Judges 11 16

Judges 11:16 kjv

But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

Judges 11:16 nkjv

for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

Judges 11:16 niv

But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh.

Judges 11:16 esv

but when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

Judges 11:16 nlt

When the people of Israel arrived at Kadesh on their journey from Egypt after crossing the Red Sea,

Judges 11 verses

Judges 11 16 Meaning

Judges 11:16 sets forth a crucial historical detail in Jephthah’s diplomatic exchange with the king of Ammon. It recounts Israel's precise and God-directed path during their wilderness wanderings, specifically highlighting their emergence from Egypt, their journey through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and their subsequent arrival at Kadesh. This verse serves to underscore Israel's adherence to divine commands regarding territorial boundaries, asserting that they did not encroach upon the lands of Edom, Moab, or Ammon on their way to Canaan. Jephthah uses this historical fact to refute the Ammonite king's false accusation that Israel had unlawfully seized their land.

Judges 11 16 Context

Judges chapter 11 narrates the rise of Jephthah, a Gileadite judge, to lead Israel against the oppressive Ammonites. The Ammonite king initiated hostilities by claiming Israel had seized land belonging to Ammon (Judges 11:13). Judges 11:16 is part of Jephthah's extensive and highly sophisticated rebuttal (Judges 11:14-27) to this accusation. Jephthah, acting as a diplomat and historian, provides a detailed account of Israel's journey from Egypt to the occupation of Transjordan, meticulously explaining that Israel specifically avoided conflicts and did not trespass on the lands of Edom, Moab, or Ammon, because God had expressly forbidden them from doing so. The verse, therefore, highlights Israel's adherence to God's territorial decrees, bolstering Jephthah's argument that the land they possessed in Transjordan was rightfully theirs through divine conquest over the Amorites, not unlawful seizure from Ammon. This historical review showcases Jephthah's understanding of foundational Israelite covenant history and his appeal to a higher authority (Yahweh) over national claims.

Judges 11 16 Word analysis

• But: This conjunction emphasizes the counter-argument Jephthah presents against the Ammonite claim. It signifies a transition to a crucial historical point that refutes the king's false narrative.
• when Israel: Refers to the collective nation, the people of the covenant. The historical experience of Israel is central to their identity and claim to the land. Jephthah speaks for this divinely chosen nation.
• came up from Egypt: (Hebrew: וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֵּֽלְכ֖וּ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם – wa-yaʿălû yisrāʾēl wa-yyēlĕḵû mim-miṣrāyim)
  • וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ (wa-yaʿălû): "and they went up/came up." The term "went up" or "came up" (ʿālāh) is consistently used in biblical narrative for Israel's departure from Egypt, signifying their elevation from slavery to freedom, a divinely orchestrated movement from a lower status to a higher, more significant existence. It underscores the momentous nature of the Exodus as God's act of deliverance.
  • מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם (mim-miṣrāyim): "from Egypt." This pinpoints the origin of their journey, grounding the narrative in a widely acknowledged foundational event of Israelite history. The departure from Egypt is the very beginning of their existence as a distinct, divinely-led nation.
• and went through the wilderness: (Hebrew: וַיֵּלְכוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר – wa-yyēlĕḵû bam-midbār)
  • וַיֵּלְכוּ (wa-yyēlĕḵû): "and they walked/journeyed." Signifies the long, arduous, and circuitous trek.
  • בַּמִּדְבָּר (bam-midbār): "in the wilderness." The wilderness (midbar) was a place of divine testing, provision, and formation for Israel. It represents the crucible where their identity as God's covenant people was forged, entirely dependent on His guidance.
• to the Red Sea: (Hebrew: עַד־יַם־סוּף – ʿad yam-sūp̄)
  • יַם־סוּף (yam-sūp̄): "Sea of Reeds." While commonly translated "Red Sea," the Hebrew Yam Suph literally means "Reed Sea" or "End Sea." This specific body of water was the site of God's miraculous intervention, dividing the waters for Israel's passage and overthrowing the pursuing Egyptian army. Its mention reinforces the divine leading and miraculous nature of their initial journey.
• and came to Kadesh: (Hebrew: וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ קָדֵ֑שָׁה – wa-yyāḇōʾû qādēšāh)
  • קָדֵ֑שָׁה (Qādēšāh): "Kadesh," referring to Kadesh-Barnea. This was a critical stopping point and significant encampment for Israel in the wilderness, mentioned numerous times in Numbers and Deuteronomy. It was here that Israel received the spies' report, rebelled against God's command to enter Canaan, and subsequently spent decades wandering as a consequence. By stating Israel came to Kadesh, Jephthah accurately portrays their intended route before the detour due to their disobedience. Kadesh was the gateway to the promised land from the south and also the hub for the final stage of their wilderness wandering, positioned strategically in relation to Edom and Moab.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "But when Israel came up from Egypt and went through the wilderness": This phrase establishes the foundational period of Israel's national existence—their miraculous deliverance and the formative forty years under God's direct guidance. It sets the stage for a divinely orchestrated journey rather than a self-willed expansion. Jephthah is recounting an indisputable history, known to both Israel and presumably the Ammonites.
• "to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh": These two geographical markers highlight key points in Israel's wilderness itinerary. The journey "to the Red Sea" marks the miraculous escape from Egypt and their turning eastward/southward, avoiding Canaan immediately. "Came to Kadesh" signifies their arrival at a major base of operations near the borders of Edom, Moab, and the southern edge of Canaan. This part of the itinerary is critical because it precisely details their path before engaging with the lands of the nations that bordered Ammon. Jephthah emphasizes their direct, peaceful route to a specific strategic location without initial territorial dispute, prior to their extended detour and eventual movement around the stipulated lands of Edom and Moab (Deut 2).

Judges 11 16 Bonus section

The historical narrative presented by Jephthah in Judges 11 is remarkably consistent with the details found in the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, especially Deuteronomy 2. This suggests a profound historical and theological understanding by Jephthah, reinforcing his credentials not only as a military leader but also as a competent legal advocate and student of Israel's sacred history. The specificity of his geographical references, such as "Kadesh" and "Red Sea," serves to make his argument concrete and verifiable against the Ammonite king's broad and inaccurate accusations. The polemical nature of Jephthah's speech against the Ammonites indirectly upholds the exclusivity and power of Yahweh, showing His sovereign right to apportion land, unlike the Ammonite god Chemosh (mentioned later in the discourse), who holds no true authority over the territories or nations.

Judges 11 16 Commentary

Judges 11:16 is pivotal because it grounds Jephthah's legal and historical argument against the Ammonites in the meticulous record of Israel's early history. Rather than merely stating Israel occupied the land, Jephthah strategically recounts the manner of their arrival and the route they took, demonstrating their obedience to divine directives concerning their neighbors. The Ammonites' claim hinged on an alleged illegal seizure. Jephthah dispatches this by detailing that Israel's initial path after the Exodus explicitly avoided Edom and Moab, countries whose land God had assigned to others. By stating Israel passed "to the Red Sea" and "came to Kadesh," he provides irrefutable historical waypoints showing that Israel was not aiming for Ammonite land or other designated territories when they exited Egypt, but followed a specific, often divinely ordained, course. This verse acts as a foundation for Jephthah's subsequent arguments that Israel did not initially take the Transjordan lands from Ammon or Moab, but from the Amorites, with divine sanction. It underscores the theological principle that land claims among the nations ultimately rested on the sovereign distribution of God.