Dictionary Article

Term used by Jephthah to detect the Ephraimites at the banks of the Jordan River (Jgs 12:6). After the battle, many Ephraimites tried to escape by crossing the Jordan and returning to their own land. When each of them came to the river, he was asked by one of Jephthah’s soldiers to say “shibboleth.” An Ephraimite could not pronounce the word with the same accent as Jephthah’s men and was thus discovered and immediately killed.

Show passage in OET: JDG 12:6

OET-RV JDG 12:6

6 then they’d demand, “Now say: Shibboleth.” But if he said “Sibboleth” because he didn’t have time to think to pronounce it correctly, they would seize him and would slaughter him at those crossing places of the Yarden. Forty-two thousand from Efrayim fell at that time.

OET-LV JDG 12:6

6 And_they _said to_him/it say please Shibboleth and_he/it _said Sibboleth and_not he _gave _attention to_speak right and_they _seized him and_they_slaughtered _him to the _fords _of the _Yardēn and_it _fell at_time (the)_that of_ʼEfrayim forty and_two thousand.

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The exact problem in pronunciation is not known. Two possibilities exist. First, the Ephraimites had no sound comparable to “sh.” Thus, they pronounced “sh” as “s” (“shibboleth” becoming “sibboleth”). Second, the Gileadites pronounced “sh” as “th,” a sound which was unknown to the Ephraimites, who pronounced it as “s.” Thus, “shibboleth” was pronounced “thibboleth” by the Gileadites and “sibboleth” by the Ephraimites.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary