The Meaning of Judges 10:18 Explained

Judges 10:18

KJV: And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

YLT: And the people -- heads of Gilead -- say one unto another, 'Who is the man that doth begin to fight against the Bene-Ammon? he is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.'

Darby: And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, "Who is the man that will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

ASV: And the people, the princes of Gilead, said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the people  [and] princes  of Gilead  said  one  to another,  What man  [is he] that will begin  to fight  against the children  of Ammon?  he shall be head  over all the inhabitants  of Gilead. 

What does Judges 10:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 10:17-18 - Turning To A Rejected Leader
The life of Jephthah is a great consolation to those whose birth has been irregular. The sin of his parents was not allowed permanently to injure his career. He is also distinctly mentioned in Hebrews 11:1-40 as one of the heroes of faith. See Ezekiel 18:14-17.
Driven from his home, Jephthah took to the life of a bandit-chieftain, probably in much the same fashion as David in after-years when he protected, for payment, the cattle of the Hebrew grazers from Ammonite forays. See 1 Samuel 25:15. Jephthah's wife apparently had died; but his sweet and noble daughter grew up amid that wild horde, and they were all in all to each other. As David influenced a similar band, so did this father and child lift the tone and morale of their followers, until the story of it filled the land and brought the, elders, who years before had sided with Jephthah's brethren, to entreat him to lead the fight for freedom. What a beautiful suggestion of our Lord! He came to His own and they crucified Him. He comes to us and we at first refuse Him. But His love never faileth. Being reviled, He blesses; being persecuted, He endures; being defamed, He entreats, 1 Corinthians 4:12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 10

1  Tola judges Israel in Shamir
3  Jair, whose thirty sons had thirty cities
6  The Philistines and Ammonites oppress Israel
10  In their misery God sends them to their false gods
15  Upon their repentance he pities them

What do the individual words in Judges 10:18 mean?

And said the people the leaders of Gilead one to another who [is] the man who will begin the fight against the sons of Ammon He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead -
וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ הָעָ֜ם שָׂרֵ֤י גִלְעָד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־ רֵעֵ֔הוּ מִ֣י הָאִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָחֵ֔ל לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם בִּבְנֵ֣י ؟ עַמּ֑וֹן יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לְרֹ֔אשׁ לְכֹ֖ל יֹשְׁבֵ֥י גִלְעָֽד פ

וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָעָ֜ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
שָׂרֵ֤י  the  leaders 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
גִלְעָד֙  of  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
אִ֣ישׁ  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
רֵעֵ֔הוּ  another 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
מִ֣י  who  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
הָאִ֔ישׁ  the  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יָחֵ֔ל  will  begin 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם  the  fight 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
בִּבְנֵ֣י  against  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
؟ עַמּ֑וֹן  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.
יִֽהְיֶ֣ה  He  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לְרֹ֔אשׁ  head 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
לְכֹ֖ל  over  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
יֹשְׁבֵ֥י  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
גִלְעָֽד  of  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation