What is the meaning ofshibbolethin the Bible?

Shib’bo leth An ear of corn: a flood: a branch

A word chosen by the Gileadites — apparently without any reference to its signification, which some take to be 'an ear of corn,' and others 'a stream' — by which to ascertain those that were Ephraimites, who pronounced the SH as S, making the word SIBBOLETH. As the men fled from the victorious Jephthah and approached the ford of the river, they were thus tested, and the Ephraimites, who had brought the conflict on themselves, were slain. Judges 12:6. From this has originated the calling any watchword of a party, or indeed any particular view of truth or doctrine held by a section of the church, a mere 'shibboleth.'

The strife and the slaying of the Ephraimites (12:1-6) 2. Jephthah's death (12:7) 3. Ibzan, Elon and Abdon (12:8-15)

The strife of Ephraim and their question reminds us of what happens under the judgeship of Gideon. There the soft answer turned away wrath. How different it is here. Jephthah in self exaltation shows a far different spirit. Notice the "I" in his answer. "I was at great strife"--"I and my people"--"I called you"--"I saw"--"I put my life in my hand." A great strife follows. The Gileadites take the fords of Jordan and those who said "Sibboleth" were slain. Horrible record! Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were murdered. And this sad extermination of brethren has its sequel in Christendom. Shibboleth means "flood," that which divides. Sectarianism is undoubtedly in view here. How God's people have suffered under it and still suffer! It is true "every test that divides the people of God from one another, and not from their enemies, is another false 'shibboleth.'" May God graciously deliver His people from all sectarian strife, which is but the work and the fruit of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).

I can deal with Ephraim, as I surely should, but it is quite another thing for me to take the fords of Jordan, and compel every one that goes through those fords to say just thus and so. To compel him to say shibboleth, and if he cannot say it quite, to cut him off. Shibboleth is the flood, you know, that which divides. It refers to that which divided Gilead from Ephraim. So if those of Ephraim cannot quite pronounce as to what divides, to treat them simply to the sword, that surely is faithfulness gone mad; it ceases to be faithfulness, and comes to be destruction. And I think, dear brethren, that just as we had in Abimelech, the failure of man's rule when he is seeking his own aggrandizement, so in Jephthah we have the like failure of man's rule when the conscience is under the power of legalism. It is harshness and sternness without a bit of light to relieve it. It is simply the claim of an ascetic. Because it is unhappy itself, it will make everything and everybody unhappy about it; and all the sadder when it opens up the Scripture, with which it has dealt out judgment to heretics, and applies that Scripture relentlessly to those who may not see with it.

I can deal with Ephraim, as I surely should, but it is quite another thing for me to take the fords of Jordan, and compel every one that goes through those fords to say just thus and so. To compel him to say shibboleth, and if he cannot say it quite, to cut him off. Shibboleth is the flood, you know, that which divides. It refers to that which divided Gilead from Ephraim. So if those of Ephraim cannot quite pronounce as to what divides, to treat them simply to the sword, that surely is faithfulness gone mad; it ceases to be faithfulness, and comes to be destruction. And I think, dear brethren, that just as we had in Abimelech, the failure of man's rule when he is seeking his own aggrandizement, so in Jephthah we have the like failure of man's rule when the conscience is under the power of legalism. It is harshness and sternness without a bit of light to relieve it. It is simply the claim of an ascetic. Because it is unhappy itself, it will make everything and everybody unhappy about it; and all the sadder when it opens up the Scripture, with which it has dealt out judgment to heretics, and applies that Scripture relentlessly to those who may not see with it.

Words intensified the quarrel. "The men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites" (v. 4). There was not a single principle involved in this struggle. On all sides it was but jealousy, personal importance and angry words exchanged by irritated hearts; and so a fratricidal war broke out in the midst of Israel, brought about by their own hand. At the passages of Jordan they are known, for the purpose of killing one another, by a Shibboleth, a formula used for the name of Jehovah, and which had nothing to do with the truth of God. And there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

Words intensified the quarrel. "The men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites" (v. 4). There was not a single principle involved in this struggle. On all sides it was but jealousy, personal importance and angry words exchanged by irritated hearts; and so a fratricidal war broke out in the midst of Israel, brought about by their own hand. At the passages of Jordan they are known, for the purpose of killing one another, by a Shibboleth, a formula used for the name of Jehovah, and which had nothing to do with the truth of God. And there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

The Ephraimites pronounced this letter Samech (Judges 12:6) like a “sh” instead of an “s,” and were consequently put to death. We learn from this incident that we should distinguish between things that are important and things that are unimportant. To press on others our views about unimportant things is like having our own “shibboleth.”

Of course the Ephraimites were wrong. They contemptuously considered the Gileadites as fugitives from Ephraim because they lived east of the Jordan. Because of this contempt therefore the Ephraimites were defeated, just as our own bad attitude will defeat us too (v. 4).

When the defeat took place, then men of Ephraim wanted to return to their own property west of Jordan. But Jephthah and his army took possession of the fords of the Jordan. They were determined to kill off every Ephraimite they could, so that they tested them by asking them to pronounce the word "shibboleth." Evidently the Ephraimites did not use the "sh"sound, and said, "sibboleth." If so, they would kill them (v. 6). Altogether there were 42,000 Ephraimites slaughtered! Usually when a battle is finished the victors would do no more than take captive those who were already defeated, so that this action of Jephthah was actually cold-blooded murder. Do things like this ever happen among Christians today? Though not precisely the same, yet there can too easily be a sectarian rejection of other Christians because they do not conform to our requirements. It is true that it is not possible to have full, unhindered fellowship with many Christians, but to condemn them because of their inconsistencies is the spirit of murder. These Ephraimites were no longer fighting against Jephthah. How much better it would have been to let them return to their land, and pray for them!

Ephraim had the place of the first-born (Jer. 31:9), the birthright being taken from Reuben and given to Joseph. 1 Chr. 5:1-2. Also the place of the tabernacle was in the tribe of Ephraim, hence we find in the time of the judges this tribe asserting its own importance. They were angry with Gideon for not calling them to the war sooner than he did; but a soft answer appeased their wrath. Judges 7:24; Judges 8:1-3. Again they complained to Jephthah that he had gone without them to fight the Ammonites, though Jephthah declared that he had called them, and they had not responded. They also haughtily said of the Gileadites that they were fugitives of Ephraim, implying that they were not a tribe, but belonged to Ephraim, from whence they had escaped. The conflict was sharp; the Gileadites seized the ford of the Jordan, and then by putting all who wanted to pass to the test of pronouncing Shibboleth (which the Ephraimites could only call Sibboleth) they slew 42,000 of the men of Ephraim. Judges 12:1-6. Thus was this proud and envious tribe punished for molesting their brethren, whereas they had not driven out the heathen inhabitants of the land, as they should have done. Judges 1:29. Type of many in the church who in pride contend with their brethren, but do not fight God's battles against spiritual wickedness. Later on the Lord forsook Shiloh, and chose, not the tribe of Ephraim, but that of Judah both for the place of royalty and for the sanctuary.