Ibzan

Biblical Record

Ibzan appears only in Judges 12:8-10. The book of Judges records that after the death of Jephthah, "Ibzan of Bethlehem" judged Israel as a judge (Judges 12:8). The judges were leaders who guided Israel before the establishment of the monarchy. The text records only the following:

• He had thirty sons and thirty daughters.
• He sent his daughters abroad in marriage and "took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons" (Judges 12:9).
• He "judged Israel seven years" (Judges 12:9).
• He died and was buried at Bethlehem (Judges 12:10).

After him, Elon the Zebulonite judged Israel (Judges 12:11).

Significance in Scripture

Ibzan is one of the judges commonly grouped together as the "minor judges." The term refers to judges whose records contain no accounts of warfare or deliverance, only brief notes on their place of origin, family, length of tenure, and burial place. Many interpreters regard the record of his numerous children and the many marriages he arranged as evidence that he possessed considerable wealth and social standing. Ibzan is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Location of Bethlehem: The traditional view identifies his hometown with Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah. Some scholars suggest that it may instead be the Bethlehem of the tribe of Zebulun mentioned in Joshua 19:15, noting that the minor judges listed before and after him come mainly from the northern tribes.
• Meaning of the marriage record: Some interpreters view his sending his daughters "abroad" in marriage and bringing in daughters-in-law "from abroad" as a political act aimed at forming alliances with other clans or tribes. The text, however, does not state his intent.
• Tradition identifying him with Boaz: Some traditions in the Jewish Talmud reportedly identify Ibzan with Boaz of Bethlehem. This, however, is a later tradition with no basis in the biblical text, and Protestant commentaries generally reject it.

In the Korean Church

Because his record is so brief, Ibzan is rarely the sole subject of a sermon. He is typically mentioned only when Sunday school or Bible study classes learn the names and sequence of the judges. Both the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render his name as "Ipsan."