Judges 12:3 — Meaning and Application

And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. {gathered...: Heb. were called}

And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

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?

Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites {are} fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, {and} among the Manassites.

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;