What group of people in the Bible could not pronounce the word “Shibboleth” correctly? Who was making them pronounce it and what did they do to them if it was said wrong? Who was the ruler of Israel at this time?
Answer: During the rule of Jephthah as judge over the nation of Israel, the tribe of Ephraim caused trouble and fought against Jephthah and the men of Gilead. Ephraim was defeated by them but some tried to escape. The Gileadites had seized the fords of the Jordan River so when the men of Ephraim tried to cross the Jordan, the Gileadites stopped them and made them say the word “Shibboleth” which the Ephraimites could not pronounce correctly. They would say “Sibboleth”. In this way, the men of Gilead were able to easily identify any Ephraimite trying to escape and then had them executed there at the river. (Judges 12:1-7)