The Meaning of Judges 11:13 Explained

Judges 11:13

KJV: And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

YLT: And the king of the Bene-Ammon saith unto the messengers of Jephthah, 'Because Israel took my land in his coming up out of Egypt, from Arnon, and unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan; and now, restore them in peace.'

Darby: And the king of the Ammonites answered the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel on coming from Egypt took away my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan; now therefore restore it peaceably."

ASV: And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when he came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon even unto the Jabbok, and unto the Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  of the children  of Ammon  answered  unto the messengers  of Jephthah,  Because Israel  took away  my land,  when they came up  out of Egypt,  from Arnon  even unto Jabbok,  and unto Jordan:  now therefore restore those [lands] again  peaceably. 

What does Judges 11:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 11:12-28 - A Warning From History
Jephthah acted with great prudence. Before rushing into war, he endeavored to argue the matter at issue in peaceful and courteous terms. In answer to the contention that Ammon was only trying to regain its own territories, he insisted that, when Israel came on the scene, they wrested the land, not from Ammon, but from the Amorites. Besides, the occupation of 300 years, which had never before been challenged, surely disproved the claim of the Ammonite king.
When a nation has right and justice on its side and is fighting against aggression, especially when the choice between two ideals is in the scale, there is every reason why it should appeal to the Lord, the Judge, to vindicate its cause. It was a question whether the worship of Jehovah or of Chemosh should dominate the country; on that issue there could be no vacillation nor hesitancy. It is interesting to notice how accurately Jephthah had studied the sacred annals of his people and how reverently he alludes to God. There is more religion in the hearts of men like Jephthah than certain Pharisees and priests give them credit for! [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 11

1  The covenant between Jephthah and the Gileadites, that he should lead
12  The treaty of peace between him and the Ammonites is in vain
29  Jephthah's vow
32  His conquest of the Ammonites
34  He performs his vow on his daughter

What do the individual words in Judges 11:13 mean?

and answered the king of the sons of Ammon unto the messengers of Jephthah because took away Israel - my land when they came up out of Egypt from the Arnon and as far as the Jabbok and to the Jordan therefore now restore those [lands] peaceably
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ בְּנֵי־ עַמּ֜וֹן אֶל־ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י יִפְתָּ֗ח כִּֽי־ לָקַ֨ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֶת־ אַרְצִי֙ בַּעֲלוֹת֣וֹ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם מֵאַרְנ֥וֹן וְעַד־ הַיַּבֹּ֖ק וְעַד־ הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְעַתָּ֕ה הָשִׁ֥יבָה אֶתְהֶ֖ן בְּשָׁלֽוֹם

וַיֹּאמֶר֩  and  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מֶ֨לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בְּנֵי־  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַמּ֜וֹן  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.
אֶל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
מַלְאֲכֵ֣י  the  messengers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
יִפְתָּ֗ח  of  Jephthah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִפְתָּח 
Sense: a son of Gilead and a concubine and the judge who defeated the Ammonites; after the victory because of a vow taken before the battle he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering.
כִּֽי־  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לָקַ֨ח  took  away 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אַרְצִי֙  my  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בַּעֲלוֹת֣וֹ  when  they  came  up 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם  out  of  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
מֵאַרְנ֥וֹן  from  the  Arnon 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַרְנׄון  
Sense: a river and surrounding valley in south Palestine, forms the border between Moab and the Amorites.
וְעַד־  and  as  far  as 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הַיַּבֹּ֖ק  the  Jabbok 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַבֹּק  
Sense: Additional Information: Jabbok = “emptying”.
וְעַד־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן  the  Jordan 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַרְדֵּן  
Sense: the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approx 200 miles (320 km).
וְעַתָּ֕ה  therefore  now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
הָשִׁ֥יבָה  restore 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אֶתְהֶ֖ן  those  [lands] 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person feminine plural
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בְּשָׁלֽוֹם  peaceably 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.