So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

JUDGES 11:32KJV
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Judges 11:32 (KJV)

What does Judges 11:32 mean?

Jephthah advanced against the Ammonites to fight them, and the LORD gave him victory. The narrator describes both Jephthah’s military action and the LORD’s decisive role in the outcome.

The key phrase is “the LORD delivered them into his hands.” The Hebrew behind “delivered” is נָתַן (natan), meaning “give.” Together with “hands,” the phrase describes giving an enemy into someone’s power. After Jephthah’s unsuccessful negotiations with Ammon’s king, the conflict moved to battle, and the LORD gave Jephthah control over the opposing force.

The Hebrew behind Judges 11:32

  • “passed over” — עָבַר (avar): This means to pass, cross, or move through. Here it describes Jephthah advancing toward the Ammonites. The wording does not name a river or other boundary that he crossed.

  • “children” — בֵּן (ben); “Ammon” — עַמּוֹן (Ammon): The plural form of “children” identifies the people descended from Ammon. “The children of Ammon” means the Ammonites as a people, including the forces Jephthah faced.

  • “fight” — לָחַם (lacham): This verb means to fight or wage war. Here the wording expresses Jephthah’s purpose in advancing: he went against the Ammonites to engage them in battle.

  • “LORD” — יהוה (YHWH): This is God’s personal name, represented in the KJV by capitalized “LORD.” The narrator specifically names Israel’s God as the one who gave the Ammonites into Jephthah’s power.

Why Judges 11:32 matters

  • The verse introduces the outcome before describing the campaign. “The LORD delivered them into his hands” states the victory; verse 33 then describes the extent of the defeat.

  • The victory follows the LORD’s Spirit coming upon Jephthah. Judges 11:29 reports that event before Jephthah advances. Verse 32 continues that account by explicitly crediting the LORD with the military success.

Where else these words appear

“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 11:29 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.

“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.