Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

JUDGES 11:29KJV
Know the Bible

Judges 11:29 (KJV)

What does Judges 11:29 mean?

Judges 11:29 marks Jephthah’s move toward a battle with the Ammonites. The narrator says that the Spirit of the LORD came upon him as he traveled through Israelite territories and toward the people he would confront.

The verse follows the Ammonite king’s refusal to accept Jephthah’s message in verse 28. The repeated “passed over” traces Jephthah’s journey through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpeh of Gilead, before he headed toward Ammon.

The Hebrew behind Judges 11:29

  • “Spirit” — רוּחַ (ruaḥ): The Hebrew word can mean “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit,” depending on the setting. Here, the phrase “Spirit of the LORD” describes the LORD’s presence coming upon Jephthah at a decisive moment.
  • “over” — עָבַר (ʿavar): The word often carries the sense of passing or crossing through. Its repetition gives the account a sense of movement from one place to another.

Why Judges 11:29 matters

  • The verse places Jephthah’s advance after an attempt to settle the dispute by speaking. The Ammonite king has just refused to listen to Jephthah’s message in verse 28.
  • Jephthah’s vow comes after the Spirit comes upon him. Judges 11:30 begins the account of what he promised the LORD, placing that promise between his journey and the battle described later.
  • The place names show Jephthah moving through regions connected with Israel before approaching Ammon. Gilead, Manasseh, and Mizpeh help the reader follow the direction of his journey.

Where else these words appear

“Mizpeh” Hebrew H4708 · used in 14 verses

  • Joshua 11:8 And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.
  • 1 Samuel 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
  • Jeremiah 40:6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

“Jephthah” Hebrew H3316 · used in 26 verses

  • Joshua 15:43 And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib,
  • Judges 11:9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
  • Judges 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

“Ammon” Hebrew H5983 · used in 98 verses

  • Genesis 19:38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
  • Judges 12:1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.
  • 1 Chronicles 19:11 And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

“Gilead” Hebrew H1568 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 31:21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.
  • Judges 10:17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.
  • 2 Kings 9:4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.