Judges11
English Standard Version
1Now the was a , but he was the of a . was the of .
2And also him . And when his , they out and to him, You shall not have an in our , for you are the of .
3Then his and in the of , and around and with him.
4After a the against .
5And when the against , the of to from the of .
6And they to , and be our , that we may against the .
7But to the of , Did you not me and me out of my ? Why have you to me now when you are in ?
8And the of to , That is why we have to you now, that you may with us and against the and be our over all the of .
9 to the of , If you to against the , and the Lord them to me, I will be your .
10And the of to , The Lord will be between us, if we do not as you .
11So with the of , and the him and over them. And all his the Lord at .
12Then to the of the and , What do you have against me, that you have to me to against my ?
13And the of the the of , Because on from my , from the to the and to the ; now therefore it .
14 to the of the
15and to him, Thus : did not take the of or the of the ,
16but when they from , through the to the and to .
17 then to the of , , Please let us pass your , but the of would not . And they also to the of , but he would not . So at .
18Then they through the and went the of and the of and on the of the of and on the other of the . But they did not the of , for the was the of .
19 then to of the , of , and to him, Please let us pass your our ,
20but did not to pass his , so all his and at and with .
21And the Lord, the of , and all his into the of , and they them. So took of all the of the , who that .
22And they took of all the of the from the to the and from the to the .
23So then the Lord, the of , the from his ; and are you to of them?
24Will you not what your gives you to ? And all that the Lord our has us, we will .
25Now are you any than the of , of ? Did he against , or did he go to with them?
26While in and its , and in and its , and in all the that are on the of the , , why did you not them within that ?
27I therefore have not against you, and you me by making on me. The Lord, the , this between the of and the of .
28But the of the did not to the of that he to him.
29Then the of the Lord was upon , and he and and to of , and from of he to the .
30And a to the Lord and , you the into my ,
31then comes from the of my to me when I in from the shall be the Lord ’s, and I will for a .
32So to the to against them, and the Lord them into his .
33And he them from to the of , , and as far as , with a . So the were the of .
34Then to his at . And behold, his to him with and with . She was his ; besides her he had neither .
35And as soon as he her, he his and , , my ! You have me , and you have become the cause of great to me. For I have my to the Lord, and I take my vow.
36And she to him, My , you have your to the Lord; to me according to has gone of your , the Lord you on your , on the .
37So she to her , Let this be for me: , that I may and on the and for my , I and my .
38So he , . Then he for , and she , she and her , and for her on the .
39And at the of , she to her , who with her according to his that he had . She had never a , and it became a in
40that the of by to the of the in the .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Judges 11.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jephtah and the Gileadites. (1–11). He attempts to make peace. (12–28). Jephthah's vow. He vanquishes the Ammonites. (29–40).
vv1-11
Men ought not to be blamed for their parentage, so long as they by their personal merits roll away any reproach. God had forgiven Israel, therefore Jephthah will forgive. He speaks not with confidence of his success, knowing how justly God might suffer the Ammonites to prevail for the further punishment of Israel. Nor does he speak with any confidence at all in himself. If he succeed, it is the Lord delivers them into his hand; he thereby reminds his countrymen to look up to God as the Giver of victory. The same question as here, in fact, is put to those who desire salvation by Christ. If he save you, will ye be willing that he shall rule you? On no other terms will he save you. If he make you happy, shall he make you holy? If he be your helper, shall he be your Head? Jephthah, to obtain a little worldly honour, was willing to expose his life: shall we be discouraged in our Christian warfare by the difficulties we may meet with, when Christ has promised a crown of life to him that overcometh?
vv12-28
One instance of the honour and respect we owe to God, as our God, is, rightly to employ what he gives us to possess. Receive it from him, use it for him, and part with it when he calls for it. The whole of this message shows that Jephthah was well acquainted with the books of Moses. His argument was clear, and his demand reasonable. Those who possess the most courageous faith, will be the most disposed for peace, and the readiest to make advances to obtain; but rapacity and ambition often cloak their designs under a plea of equity, and render peaceful endeavours of no avail.
vv29-40
Several important lessons are to be learned from Jephthah's vow. 1. There may be remainders of distrust and doubting, even in the hearts of true and great believers. 2. Our vows to God should not be as a purchase of the favour we desire, but to express gratitude to him. 3. We need to be very well-advised in making vows, lest we entangle ourselves. 4. What we have solemnly vowed to God, we must perform, if it be possible and lawful, though it be difficult and grievous to us. 5. It well becomes children, obediently and cheerfully to submit to their parents in the Lord. It is hard to say what Jephthah did in performance of his vow; but it is thought that he did not offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. Such a sacrifice would have been an abomination to the Lord; it is supposed she was obliged to remain unmarried, and apart from her family. Concerning this and some other such passages in the sacred history, about which learned men are divided and in doubt, we need not perplex ourselves; what is necessary to our salvation, thanks be to God, is plain enough. If the reader recollects the promise of Christ concerning the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and places himself under this heavenly Teacher, the Holy Ghost will guide to all truth in every passage, so far as it is needful to be understood.
Key Words
יִפְתָּח: Jiphtach, an Israelite; also a place in Palestine
גִּלְעָדִי: a Giladite or descendant of Gilad
גִּבּוֹר: powerful; by implication, warrior, tyrant
חַיִל: probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
גִּלְעָד: Gilad, a region East of the Jordan; also the name of three Israelites
יָלַד: to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
אִשָּׁה: a woman
גָּדַל: to be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride)
גָּרַשׁ: to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce
Cross References
Judges 11Explicitly names Jephthah among the heroes of faith who conquered kingdoms through faith.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Detailed historical record of Israel taking the disputed land from Sihon the Amorite, not Ammon.
Supported by JFB
An ancient poetic reference associating Chemosh with the people of Moab and their territorial losses.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Israel's peaceful embassy from Kadesh to Edom, reflecting Jephthah's diplomatic and peaceful approach.
Supported by JFB
God's command not to distress Ammon, proving Israel's historical respect for their borders.
Supported by JFB
God's explicit command to Israel not to distress Moab or contend with them for land.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Sihon refused passage, gathered his forces at Jahaz, and initiated the war with Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Hannah's solemn vow, offering her child to the Lord, comparable to Jephthah's dedication.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Law concerning those of illegitimate birth, illustrating the social and legal hurdles Jephthah faced.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David similarly gathering distressed and discontented men, reflecting Jephthah's period of exile.
Supported by JFB
History of Balak of Moab, who, despite hiring Balaam, never actually fought Israel.
Supported by JFB
Confirms Aroer and Arnon territory was captured from Sihon, not the Ammonites.
Supported by JFB
The absolute moral requirement in the Law to perform what is voluntarily vowed to God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Commandment that a man must not break his word when he vows to the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies the land of Tob on the frontier, where Jephthah fled from his brothers.
Supported by JFB
The Mosaic law requiring peace offers to be proclaimed to a city before attacking.
Supported by JFB
Jacob's voluntary vow of dedication to God in exchange for safety and peace.
Supported by Matthew Henry
God's absolute prohibition of human sacrifice, showing why literal sacrifice of his daughter is disputed.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Echoes Jephthah's appeal to 'the Lord the Judge' as the ultimate judge of the earth.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Law of devoted things (herem) which cannot be redeemed, central to the vow debate.
Supported by Matthew Poole