Jephthah’s vow and victory over Ammon (11:29–33)
29 As in the case of Gideon (6:34), the Spirit of the Lord empowered Jephthah in preparation for battle. Strengthened by this divine designation, he traveled north through Transjordan, gathering troops from the tribes of Gad and Manasseh. These two tribes actually split Gilead between them (Josh 13:25, 31), with Gad receiving the larger share.
30–31 Jephthah’s desire to defeat the Ammonites was so intense that he made a special “vow to the Lord” (v.30). Though intended as an act of devotion, it showed a lack of faith in God’s enabling power. Scholars continue to debate whether or not Jephthah had a human sacrifice in mind. The masculine gender could be translated “whatever comes out” (v.31) or “whoever comes out” and “I will sacrifice it,” but it is hard to see how a common animal sacrifice would express unusual devotion.
Human sacrifice was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic law (Lev 18:21; Deut 12:31); so Jephthah should have known that God’s favor could not be gained in this terrible way. Yet Israel’s neighbors—ironically, especially the Ammonites—sacrificed their children; and this custom might have influenced Jephthah. The most notable example was the slaughter of the crown prince at the hands of the king of Moab (2 Kings 3:27). In his desperation the king was willing to pay the ultimate price for victory. Although Jephthah did not originally plan to sacrifice his daughter, he would gladly have offered up anyone else if it helped bring victory.
32–33 The Lord gave Israel a stunning victory over Ammon, and Israel was able to capture twenty cities. These included Aroer, at Reuben’s southern border just north of the Arnon, and Abel Keramim, tentatively located about five miles north of Heshbon. Thus the bulk of the region between the Arnon and the Jabbok once again belonged to Israel. Verse 33 indicates that a very large number of Ammonites died in the battle.
Notes
31 The words בְּשׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם (bešûḇî ḇešālôm, “when I return in triumph”) are identical with those of Gideon in 8:9, as he grimly promised death to the men of Peniel.
The NASB connects the last two clauses with “or” instead of “and” (NIV) in an attempt to provide one option for a human, the other for an animal. While it is true that the conjunction וְ (we) can mean “or” occasionally, the writer knows of no case where it joins clauses so diverse in structure and has the meaning “or.” The specified word for “or,” אוֹ (ʾô), would be expected, as in v.34.
33 “Minnith” may be the same as Μαανιθ (Maanith) of Eusebius’ Onomasticon which town was located some four miles northeast of Heshbon. The “wheat of Minnith” is mentioned in Ezek 27:17.
6. Jephthah’s vow fulfilled (11:34–40)
34–35 The flush of victory gave way to bitter despair when Jephthah was greeted by his daughter, leaping and dancing (v.34), like Miriam and the women of Israel who had celebrated the triumph of the Red Sea (Exod 15:20). But as the first to leave his house, she came under the terms of his vow. How strange for this happy young girl to notice the response of her father! He behaved like a defeated soldier, not the victorious commander he really was. Jephthah quickly realized what he had done; for his daughter was an only child, and her death would mean the end of his family line.
Jephthah’s lamentable words in v.35 describe the situation as an unmitigated disaster. Both he and the Ammonites were humiliated and subdued. His own daughter unknowingly brought calamity to herself and her father.
36–39 Jephthah’s daughter sensed the implications of her father’s vow but made no attempt to get him to break it. Her willingness to yield herself resembled that of another only child, Isaac, who faced almost certain death when he allowed his father to tie him to an altar (Gen 22). Even if victory over Ammon meant her life, it was worth it; and she gently encouraged her father to perform his vow (v.36).
First, however, Jephthah’s daughter requested a two-month period in which she could literally “bewail her virginity” (v.37). The goal of every Hebrew girl was to marry and have children (Gen 30:1), but Jephthah’s daughter would do neither. Accompanied by her friends, she spent two months on the mountains, weeping and meditating, preparing for her ordeal (v.38). When she returned, Jephthah carried out his solemn vow (v.39).
40 The yearly commemoration of this noble girl makes sense only if she died at the hands of her father. The view that she served at the sanctuary (Exod 38:8) in lifelong ministry would not demand this kind of lamenting. And, sad to say, not all the women “at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” remained virgins either (1 Sam 2:22).
The death of this innocent girl came because of a rash vow. Jephthah knew that it was a sin to break a vow (Num 30:2), but in this case it was a greater sin to fulfill it. Jephthah was treating his daughter as a “person devoted to destruction” (Lev 27:29). This punishment was a strong curse reserved for the enemies of God (cf. Josh 6:17), but Jephthah’s daughter had done nothing to deserve such a fate. According to Proverbs 26:2, “an undeserved curse does not come to rest.” Perhaps an analogy may be drawn from the oath Saul took and Jonathan inadvertently violated. Saul concluded that his son must die, but the people rescued the popular prince (1 Sam 14:28, 43–45). Likewise, though Jephthah sincerely believed God required him to go through with his promise, he was badly mistaken.
Notes
34 Women customarily greeted military heroes in this way; so it seems strange that Jephthah was taken by surprise. The תֻּפִּים (tuppîm, “tambourines”) and מְחֹלוֹת (meḥōlôṯ, “dancing”) are also mentioned in Exod 15:20 and 1 Sam 18:6.
35 Gideon used the same interjection אֲהָהּ (ʾahāh, “oh”) when he was afraid he would die (6:22).
Ironically, the root כָּרַע (kāraʿ translated “made miserable,” here in the Hiphil) is used of Sisera’s “bowing down” at the feet of Jael (5:27).
עָכַר (ʿāḵar, “to grieve, trouble”; NIV, “wretched”) appears in Josh 7:25, where Achan “brought trouble” on all Israel. Also compare 1 Sam 14:29.
39 “She was a virgin” is literally “she did not know aman.” יָדַע (yāḏaʿ, “to know”) is used as aeuphemism for sexual intercourse (cf. 19:25; 21:11).
A thorough discussion of the problem of this passage is found in James Mathisen’s “Jephthah’s Vow and Jephthah’s Daughter’s Fate” (Master’s thesis, Wheaton College, 1969). For a summary of arguments in favor of the view that Jephthah’s daughter was not put to death, see Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody, 1974), pp. 284–85.
Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 3: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (454–457). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
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