1 NOW Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.
4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:
6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?
8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.
12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:
15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.
20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
23 So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.
33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.
36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.
37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.
38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

1Now Iephthah the Gileadite was a mightie man of valour, and he was the sonne of an harlot: and Gilead begate Iephthah.

2And Gileads wife bare him sonnes, and his wiues sonnes grew vp, and they thrust out Iephthah, and said vnto him, Thou shalt not inherite in our fathers house, for thou art the son of a strange woman.

3Then Iephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vaine men to Iephthah, and went out with him.

4 And it came to passe, in processe of time, that the children of Ammon made warre against Israel.

5And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the Elders of Gilead went to fetch Iephthah out of the land of Tob,

6And they said vnto Iephthah, Come and bee our Captaine, that wee may fight with the children of Ammon.

7And Iephthah said vnto the Elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expell me out of my fathers house? And why are ye come vnto mee now when ye are in distresse?

8And the Elders of Gilead said vnto Iephthah, Therefore we turne againe to thee now, that thou mayest go with vs, and fight against the children of Ammon, and bee our head ouer all the inhabitants of Gilead.

9And Iephthah said vnto the Elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home againe to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliuer them before me; shall I be your Head?

10And the Elders of Gilead said vnto Iephthah, The Lord be witnes betweene vs, if we doe not so according to thy words.

11Then Iephthah went with the Elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captaine ouer them: and Iephthah vttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.

12 And Iephthah sent messengers vnto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against mee to fight in my land?

13And the king of the children of Ammon answered vnto the messengers of Iephthah; Because Israel tooke away my land when they came vp out of Egypt, from Arnon euen vnto Iabbok, and vnto Iordan: now therfore restore those lands againe peaceably.

14And Iephthah sent messengers againe vnto the king of the children of Ammon:

15And said vnto him, Thus saith Iephthah; Israel tooke not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

16But when Israel came vp from Egypt, and walked through the wildernesse, vnto the red sea, and came to Kadesh;

17Then Israel sent messengers vnto the king of Edom saying, Let me, I pray thee, passe through thy land. But the king of Edom would not hearken thereto: And in like maner they sent vnto the king of Moab: but hee would not consent: & Israel abode in Kadesh.

18Then they went along through the wildernes, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the Eastside of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

19And Israel sent messengers vnto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said vnto him, Let vs passe, we pray thee, thorow thy land, vnto my place.

20But Sihon trusted not Israel, to passe through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Iahaz, and fought against Israel.

21And the Lord God of Israel deliuered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that countrey.

22And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon euen vnto Iabbok, and from the wildernesse euen vnto Iordan.

23So nowe the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possesse it?

24Wilt not thou possesse that which Chemosh thy god giueth thee to possesse? so whomsoeuer the Lord our God shal driue out from before vs, them will we possesse.

25And now, art thou any thing better then Balak the sonne of Zippor king of Moab? Did hee euer striue against Israel, or did hee euer fight against them,

26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon, and her townes, and in Aroer, and her townes, and in all the cities that bee along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred yeeres? Why therefore did yee not recouer them within that time?

27Wherefore, I haue not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to warre against mee: the Lord the Iudge, bee Iudge this day betweene the children of Israel, and the children of Ammon.

28Howbeit, the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not vnto the words of Iephthah which hee sent him.

29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came vpon Iephthah, and he passed ouer Gilead and Manasseh, and passed ouer Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead hee passed ouer vnto the children of Ammon.

30And Iephthah vowed a vowe vnto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without faile deliuer the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31Then it shall be, that whatsoeuer commeth forth of the doores of my house to meete me, when I returne in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lords, and I will offer it vp for a burnt offering.

32 So Iephthah passed ouer vnto the children of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord deliuered them into his hands.

33And he smote them from Aroer, euen till thou come to Minnith, euen twentie cities, and vnto the plaine of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter: thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34 And Iephthah came to Mizpeh vnto his house, and beholde, his daughter came out to meete him with timbrels and with dances, and she was his onely childe: beside her he had neither sonne nor daughter.

35And it came to passe when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter, thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I haue opened my mouth vnto the Lord, and I cannot goe backe.

