The way we pronounce certain words can reveal more about us than we might think. Do you call it "Grenn-ich" Road or "Green-witch"? Is it the "Arkansaw" River or the "Ar-KANSAS" River? Pronunciation can be surprisingly telling.
In the Old Testament, there's a story that illustrates this truth in a dramatic way. Judges 12 tells of a time of great conflict and tension. God’s people were divided. The tribes of Israel were plagued by internal struggles. One tribe turned against another and the next thing you know, they are in battle against one another. After the battle, the defeated tribe tried to flee home but had to cross a river defended by the other tribe. To determine the affiliation of the soldiers, they were asked to pronounce a word.
The men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time. (Judges 12:5-6).
The fate of each person’s life rested on a single word. Shibboleth or Sibboleth? That day, 42,000 died for saying it “wrong.”
In our own cultural and political landscape, there’s a strong pull toward sorting people into “us” and “them.” Tribalism teaches us to tune our ears and watch carefully for clues about where others stand. And it’s not just politics – this happens within Christian circles too. Rather than withholding judgment or showing curiosity, we can too easily turn against each other, as the people of Israel did in their day. This story is a caution: when we reduce people to a single word, it’s easy for violence to follow – whether that’s emotional, relational, or even physical.
In this season of life, I believe we need to reject the tribal way of Shibboleth. We can open our eyes to the cruelty it allows, the dehumanization it creates, and the pain it inflicts. We can turn to the way of Jesus, who rejected the lines of tribalism within religious and cultural boundaries to offer an inclusive and far-reaching invitation to follow Him.
As followers of Jesus, let’s look beyond labels and divisions, fight the temptation to turn on each other, and instead see each person as beloved and worth knowing deeply.
Peace,
Nick
In the Old Testament, there's a story that illustrates this truth in a dramatic way. Judges 12 tells of a time of great conflict and tension. God’s people were divided. The tribes of Israel were plagued by internal struggles. One tribe turned against another and the next thing you know, they are in battle against one another. After the battle, the defeated tribe tried to flee home but had to cross a river defended by the other tribe. To determine the affiliation of the soldiers, they were asked to pronounce a word.
The men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time. (Judges 12:5-6).
The fate of each person’s life rested on a single word. Shibboleth or Sibboleth? That day, 42,000 died for saying it “wrong.”
In our own cultural and political landscape, there’s a strong pull toward sorting people into “us” and “them.” Tribalism teaches us to tune our ears and watch carefully for clues about where others stand. And it’s not just politics – this happens within Christian circles too. Rather than withholding judgment or showing curiosity, we can too easily turn against each other, as the people of Israel did in their day. This story is a caution: when we reduce people to a single word, it’s easy for violence to follow – whether that’s emotional, relational, or even physical.
In this season of life, I believe we need to reject the tribal way of Shibboleth. We can open our eyes to the cruelty it allows, the dehumanization it creates, and the pain it inflicts. We can turn to the way of Jesus, who rejected the lines of tribalism within religious and cultural boundaries to offer an inclusive and far-reaching invitation to follow Him.
As followers of Jesus, let’s look beyond labels and divisions, fight the temptation to turn on each other, and instead see each person as beloved and worth knowing deeply.
Peace,
Nick