Shofetim 12:3

3 And when I saw that you were not my moshi’a, I put my nefesh in my hands, and passed over against the Bnei Ammon, and Hashem delivered them into my yad; why then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

Shofetim 12:3 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 12:3

And when I saw that ye delivered me not
Gave him no assistance against their common enemy, did not attempt to save him and his people out of their hands, but left them to defend themselves:

I put my life in my hands;
ready to deliver it up in the defence of his country; the meaning is, that he exposed himself to the utmost danger, hazarded his life in going with a few troops into an enemy's country to fight him, and so liable to lose his life; which was in as much danger, as some observe, as any brittle thing contained in the hand is in danger of falling, or of being snatched out of it:

and passed over against the children of Ammon:
took a long and fatiguing march over the land of Gilead into that of the children of Ammon, to fight with them:

and the Lord delivered them into my hand;
gave him victory over them, which showed that his cause was just, and his call to engage in it clear:

wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day to fight against me?
who rather should have come with thanks to him for the service he had done, not only for the Gileadites, but for all Israel; for had he not fought against the children of Ammon, and conquered them, they would have soon not only overrun and oppressed Gilead, but would have come over Jordan, and dispossessed the other tribes, and particularly Ephraim, as they had done already, ( Judges 10:9 ) so that it was base ingratitude in these people to come to fight against Jephthah, who had fought for them, and wrought salvation for them.

Shofetim 12:3 In-Context

1 2 And the ish Ephrayim gathered themselves together, and went into Tzafon, and said unto Yiftach, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the Bnei Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? We will burn thine bais upon thee with eish.

2 And Yiftach said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the Bnei Ammon; and when I called you, ye saved me not out of their hands.

3 And when I saw that you were not my moshi’a, I put my nefesh in my hands, and passed over against the Bnei Ammon, and Hashem delivered them into my yad; why then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

4 Then Yiftach gathered together all the Anshei Gil‘ad, and fought with Ephrayim; and the anshei Gil‘ad struck down Ephrayim, because they said, Ye Gilead are fugitives of Ephrayim among the Ephrayim, and among the Menasheh.

5 And the Gilead took the fords of the Yarden before the Ephrayim; and it was so, that when those Ephrayim which were escaped said, Let me cross over; that the anshei Gil‘ad said unto him, Art thou an Ephrati? If he said, No,