Atlas Biblica

    person

    Ibzan

    אִבְצָן

    Ibzan was a judge of Israel who led the nation for seven years, had thirty sons and thirty daughters, and was buried in Bethlehem.

    verses
    2
    first named
    Judges 12:8
    last named
    Judges 12:11
    period
    before Israel's Monarchy
    role
    Judge

    Description

    Who was Ibzan?

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    Ibzan is mentioned in Jdg.12.8-10 as one of the judges who led Israel after the time of Jephthah. He was from Bethlehem, although it is not specified whether this refers to Bethlehem in Judah or another Bethlehem.

    Ibzan judged Israel for seven years. The text mentions that he had thirty sons and thirty daughters. It also states that he sent his daughters abroad in marriage and brought in thirty young women from outside for his sons. This suggests that Ibzan was a man of influence and means, as he was able to arrange marriages for his many children.

    The mention of Ibzan's thirty sons and thirty daughters riding on seventy donkeys (Jdg.12.14) further emphasizes his wealth and status, as donkeys were a sign of prosperity and importance in ancient times.

    After leading Israel for seven years, Ibzan died and was buried in his hometown of Bethlehem. The brief account of his life and leadership highlights the period of the judges, during which Israel was led by various individuals who delivered the nation from oppression and provided guidance and governance.

    Ibzan's story also illustrates the importance of family and marriage alliances in ancient Israelite society, as well as the significance of the number seven, which often represents completeness or perfection in the Bible.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    How the graph connects Ibzan5 of 5 entities the graph connects to Ibzan, in 2 groups: company 1, events 4. Kinship, company and ground are stated relations; events counts the acts two entities stand in together and is not a relation. Each mark is sized by how many verses name that entity and labelled with the link and the count, so the grouping and the size are both readable without colour. Distance from the centre carries nothing.Ibzan’s judging of IsraelTook part in · 2 versesCompanyIsrael2 events · 2,578 versesBethlehem1 event · 53 versesJephthah1 event · 26 versesElon1 event · 2 versesEventsIbzan

    Took part in

    Stands in the same events as

    Places

    Where this happens

    The places the claims about this person reach, drawn where the gazetteer locates them. A point is where a row puts them and never where tradition does; no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.

    Where the story of Ibzan happensThe one place the claims about Ibzan reach, on a map of the world the text moves through, framed to them: Bethlehem. Each dot is a coordinate from the gazetteer, sized by how many rows put Ibzan there. The coastline is a modern one, simplified; no border, road or settlement of any period is drawn, and no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.Bethlehem
    before Israel's MonarchyThe one place the claims about Ibzan reach

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 2, across 1 book.

    1. Judges2 verses

      12:812:10

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    via Ibzan’s judging of IsraelIsraelPatriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribesvia Ibzan’s judging of IsraelJephthahA judge of Israel, known for his tragic vow.via Ibzan’s judging of IsraelJudgingJudging is a concept gathering 25 labelled instances in the text.

    Where they appear

    Chapter by chapter

    Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.

    Sources

    What this rests on