Say 'Shibboleth'

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead would say to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No,"then they would say to him, "Say now, 'Shibboleth.'" But he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.

Judges 12:5-6

That is what I read this morning during my quiet time. What did I learn? Well, I learned how important it is to have good pronunciation. Any English speaker who has had to learn French will agree that French is often difficult to pronounce and the difference between two words or two phrases often hinges on just one little sound.

Incidentally, I told my classmates and my teacher this morning what I had learned. Yeah, try pronouncing 'Schibboleth' in French with the correct accent! Just for kicks, I have included the Louis Segond (most widely used French Bible) version at the end of this post.

So, will bad pronunciation cost me my life on the mission field? Not likely. However, it could hinder my ministry. So, I'll strive to do my best with not only pronunciation, but also with vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.

Voila! Juges 12:5-6

Galaad s'empara des gués du Jourdain du côté d'Éphraïm. Et quand l'un des fuyards d'Éphraïm disait: Laissez-moi passer! les hommes de Galaad lui demandaient: Es-tu Éphraïmite? Il répondait: Non. Ils lui disaient alors: Hé bien, dis Schibboleth. Et il disait Sibboleth, car il ne pouvait pas bien prononcer. Sur quoi les hommes de Galaad le saisissaient, et l'égorgeaient près des gués du Jourdain. Il périt en ce temps-là quarante-deux mille hommes d'Éphraïm.