The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 4 - Signs & Symbols
4.6.6 "Shibboleth" - Emblem of Plenty and
Secret Password
Q: How did you gain admission?
A: By the pass, an token of the pass of a Fellow Craft.
Q: What was the name of the pass?
A: SHIBBOLETH.
Q: What does it denote?
A: Plenty.
Q: How is it represented?
A: By ears of corn hanging near a water-ford. 609
"Shibboleth" is an emblem and secret password of the Second Degree, that of
Fellow Craft. The Masons have taken over this password from the Bible, the 12 th
chapter of the Book of Judges. The word was instituted by Jephthah, a judge of
Israel, when he led the men of Gilead to war against the Epraimites, a rebellious
people. The Epraimites crossed the river Jordan with a mighty army, but
Jephthah was apprised of their approach and put them to flight. He stationed
guards at the different passes on the banks of the river, and commanded them to
demand each stranger passing this way to pronounce the word "shibboleth." The
Epraimites were of a different tribe and not able to pronounce the word correctly,
saying "sibboleth," so that they were easily detected, and the fleeing Epraimites
could be killed. 610
Hence, the word shibboleth came to be used generally to indicate a
password, amulet or other safety device, though the bloodshed which
accompanied its origin seems out of proportion to the necessities of
either that occasion or its subsequent symbolic use. The Masonic
symbolism is decidedly obscure, complicated as it is by the association
with several other symbols apparently unrelated to the Ephraimitish war
or to each other. 611
The quotation above from Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia states that the
peculiar appearance and constellation of this symbol cannot be explained. In
Section 8.2.2 on the androgynous Order of the Eastern Star the symbol of a sheaf
of corn meaning "plenty" will re-appear in connection to Ruth, who collected the
leftover ears of corn on the fields of Boaz. But why are these ears hanging from a
tree over a water ford in the symbolism of Craft Masonry? The "water-ford"
might allude to the River Jordan (but if this word really means "waterfall," this
609 Duncan, p. 84/85.
610 Cf. Sickels, p. 155. See also CME, p. 619/620.
611 CME, p. 620.