Judges 12:5
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;
The Gileadites seized and held the passages of the Jordan ahead of the Ephraimites to block their escape, and when fugitive Ephraimites who had escaped asked to go over they questioned them whether they were Ephraimites. Suspected fugitives were put to the test by being asked to pronounce Shibboleth, and the Ephraimites' different pronunciation, saying Sibboleth, exposed them and led to their capture, condemnation, and death at the river. The word Shibboleth means an ear of grain, while Sibboleth may have had the same meaning in the Ephraimite dialect, though its root means burden.
The episode shows that speech reveals a person's identity, allegiance, and character when outward appearance cannot, providing the pattern of a group's distinguishing word or test. As accent reveals a person's people, a Christian's speech and experience reveal whether the heart belongs to God's kingdom: the citizen of Zion speaks of heavenly hopes and spiritual things, while a worldly person cannot truly speak that language. The Ephraimites' failure by one letter pictures offending in one point of the law: faith and works belong together and salvation cannot be had with either alone, and the decisive spiritual Shibboleth is not a claim to wonderful works but a life expressing the law of righteousness with Christ at its heart.
God's law, commandments, and precepts are the distinguishing Shibboleth and mark of His people and their Shibboleth of escape from enemies, giving protection amid opposition, strength, and power with God as they keep them.