Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 12:3
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?
3. that thou wast not going to save me ] Or omit thou, and render that there was none to save, LXX. cod. A, Luc. Cf. Isa 63:5.
I put my life in my hand ] Cf. 1Sa 19:5; 1Sa 28:21, Job 13:14, Psa 119:109.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I put my life in my hands – Compare 1Sa 19:5; 1Sa 28:21. The phrase expresses the utmost possible risk, knowingly incurred.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. I put my life in my hands] I exposed myself to the greatest difficulties and dangers. But whence did this form of speech arise? Probably from a man’s laying hold of his sword, spear, or bow. “This is the defender of my life; on this, and my proper use of it, my life depends.” When a man draws his sword against his foe, his enemy will naturally aim at his life; and his sword in his hand is his sole defense. It is then, Fight and conquer, or die. Thus Jephthah took his life in his hand. This phrase occurs in some other places of Scripture; see 1Sa 19:5; 1Sa 28:21. And the words of the Conqueror, Isa 63:5, seem to confirm the above view of the subject: I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; i.e., by mine own arm I saved my life, and brought destruction on mine enemies.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I put my life in my hands, i.e. I exposed myself to utmost danger; as a man that carries a brittle and precious thing in his hand, which may easily either fall to the ground, or be snatched from him. The same phrase is used 1Sa 19:5; 28:21; Job 13:14; Psa 119:109.
Wherefore then are ye come up unto me? why do you thus requite my kindness in running into such hazard to preserve you and yours?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. when I saw that ye delivered menot, I put my life in my handsA common form of speech in theEast for undertaking a duty of imminent peril. This Jephthah haddone, having encountered and routed the Ammonites with the aid of hisGileadite volunteers alone; and since the Lord had enabled him toconquer without requiring assistance from any other tribe, why shouldthe Ephraimites take offense? They ought rather to have beendelighted and thankful that the war had terminated without theirincurring any labor and danger.
Jud12:4-15. DISCERNED BY THEWORD SIBBOLETH, ARE SLAINBY THE GILEADITES.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when I saw that ye delivered me not,…. Gave him no assistance against their common enemy, did not attempt to save him and his people out of their hands, but left them to defend themselves:
I put my life in my hands; ready to deliver it up in the defence of his country; the meaning is, that he exposed himself to the utmost danger, hazarded his life in going with a few troops into an enemy’s country to fight him, and so liable to lose his life; which was in as much danger, as some observe, as any brittle thing contained in the hand is in danger of falling, or of being snatched out of it:
and passed over against the children of Ammon: took a long and fatiguing march over the land of Gilead into that of the children of Ammon, to fight with them:
and the Lord delivered them into my hand; gave him victory over them, which showed that his cause was just, and his call to engage in it clear:
wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day to fight against me? who rather should have come with thanks to him for the service he had done, not only for the Gileadites, but for all Israel; for had he not fought against the children of Ammon, and conquered them, they would have soon not only overrun and oppressed Gilead, but would have come over Jordan, and dispossessed the other tribes, and particularly Ephraim, as they had done already, Jud 10:9 so that it was base ingratitude in these people to come to fight against Jephthah, who had fought for them, and wrought salvation for them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) I put my life in my hands.Rather, in the hollow of my hand (caph). (See for the phrase, Psa. 119:109; Job. 13:14; 1Sa. 20:5; 1Sa. 28:21.) It expresses extreme peril.
The Lord delivered them into my hand.Here the word for hand is yad. Here, as he had done in arguing with the king of the Ammonites (Jdg. 11:21-24), Jephthah appeals to the decision of Jehovah, as proving that he had done rightly.
Wherefore then are ye come up . . . ?For the phrase come up see Jdg. 1:1-16. Jephthahs answer is as moderate as Gideons (Jdg. 8:2-3), though it does not display the same happy tact, and refers to topics which could not but be irritating. Whether it was made in a conciliatory spirit or not, we cannot tell. Certainly if Ephraim persisted in aggressive violence after these explanations, they placed themselves so flagrantly in the wrong that civil war became inevitable.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 12:3 a
“And when I saw that you did not save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon and Yahweh delivered them into my hand.”
Thus Gilead and he had done the only thing they could. Recognising that they would receive no assistance from the tribal confederacy they had taken matters into their own hands. Under his leadership they had taken the risk, trusted to their own sword arm and had attacked the children of Ammon, and with Yahweh’s strong help had been victorious. Note how proudly he speaks of his people in terms of himself. He was enjoying being judge of Gilead.
Jdg 12:3 b
“Why then are you come up to me this day to fight against me?”
Like the strong man he was, and in the same way that he had done to Ammon, he showed his enemies that they were in the wrong. Let them consider well and give good reason for fighting against him. They should rather be thanking him, for Ammon had also made attacks on Ephraim (Jdg 10:9).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 12:3. I put my life in my hands A strong phrase; which signifies, I exposed myself to the utmost hazard: the expression seems peculiar to the eastern writers; for Casaubon remarks, that among all the Greek and Roman writers he never met with it, except once in Zenarchus. See Bishop Patrick.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jdg 12:3 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?
Ver. 3. I put my life in my hands. ] I hazarded it to loss, and set as light by it as a boy doth by a bird, which he holdeth loose in his open hand. See Jdg 9:17 . The Hebrew here hath it, I put my life in my palm.
Wherefore then are ye come up against me this day?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
my life = my soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
put: Jdg 9:17, 1Sa 19:5, 1Sa 28:21, Job 13:14, Psa 119:109, Rom 16:4, Rev 12:11
wherefore: Jdg 11:27, 2Ch 13:12
Reciprocal: Pro 15:1 – grievous
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
12:3 And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, {c} 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?
(c) That is, I ventured my life, and when man’s help failed, I put my trust only in God.