Judges 12:3

3 Which thing I saw, and putted my life in mine hands; and I passed (forth) to the sons of Ammon, and the Lord betook them into mine hands; what have I (done that I) deserved, that ye rise together against me into battle? (so what have I done that I deserve that ye rise up against me in battle?)

Judges 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.

Judges 12:3 In-Context

1 And, lo! dissension (a)rose in Ephraim; for they, that passed toward the north (who crossed over to Zaphon), said to Jephthah, Why wentest thou to battle against the sons of Ammon, and wouldest not call us, (so) that we should go with thee. Therefore we shall burn (down) thine house.

2 To which he answered, Great strife was to me and to my people against the sons of Ammon, and I called you, that ye should give help to me, and you would not do so. (To whom he answered, There was great strife between me and my people and the Ammonites, and I called on you, to give me help, but ye would not do so.)

3 Which thing I saw, and putted my life in mine hands; and I passed (forth) to the sons of Ammon, and the Lord betook them into mine hands; what have I (done that I) deserved, that ye rise together against me into battle? (so what have I done that I deserve that ye rise up against me in battle?)

4 Therefore when all the men of Gilead were called to Jephthah, he fought against Ephraim; and [the] men of Gilead smote Ephraim; for he said (for they said), Gilead is fugitive, either exiled, from Ephraim, and in the midst of Ephraim, and of Manasseh.

5 And the men of Gilead occupied the fords of (the) Jordan, by which Ephraim should turn again. And when a man, fleeing of the number of Ephraim, had come to the fords, and had said, I beseech, that ye suffer me pass; men of Gilead said to him, Whether thou art a man of Ephraim? And when he had said, I am not (And when a man, fleeing from the Ephraimites, had come to the crossing, and had said, I beseech thee, that ye allow me to cross over; the men of Gilead said to him, Art thou a man of Ephraim? And when he had said, I am not),