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.
Then they said to him, 'Say the word Shibboleth.' But he said 'Sibboleth' because he couldn't pronounce it correctly. So they captured him and killed him at the crossing places of the Jordan River. At that time, forty-two thousand men from Ephraim were killed.
The Gileadites used a pronunciation test to identify and kill their enemies from Ephraim, resulting in a massive slaughter of 42,000 people.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during a civil war between the Gileadites (led by Jephthah) and the tribe of Ephraim. The Ephraimites had criticized Jephthah for not including them in his battle against the Ammonites, which led to this conflict. The word 'Shibboleth' became a deadly password because Ephraimites spoke a dialect that couldn't distinguish the 'sh' sound, pronouncing it as 's' instead.
Ask the AI Assistant
Have a question about this chapter or verse? Ask below for a clear explanation.