King James Version

Judges 12:6

Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּvayomrvand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לוֹ֩lvotoלוֹ֩preposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”toאֱמָרemarsayאָמַרverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “say”, a commandH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…נָ֨אnaI beseech theeנָאparticle, exhortation — “I beseech thee”H4994'I pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunctionI beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.שִׁבֹּ֜לֶתshiboletbranchשִׁבֹּלnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “branch”, the ordinary formH7641a stream (as flowing); also an ear of grain (as growing out); by analogy, a branchbranch, channel, ear (of corn), (water-)flood, Shibboleth. Compare H5451 (סִבֹּלֶת).וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…סִבֹּ֗לֶתsiboletSibbolethסִבֹּלֶתnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “Sibboleth”, the ordinary formH5451an ear of grainSibboleth.וְלֹ֤אveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יָכִין֙yakhinbe fittedכּוּןverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be fitted”, an unfinished actionH3559properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous)certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth…לְדַבֵּ֣רledaberto speakדָבַרpreposition, verb, piel, infinitive construct — “to speak”, the to-form of the verbH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.כֵּ֔ןkenas... asכֵּןparticle, demonstrative — “as... as”H3651properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and relation; often with other particles)[phrase] after that (this, -ward, -wards), as... as, [phrase] (for-) asmuch as yet, [phrase] be (for which) cause, [phrase] following, howbeit, in (the) like (manner, -wise), [idiom] the more, right, (even) so, state, straightway, such (th…וַיֹּאחֲז֣וּvayochazvand holdאָחַזconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and hold”, the next action in the storyH270to seize (often with the accessory idea of holding in possession)[phrase] be affrighted, bar, (catch, lay, take) hold (back), come upon, fasten, handle, portion, (get, have or take) possess(-ion).אוֹת֔וֹotvoobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).וַיִּשְׁחָט֖וּהוּvayishchatuhvand slaughterשָׁחַטconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and slaughter”, the next action in the storyH7819to slaughter (in sacrifice or massacre)kill, offer, shoot out, slay, slaughter.אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).מַעְבְּר֣וֹתmaberotfordמַעֲבָרnoun, common, feminine, plural, construct — “ford”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4569a crossing-place (of a river, a ford; of a mountain, a pass); abstractly, a transit, i.e. (figuratively) overwhelmingford, place where...pass, passage.הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ןhayardenthe Jordanיַרְדֵּןdefinite article, noun, proper name — “the Jordan”H3383Jarden, the principal river of PalestineJordan.וַיִּפֹּ֞לvayipoland fallנָפַלconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and fall”, the next action in the storyH5307to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for H6419 (פָּלַל…בָּעֵ֤תbaetin whenעֵתpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in when”, the ordinary formH6256time, especially (adverb with preposition) now, when, etc.[phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when.הַהִיא֙hahithe as for herהוּאdefinite article, pronoun, personal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “the as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.מֵֽאֶפְרַ֔יִםmeefrayimfrom Ephraimאֶפְרַיִםpreposition, noun, proper name — “from Ephraim”H669Ephrajim, a son of Joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its territoryEphraim, Ephraimites.אַרְבָּעִ֥יםarbaimfortyאַרְבָּעִיםadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “forty”, the ordinary formH705forty-forty.וּשְׁנַ֖יִםushenayimand twoשְׁנַיִםconjunction, adjective, cardinal, masculine, dual, absolute — “and two”, the ordinary formH8147two; also (as ordinal) twofoldboth, couple, double, second, twain, [phrase] twelfth, [phrase] twelve, [phrase] twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.אָֽלֶףalefthousandאֶלֶףadjective, cardinal, both genders, singular, absolute — “thousand”, the ordinary formH505hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousandthousand.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

then said they unto him: 'Say now Shibboleth'; and he said 'Sibboleth'; for he could not frame to pronounce it right; then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he could not frame to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty and two thousand.

Young’s Literal Translation

that they say to him, 'Say, I pray thee, Shibboleth;' and he saith, 'Sibboleth,' and is not prepared to speak right — and they seize him, and slaughter him at the passages of the Jordan, and there fall at that time, of Ephraim, forty and two chiefs.

World English Bible

then they said to him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’” and he said “Sibboleth”; for he couldn’t manage to pronounce it correctly, then they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell.

Darby Translation

Then they said to him, Say now Shibboleth! and he said, Sibboleth, and did not manage to pronounce [it] rightly. Then they took him, and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand.

Douay-Rheims

They asked him: Say then, Scibboleth, which is interpreted, An ear of corn. But he answered, Sibboleth, not being able to express an ear of corn by the same letter. Then presently they took him and killed him in the very passage of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim two and forty thousand.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Then they said to him, Say now Stachys; and he did not rightly pronounce it so: and they took him, and slew him at the fords of Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim two and forty thousand.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, εἶπον δὴ στάχυς· καὶ οὐ κατεύθυνε τοῦ λαλῆσαι οὕτως· καὶ ἐπελάβοντο αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθυσαν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ Ἰορδάνου· καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀπὸ Ἐφραὶμ δύο καὶ τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδες.