The Meaning of Judges 12:3 Explained

Judges 12:3

KJV: 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 delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

YLT: and I see that thou art not a saviour, and I put my life in my hand, and pass over unto the Bene-Ammon, and Jehovah giveth them into my hand -- and why have ye come up unto me this day to fight against me?'

Darby: And when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hand, and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into my hand; why then have you come up to me this day, to fight against me?"

ASV: And when I saw that ye saved me not, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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  delivered  them into my hand:  wherefore then are ye come up  unto me this day,  to fight  against me? 

What does Judges 12:3 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 12:3 mean?

So when I saw that not you would deliver [me] and I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon and delivered them Yahweh into my hand Then why have you come up to me day this to fight against me
וָֽאֶרְאֶ֞ה כִּֽי־ אֵינְךָ֣ מוֹשִׁ֗יע‪‬‪‬‪‬ וָאָשִׂ֨ימָה נַפְשִׁ֤י בְכַפִּי֙ וָֽאֶעְבְּרָה֙ אֶל־ בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה בְּיָדִ֑י וְלָמָ֞ה עֲלִיתֶ֥ם אֵלַ֛י הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לְהִלָּ֥חֶם בִּֽי

וָֽאֶרְאֶ֞ה  So  when  I  saw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מוֹשִׁ֗יע‪‬‪‬‪‬  you  would  deliver  [me] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁע 
Sense: to save, be saved, be delivered.
וָאָשִׂ֨ימָה  and  I  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
נַפְשִׁ֤י  my  life 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
בְכַפִּי֙  in  my  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
וָֽאֶעְבְּרָה֙  and  crossed  over 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
אֶל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בְּנֵ֣י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַמּ֔וֹן  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.
וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם  and  delivered  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּיָדִ֑י  into  my  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וְלָמָ֞ה  Then  why 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
עֲלִיתֶ֥ם  have  you  come  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אֵלַ֛י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַיּ֥וֹם  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַזֶּ֖ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
לְהִלָּ֥חֶם  to  fight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
בִּֽי  against  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular