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;
The Gileadites captured the places where people could cross the Jordan River before the Ephraimites could get there. When the Ephraimites who had escaped from battle tried to cross over, the men of Gilead would ask each one, 'Are you an Ephraimite?' If the person said, 'No,'
The Gileadites set up checkpoints at river crossings to identify and catch fleeing Ephraimite soldiers by questioning them.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Judges, the tribes of Israel frequently experienced internal conflicts as they settled in the Promised Land. After Jephthah led the Gileadites to victory against the Ammonites, the Ephraimites felt slighted for not being involved and launched an attack against them. To secure their position, the Gileadites controlled the Jordan River crossings and began interrogating fugitives to identify and capture any Ephraimites trying to escape.
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