Bible Strands
Judges 12:7
Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the conclusion of Jephthah’s leadership immediately after the Jordan ford massacre described in Judges 12:6. This statement closes his account before the text introduces Ibzan’s tenure in Judges 12:8.
The words — וַיִּשְׁפֹּט (wayyishpot) means “and he judged,” and שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים (shesh shanim) translates literally as “six years.” These terms frame the duration of his authority with precise, unadorned chronology.
The thread — The verse continues the book’s succession pattern, where each judge’s death and burial mark the end of their term and the start of the next leader’s rule. This structural rhythm runs through the repeated judge cycles recorded in Judges 2:16–3:31 and 10:6–12:7.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the finite, cyclical nature of Israel’s leadership during this period. It requires the reader to track the brief spans of human authority before the narrative shifts to the next cycle.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.