Bible Strands
Judges 12:9
He had thirty sons, as well as thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage to men outside his clan; and for his sons he brought back thirty wives from elsewhere. Ibzan judged Israel seven years.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Ibzan’s seven-year tenure immediately after Jephthah’s death, documenting his family structure before noting his burial in Bethlehem.
The words — שִׁלַּח (shi.Lach) means he sent away, and שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.Shim) means thirty, describing the exact count of daughters dispatched and the repeated numerical pattern.
The thread — This numerical structure mirrors Judges 10:4 and Judges 12:14, where other judges are similarly cataloged by their sons, daughters, and mounted animals.
Why it lands — The text measures leadership through political alliances and progeny, requiring the reader to observe how tribal authority was secured through marriage networks rather than divine intervention.
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 he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.
Cross-references
- Judges 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
- Judges 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years.