SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:5
Y los galaaditas tomaron los vados del Jordán a Efraín; y era que, cuando alguno de los de Efraín que había huido, decía, ¿pasaré? los de Galaad le preguntaban: ¿Eres tú efrateo? Si él respondía, no;
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites , etc.] Being either swifter of foot, or going a nearer and shorter way, being better acquainted with their own country: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, let me go over ; the fugitives of Ephraim, as before called, who ran away from the battle, made their escape, and the best of their way to the passages of Jordan, to get over there to their own country: that the men of Gilead said unto him ; to everyone of them, as they came up, art thou an Ephraimite ? or an Ephrathite; for so it seems those of the tribe of Ephraim were called, as Jeroboam, ( 1 Kings 11:26) if he said, nay; that he was not an Ephraimite ; Ver. 6 . Then said they unto him, say now “Shibboleth” , etc.] Which signifies a stream or course of water, at which they now were; and so it was as if they had bid them say, “may I, or let me, pass over the stream of this river;” so Jarchi; and this being the case, though it was done to try them, and by their pronunciation learn whether they were Ephraimites or not, they were not upon their guard, but in an hurry, and at once expressed the word as they commonly did: and he said, sibboleth ; pronouncing the letter “shin” as if it was “sin”, or a “samech”; just as the French, as Kimchi observes, pronounce “s” like a “t”; and though the Gileadites and Ephraimites were of the same nation of Israel, and spoke the same language, yet their pronunciation differed, as did that of the Galilean Jews from others in the times of Christ, ( Matthew 26:73), and so in all nations, among the Greeks, Romans, and among ourselves, people in different counties pronounce in a different manner; which Kimchi thinks was in the Ephraimites owing to the air or climate, as the French, he observes, pronounce “s” as a “t”, with a soft and gentle sound: for he could not frame to pronounce it right ; or “thus” f251 , as he was bid to do; being used to pronounce otherwise, he could not frame the organs of speech, or so dispose and order them as to say “shibboleth”; or he did not frame, order, and dispose f252 ; he was not careful to do it, though with some care he could, being not aware of the design of the Gileadites in it: then they took him and slew him at the passages of Jordan ; everyone as they came thither, who could not say “shibboleth”; these they suffered not to pass over, but slew them: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand ; not at the passages of Jordan only; but what fell there, with those at the battle, and in the pursuit, amounted to this number; so that the Ephraimites paid dearly for their pride and insolence.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 in common, especially upon those under outward disadvantages. It ofte occasions quarrels that prove of ill consequence, as it did here. N contentions are so bitter as those between brethren or rivals for honour. What need we have to watch and pray against evil tempers! Ma the Lord incline all his people to follow after things which make for peace!
Original Hebrew
וילכד 3920 גלעד 1568 את 853 מעברות 4569 הירדן 3383 לאפרים 669 והיה 1961 כי 3588 יאמרו 559 פליטי 6412 אפרים 669 אעברה 5674 ויאמרו 559 לו אנשׁי 582 גלעד 1568 האפרתי 673 אתה 859 ויאמר 559 לא׃ 3808
