Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Judges 11:3

So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jephthah;   Prayer;   Tob;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ammonites;   Children;   Jephthah;   Raca;   Tob;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Leadership;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Vow;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bastard;   Jephthah;   Tob, the Land of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ishtob;   Raca;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jephthah;   Tob;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abel-Cheramim;   Gilead;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Tob;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ishtob ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Ishtob;   Jephtha;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jephthah;   Tob;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Jephthah;   Testament;   Tob;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fellow;   Jephthah;   Tob, the Land of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bastard;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Captain;   Hippos;   Jephthah;   Raca (Reḳa);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some worthless men joined Jephthah and went on raids with him.
Hebrew Names Version
Then Yiftach fled from his brothers, and lived in the land of Tov: and there were gathered vain fellows to Yiftach, and they went out with him.
King James Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
Lexham English Bible
So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers, and he lived in the land of Tob. And outlaws gathered around Jephthah and went with him.
English Standard Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.
New English Translation
So Jephthah left his half-brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah's gang and traveled with him.
Amplified Bible
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless and unprincipled men gathered around Jephthah, and went out [on raids] with him.
New American Standard Bible
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless men gathered around Jephthah, and they went wherever he did.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Iphtah fledde from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there gathered idle fellowes to Iphtah, & went out with him.
Legacy Standard Bible
Daarop vlug Jefta van sy broers af weg en hy gaan woon in die land Tob; en ligsinnige manne het by Jefta aangesluit en saam met hom uitgetrek.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Yiftach fled from his brothers and lived in the territory of Tov, where he enlisted a gang of rowdies who would go out raiding with him.
Darby Translation
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob. And vain men were gathered to Jephthah, and they made expeditions with him.
Easy-to-Read Version
So Jephthah went away because of his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. In the land of Tob, some rough men began to follow Jephthah.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tobtha; and there were gathered worthless men to Jephthah, and they went raiding with him.
Good News Translation
Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There he attracted a group of worthless men, and they went around with him.
Literal Translation
And Jephthah fled from the face of his brothers, and lived in the land of Tob. And worthless men were gathered to Jephthah, and went out with him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The fled he from his brethre, and dwelt in the londe of Tob. And there resorted vnto him vagabudes, and wete out with him.
American Standard Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
Bible in Basic English
So Jephthah went in flight from his brothers and was living in the land of Tob, where a number of good-for-nothing men, joining Jephthah, went out with him on his undertakings.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Iephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the lande of Tob: And there gathered ydle men to Iephthah, and went out with him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
King James Version (1611)
Then Iephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vaine men to Iephthah, and went out with him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jephthae fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.
English Revised Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
Berean Standard Bible
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of rebels joined him and traveled with him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
`Whiche britheren he fledde, and eschewide, and dwellide in the lond of Tob; and pore men and `doynge thefte weren gaderid to hym, and sueden as a prince.
Young's Literal Translation
And Jephthah fleeth from the face of his brethren, and dwelleth in the land of Tob; and vain men gather themselves together unto Jephthah, and they go out with him.
Update Bible Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and [they] went out with him.
World English Bible
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and lived in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain fellows to Jephthah, and they went out with him.
New King James Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
New Living Translation
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him.
New Life Bible
So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Men of no worth gathered around Jephthah and went fighting and stealing with him.
New Revised Standard
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Outlaws collected around Jephthah and went raiding with him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Jephthah fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob, - and there gathered about Jephthah unemployed men, who went forth with him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he fled and avoided them, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered to him needy men and robbers, and they followed him as their prince.
Revised Standard Version
Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows collected round Jephthah, and went raiding with him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

Contextual Overview

1 Jephthah was a strong soldier from Gilead. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead's wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home, saying to him, "You will not get any of our father's property, because you are the son of another woman." 3 So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

from his brethren: Heb. from the face of

Tob: Probably the same as Ish-Tob; and appears to have been a part of Syria, near Zobah, Rehob, and Maachah, east of Jordan, and in the most northern part of the portion of Manasseh. If so, it could not be far from Gilead, the country of Jephthah. This country is called Tobie or Tubin, 1; Mac Hebrews 5:13, and the Jews who inhabited this district Tubieni, 2; Mac Hebrews 12:17. 2 Samuel 10:6.

vain men: Judges 9:4, 1 Samuel 22:2, 1 Samuel 27:2, 1 Samuel 30:22-24, Job 30:1-10, Acts 17:5

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 13:7 - vain men

Cross-References

Genesis 11:4
Then they said to each other, "Let's build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth."
Genesis 11:6
The Lord said, "Now, these people are united, all speaking the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want.
Genesis 11:7
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other."
Genesis 11:18
When Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born.
Genesis 14:10
There were many tar pits in the Valley of Siddim. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ran away, some of the soldiers fell into the tar pits, but the others ran away to the mountains.
Exodus 1:14
They made their lives bitter. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work.
Exodus 2:3
But after three months she was not able to hide the baby any longer, so she got a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar so that it would float. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the tall stalks of grass at the edge of the Nile River.
2 Samuel 12:31
He also brought out the people of the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. He also made them build with bricks. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.
Psalms 64:5
They encourage each other to do wrong. They talk about setting traps, thinking no one will see them.
Proverbs 1:11
They will say, "Come with us. Let's ambush and kill someone; let's attack some innocent people just for fun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Jephthah fled from his brethren,.... Being ill used by them, and a man of spirit and courage, and could not bear to be treated with contempt, nor to live in a dependence on others, and therefore sought to make himself another way:

and dwelt in the land of Tob; which Kimchi and Ben Gersom think was the name of the lord and owner of the land; Abarbinel interprets it, a good land, as Tob signifies, so the Targum; but others the name of a city or country, and conjecture it may be the same with Ishtob, and which was not far from the children of Ammon, since they sent thither for assistance, 2 Samuel 10:6. Jerom g takes it for a country, in which Jephthah dwelt, but says no more of it. Junius says it was on the entrance of Arabia Deserta, in the Apocypha:

"Yea, all our brethren that were in the places of Tobie are put to death: their wives and their children also they have carried away captives, and borne away their stuff; and they have destroyed there about a thousand men.'' (1 Maccabees 5:13)

"Then departed they from thence seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa unto the Jews that are called Tubieni.'' (2 Maccabees 12:17)

where the inhabitants of it are called Tobienians or Tubienians:

and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah; not wicked men, but empty men, whose pockets were empty; men without money, as Abarbinel interprets it, had nothing to live upon, no more than Jephthah, and he being a valiant man, they enlisted themselves under him:

and went out with him; not on any bad design, as to rob and plunder, but to get their living by hunting; or rather by making excursions into the enemy's country, and carrying off booty, on which they lived. Josephus h says he maintained them at his own expense, and paid them wages.

g De loc. Heb. fol. 25. A. h Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect. 7.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The land of Tob - To the north of Gilead, toward Damascus. The readiness with which Jephthah took to the freebooter’s life gives us a lively picture of the unsettled times in which he lived.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 11:3. There were gathered vain men to Jephthah — אנשים ריקים anashim reykim, empty men - persons destitute of good sense, and profligate in their manners. The word may, however, mean in this place poor persons, without property, and without employment. The versions in general consider them as plunderers.


 
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