The Meaning of Judges 12:5 Explained

Judges 12:5

KJV: 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;

YLT: And Gilead captureth the passages of the Jordan to Ephraim, and it hath been, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim say, 'Let me pass over,' and the men of Gilead say to him, 'An Ephramite thou?' and he saith, 'No;'

Darby: And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the E'phraimites. And when any of the fugitives of E'phraim said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an E'phraimite?" When he said, "No,"

ASV: And the Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And it was so, that, when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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; 

What does Judges 12:5 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 12:5 mean?

And seized Gilead - the fords of the Jordan before Ephraim [arrived] And when when said who escaped [any of] Ephraim let me cross over and would say to him the men of Gilead [Are] an Ephraimite you and if he said No
וַיִּלְכֹּ֥ד גִּלְעָ֛ד אֶֽת־ מַעְבְּר֥וֹת הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְֽ֠הָיָה כִּ֣י יֹאמְר֞וּ פְּלִיטֵ֤י אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ אֶעֱבֹ֔רָה וַיֹּ֨אמְרוּ ל֧וֹ אַנְשֵֽׁי־ גִלְעָ֛ד ؟ הַֽאֶפְרָתִ֥י אַ֖תָּה וַיֹּ֥אמֶֽר ׀ לֹֽא

וַיִּלְכֹּ֥ד  And  seized 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
גִּלְעָ֛ד  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מַעְבְּר֥וֹת  the  fords 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַעֲבָר 
Sense: ford, pass, passing.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן  of  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם  before  Ephraim  [arrived] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וְֽ֠הָיָה  And  when 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יֹאמְר֞וּ  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
פְּלִיטֵ֤י  who  escaped 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: פָּלִיט 
Sense: refugee, fugitive, escaped one.
אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙  [any  of]  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
אֶעֱבֹ֔רָה  let  me  cross  over 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
וַיֹּ֨אמְרוּ  and  would  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֧וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
אַנְשֵֽׁי־  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
גִלְעָ֛ד  of  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
؟ הַֽאֶפְרָתִ֥י  [Are]  an  Ephraimite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרָתִי  
Sense: an inhabitant or descendant of Ephraim.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶֽר ׀  and  if  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לֹֽא  No 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 12:5?

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