Jephthah said to them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you didn't save me out of their hand.
"As is so often the case, internal disputes broke out after the common enemy was subdued. The main issue appears to be Jephthah’s unilateral action in Transjordan. However, a much more serious issue is apparent, a developing independence among the tribes east of the Jordan. The conflict between the Ephraimites and the Gileadites is a sad commentary on the lack of Israelite unity in this period." [Note: Monson, p. 187.] 