Judges 12:10 — Word Study
WLCוַיָּ֣מָת אִבְצָ֔ן וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּבֵ֥ית לָֽחֶם׃ פ
BSAThen IbzanʼIbtsân [a judge in Israel] diedmûwth▸ [to cease living, to pass away] and he was buriedqâbar▸ [laid to rest, interred] in BethlehemBêyth Lechem [house of bread, a city in Judah]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֣מָת | and he died | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אִבְצָ֔ן | Ibzan | Noun proper masculine |
| וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר | and he was buried | Verb, Niphal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| בְּבֵ֥ית | in Beth- | Preposition, noun proper |
| לָֽחֶם׃ פ | -lehem | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem. |
| KJV | Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem. |
| ASV | And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem. |
| YLT | And Ibzan dieth, and is buried in Beth-Lehem. |
| WEB | Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem. |
| BBE | And Ibzan came to his death and his body was put to rest at Beth-lehem. |
Where they part company is in the phrasing of the burial, but all translations agree on the death of Ibzan.
The sentence consists of two main clauses joined by a conjunction, creating a straightforward narrative flow.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאִבְצָן
verbמוּת
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Judges 12:10
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Judges of Israelgenerated
Judges 12:10 recounts the death of Ibzan, who served as a judge in Israel for seven years. His burial in Bethlehem highlights the significance of this city in Israel's history, both as a location of leadership and as the birthplace of key biblical figures. This passage is part of a larger narrative that details the succession of judges in Israel, emphasizing the cyclical nature of leadership and the eventual transition to monarchy.
Cross References
The Key Word — מוּת, vai.Ya.motgenerated
The verb מוּת (mūth) means 'to die' and encompasses a range of meanings from natural death to execution. It is used frequently in the Hebrew Bible, indicating the end of life for both humans and animals.
In this context, it signifies the literal death of Ibzan, marking the conclusion of his role as a judge. The use of the verb indicates a finality to his life and service, reflecting the broader theme of mortality in the Book of Judges.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the term died for מוּת.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of two main clauses connected by the conjunction 'and': וַיָּ֣מָת (and he died) and וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר (and he was buried). The subject of both clauses is אִבְצָ֔ן (Ibzan), establishing a straightforward narrative structure.
The prepositional phrase בְּבֵ֥ית לָֽחֶם (in Bethlehem) provides the location of Ibzan's burial, emphasizing the importance of this city in the context of Israel's history.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מוּת as ἀπέθανεν (apethanen), which also means 'he died.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, preserving the sense of finality in Ibzan's death.
The translation of קָבַר as ἐτάφη (etaphē) indicates a similar emphasis on burial, suggesting a consistent understanding of the act of laying someone to rest.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Judges 12:10 tells us that Ibzan, a judge in Israel, died and was buried in Bethlehem. This shows the end of his leadership and highlights Bethlehem's significance in Israel's history.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Ibzan was a judge in Israel, known for his role in leading the people before the establishment of the monarchy.
Being buried in Bethlehem connects Ibzan to a significant city in Israel's history, which is also known as the birthplace of David.
Ibzan judged Israel for seven years, as noted in the preceding verse.
The judges served as leaders and deliverers for Israel during a time of turmoil, before the nation transitioned to a monarchy.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from Ibzan's life and leadership as a judge in Israel?
- How does the location of burial in Bethlehem enhance our understanding of Ibzan's significance?
- In what ways do the judges of Israel reflect the spiritual and moral state of the people during that time?
- What lessons can we draw from the transitions of leadership in the Book of Judges?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Judges 12:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen died Ibzan, and was buried in Bethlehem. He died at the end of his seven years of government, and was buried in his native place; nothing memorable having happened during his being judge; this is all that is recorded of him.
Read John Gill on Judges 12 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Judges 12 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJudges 12:10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.Ver. 10. And was buried at Bethlehem.] Where he had done worthily, and was therefore bewailed. Contrarily, of King Edwin it is said, that he lived wickedly, died wishedly.
Read John Trapp on Judges 12 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges8–15. The three last Minor Judges See introduction to ch. 10
Read Cambridge on Judges 12 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem.
Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.
Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem.
then he died and was buried in Bethlehem.
Tyndale line
Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
And Ibzan died, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.
Then Ibzan died, and was buryed at Bethlehem.
Strictly literal
And Ibzan died, and was buried at Bethlehem.
And Ibzan dieth, and is buried in Beth-Lehem.
And Ibzan dies, and is buried in Beth-Lehem.
Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lechem.
Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.
From the Latin
And he died, and was buried in Bethlehem.
Simplified
Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
And Ibzan came to his death and his body was put to rest at Beth-lehem.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text states, "Then Ibzan died, and he was buried in Bethlehem." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in meaning, as it matches 4 of the 5 words, although the word order and articles differ due to the nature of Greek syntax. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls also support the Masoretic Text, confirming the burial location as Bethlehem without any notable variations.
וַיָּ֣מָת אִבְצָ֔ן וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּבֵ֥ית לָֽחֶם׃ פ
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Judges 12:10
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
מוּת (mūth) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to die' or 'to kill.' It encompasses a range of meanings from dying naturally to being executed as a penalty. The word can refer to both humans and animals, and it includes various forms such as causing death or being killed. There is a distinction in usage based on the subject, whether it is a person or God inflicting death.
