then said they to him, Say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth; for he couldn't manage to pronounce it right: then they laid hold on him, and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time of Ephraim forty-two thousand.
Earlier we saw that Gideon’s failure had bad consequences for his nation (ch. 8) and for him personally (ch. 9). Likewise Jephthah’s failure had bad consequences for him personally (ch. 11) and for his nation (ch. 12). We shall see that Samson’s failure also had bad consequences for his nation and himself (ch. 16). The bad personal consequences Gideon experienced involved the premature death of his 70 sons. Jephthah’s personal tragedy involved the premature death of his only daughter. [Note: See Michael J. Smith, "The Failure of the Family in Judges, Part 1: Jephthah," Bibliotheca Sacra 162:647 (July-September 2005):279-98.] Samson himself died prematurely (cf. Romans 6:23).