4Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
In this battle report in Judges 12:4–6, there is no mention of the Spirit of the Lord coming on him or giving his enemies into his hand. God is not involved in any way. This is not holy war; it is an intertribal feud without any divine support.
4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.”