Judges 11:13

13 To the which messengers the king answered, For Israel, when he ascended from Egypt, took away my land, from the coasts of Arnon unto Jabbok, and to (the) Jordan, now therefore yield it to me again with peace. (To which messengers the king answered, For Israel, when they came up from Egypt, took away my land, from the Arnon River unto the Jabbok River, and unto the Jordan River; and so now peacefully, or without any need for fighting, return thou these lands to me.)

Judges 11:13 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 11:13

And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the
messengers of Jephthah
Who this king of Ammon was is not said, however he returned an answer to Jephthah's messengers, which they brought to him, and it was to this purpose; that the reason of his invading the land, and bringing war into it, was,

because Israel took away my land when they came out of Egypt;
not as soon as they came out of Egypt, for it was thirty nine years afterwards, and upwards, even a little before they entered into the land of Canaan; and the land they took was not theirs, but in the possession of Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites; though indeed, before their conquest of it, it had been in the hands of the Moabites and Ammonites, and who being confederates, or subjects of the same king, is here claimed by the king of the children of Ammon:

from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan;
the river Arnon was the border between Moab and the Amorites, and the river Jabbok was the border of the children of Ammon, ( Numbers 21:13 Numbers 21:24 ) , the one was to the south of the country claimed, and the other to the north and to the west, which was Jordan, and the wilderness to the east, ( Judges 11:22 ) ,

now therefore restore these lands again peaceably;
this is demanded or proposed as terms or conditions of peace, and what would prevent a war, and nothing short of this would do it.

Judges 11:13 In-Context

11 And so Jephthah went with the princes of Gilead, and all the people made him their prince; and Jephthah spake all his words (again) before the Lord in Mizpeh.

12 And he sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, which messengers should say of his person (which messengers were to say for him), What is to me and to thee, for thou hast come against me to waste my land?

13 To the which messengers the king answered, For Israel, when he ascended from Egypt, took away my land, from the coasts of Arnon unto Jabbok, and to (the) Jordan, now therefore yield it to me again with peace. (To which messengers the king answered, For Israel, when they came up from Egypt, took away my land, from the Arnon River unto the Jabbok River, and unto the Jordan River; and so now peacefully, or without any need for fighting, return thou these lands to me.)

14 By the which messengers Jephthah sent again, and commanded to them, that they should say to the king of Ammon,

15 Jephthah saith these things, Israel took not the land of Moab, neither the land of the sons of Ammon; (Jephthah saith these things, Nay! Israel did not take the land of Moab, nor the land of the Ammonites;)