנִֽים  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 12:14?

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