Judges11
New American Standard
1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. And Gilead had fathered Jephthah.
2Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
3So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless men gathered around Jephthah, and they went wherever he did.
4Now it came about, after a while, that the sons of Ammon fought against Israel.
5When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;
6and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our leader, that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.”
7But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?”
8The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight the sons of Ammon, and become our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?”
10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; be assured we will do as you have said.”
11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
12So Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, “What conflict do you and I have, that you have come to me to fight against my land?”
13And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, “It is because Israel took my land when they came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and the Jordan; so return them peaceably now.”
14But Jephthah sent messengers once again to the king of the sons of Ammon,
15and they said to him, “This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab nor the land of the sons of Ammon.
16For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh,
17then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land”; but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.
18Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.”
20But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
21And the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22So they possessed all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and from the wilderness as far as the Jordan.
23And now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from His people Israel; so should you possess it?
24Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord our God has dispossessed before us, we will possess it.
25Now then, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel, or did he ever fight against them?
26While Israel was living in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?
27So I have not sinned against you, but you are doing me wrong by making war against me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.’”
28But the king of the sons of Ammon disregarded the message which Jephthah sent him.
29Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.
30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon,
31then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
32So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord handed them over to him.
33He inflicted a very great defeat on them from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
34But Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, and behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. And she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter.
35So when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Oh, my daughter! You have brought me disaster, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”
36So she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me just as you have said, since the Lord has brought you vengeance on your enemies, the sons of Ammon.”
37And she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me; allow me two months, so that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my friends.”
38Then he said, “Go.” So he let her go for two months; and she left with her friends, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity.
39And at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her what he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel,
40that the daughters of Israel went annually to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days in the year.
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