מוּת vb. die
Qal
die, of natural or other causes
die as a penalty = be put to death
Po‛lel. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)
Hiph.
abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man
subj. God, by inflicting penalty
of animals killing men
bring to a premature death
Hoph. be killed, put to death
base
H4191 מוּת die .. die, of natural or other causes
. die as a penalty = be put to death
. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)
. . abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man
. subj. God, by inflicting penalty
. of animals killing men
. bring to a premature death
. be killed, put to death
4191 muwth mooth
a primitive root: to die (literally or figuratively);
causatively, to kill:--X at all, X crying, (be) dead (body,
man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to,
be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), X must needs,
slay, X surely, X very suddenly, X in (no) wise.
מוּת (mut) — to die.
1) to die, kill, have one executed
1a)(Qal)
1a1) to die
1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death
1a3) to die, perish (of a nation)
1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct)
1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch
1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death
1d) (Hophal)
1d1) to be killed, be put to death
1d1a) to die prematurely
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
אִבְצָן (Ibtsan) refers to a judge of Israel mentioned in the Book of Judges, specifically in Judges 12:8. The name is derived from a root meaning 'splendid' and is associated with a Bethlehemite judge during the time before Israel's monarchy.
אִבְצָן n.pr.m. judge of Isr.
base
H78 אִבְצָן
78 'Ibtsan ib-tsawn'
from the same as 76; splendid; Ibtsan, an Israelite:--Ibzan.
see HEBREW for 076
אִבְצָן (iv.tsan) — Ibzan.
A Judge living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.12.8
§ Ibzan, "their whiteness (literally their tin - as white"
a Bethlehemite judge in time of the judges
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
ib'-zan (ibhtsan): The 10th judge of Israel. His city is given as Bethlehem (whether of Judah or Zebulun is not stated). He judged Israel 7 years, and when he died he was buried in his native place. The only personal details given about him in the Biblical narrative are that he had 30 sons and a like number of daughters. He sent all of his sons "abroad" for wives and brought husbands from "abroad" for all his daughters. The exact meaning of ha-chuts, "abroad," is mere matter of speculation, but the great social importance of the man and, possibly, alliances among tribes, are suggested in the brief narrative (Jud 12:8-10). Jewish tradition identifies Ibzan with Boaz of Bethlehem-Judah (Talmud, Babha', Bathra', 91a).
Ella Davis Isaacs
Ibzan
Illustrious, the tenth judge of Israel (Judg. 12:8-10). He ruled seven years.
(illustrious), a native of Bethlehem of Zebulun, who judged Israel for seven years after Jephthah. (Judges 12:8,10) (B.C. 1137.)
The tenth "judge of Israel," born in Bethlehem. He held office seven years, and was noted for his large and prosperous family, B. C. 1182, Jud 12:8.
קָבַר (qabar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to bury.' It has several forms, including Qal (to bury), Niphal (to be buried), Piel (to bury in masses), and Pual (to be buried). The entries indicate its use in various contexts, including a reference to Genesis 25:10.
קָבַר 132 vb. bury
Qal 86 bury
Niph. 39 be buried
Pi. bury (in masses)
Pu. Gn 25:10.
base
H6912 קָבַר bury
6912 qabar kaw-bar'
a primitive root; to inter:--X in any wise, bury(-ier).
קָבַר (qa.var) — to bury.
1) to bury
1a) (Qal) to bury
1b) (Niphal) to be buried
1c) (Piel) to bury, bury (in masses)
1d) (Pual) to be buried
Conj | V-Niphal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Niphal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/VNw3ms
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (Beyth Lechem) means 'house of bread' and refers to two locations in ancient Palestine: one in Judah, known as the birthplace of David, and another in Zebulun, northwest of Nazareth. The word is built from the roots for 'house' and 'bread'.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם 41 n.pr.loc.
in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
base
H1035 בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם . in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
. in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
1035 Beyth Lechem bayth leh'-khem
from 1004 and 3899; house of bread; Beth- Lechem, a place in
Palestine:--Beth-lehem.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 03899
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a city in Judah, birthplace of David
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a place in Zebulun
N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npl
Beth
Occurs frequently as the appellation for a house, or dwelling-place, in such compounds as the words immediately following:
the most general word for a house or habitation. It has the special meaning of a temple or house of worship Beth is more frequently employed in compound names of places than any other word.
House, forms a part of many compounds names of places, and sometimes means the place or dwelling; and at others the temple. This word becomes Beit in modern Arabic.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (Beyth Lechem) means 'house of bread' and refers to two locations in ancient Palestine: one in Judah, known as the birthplace of David, and another in Zebulun, northwest of Nazareth. The word is built from the roots for 'house' and 'bread'.
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם 41 n.pr.loc.
in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
base
H1035 בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם . in Judah, 2 hours south of Jerusalem; birth-place of David
. in Zeb., 7 m. NW. of Nazareth
1035 Beyth Lechem bayth leh'-khem
from 1004 and 3899; house of bread; Beth- Lechem, a place in
Palestine:--Beth-lehem.
see HEBREW for 01004
see HEBREW for 03899
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a city in Judah, birthplace of David
בֵּית לֶ֫חֶם (bet le.chem) — Bethlehem.
§ Beth-lehem = "house of bread (food)"
a place in Zebulun
HNpl — Noun properHNpl