36And she said vnto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth vnto the Lord, doe to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, euen of the children of Ammon.

37And she said vnto her father, Let this thing be done for me: Let me alone two moneths, that I may goe vp and downe vpon the mountaines, and bewaile my virginitie, I, and my fellowes.

38And he said, Goe. And he sent her away for two moneths, and shee went with her companions, and bewailed her virginitie vpon the mountaines.

39And it came to passe at the ende of two moneths that shee returned vnto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man: & it was a custome in Israel,

40That the daughters of Israel went yeerely to lament the daughter of Iephthah the Gileadite foure dayes in a yeere.

I == Judg 6:12 ; 2nd Kings 5:1 ; Heb 11:32

 

 

 

 

III == Judg 9:4 ; 1st Sam 22:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VII == Gen 26:27

VIII Judg 10:18 ; Luke 17:4

VIII == Judg 10:18 ; Luke 17:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

X == Jer 42:5

 

 

XI == Judg 10:17 ; 11:8 ; 20:1 ; 1st Sam 10:17 ; 11:15

 

 

 

 

XIII == Gen 32:22 ; Num 21:24-26

 

 

 

 

 

 

XV == Deut 2:9 , 19

 

XVI == Num 13:26 ; 14:25 ; 20:1 ; 46 ; Josh 5:6

 

XVII == Num 20:1 , 14 , 18 , 21

 

 

 

XVIII == Num 21:4 , 11 , 13-14 ; 22:36 ; Deut 2:1-8

 

 

 

XIX == Num 21:21-22 ; Deut 2:26-27

 

XX == Num 21:23 ; Deut 2:32

 

 

XXI == Num 21:24-25 ; Deut 2:33-34

 

XXII == Deut 2:36

 

 

 

 

XXIV == Num 21:29 ; Deut 9:4-5 ; 18:12 ; Josh 3:10

 

XXV == Num 22:2 ; Josh 24:9

 

 

XXVI == Num 21:25 ; Deut 2:36

 

 

XXVII == Gen 16:5 ; 18:25 ; 31:53 ; 1st Sam 24:12 , 15

 

 

 

XXIX == Judg 3:10

 

 

 

XXX == Gen 28:20 ; 1st Sam 1:11

 

XXXI == Lev 27:2-3 , 11-12 ; 1st Sam 1:11 , 28 2:18 ; Ps 66:13

 

 

 

XXXIII == Ezek 27:17

 

 

 

 

XXXIV == Ex 15:20 ; Judg 10:17 ; 11:11 ; 1st Sam 18:6 ; Ps 68:25 ; Jer 31:4

XXXV == Gen 37:29 , 34 ; Num 30:2 ; Ps 15:4 ; Eccl 5:2 , 4-5

 

 

XXXVI == Num 30:2 ; 2nd Sam 18:19 , 31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIX == Judg 11:31 ; 1st Sam 1:22 , 24 ; 2:18

 

 

XL == Judg 5:11

 

 

 

 

1 There was a chieftain, the Gileadite Jephthah, born to Gilead of a harlot.

2 Gilead's wife had also borne him sons, and on growing up the sons of the wife had driven Jephthah away, saying to him, "You shall inherit nothing in our family, for you are the son of another woman."

3 So Jephthah had fled from his brothers and had taken up residence in the land of Tob. A rabble had joined company with him, and went out with him on raids.

4 Some time later, the Ammonites warred on Israel.

5 When this occurred the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.

6 "Come," they said to Jephthah, "be our commander that we may be able to fight the Ammonites."

7 "Are you not the ones who hated me and drove me from my father's house?" Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead. "Why do you come to me now, when you are in distress?"

8 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "In any case, we have now come back to you; if you go with us to fight against the Ammonites, you shall be the leader of all of us who dwell in Gilead."

9 Jephthah answered the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me back to fight against the Ammonites and the LORD delivers them up to me, I shall be your leader."

10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The LORD is witness between us that we will do as you say."

11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. In Mizpah, Jephthah settled all his affairs before the LORD.

12 Then he sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to say, "What have you against me that you come to fight with me in my land?"

13 He answered the messengers of Jephthah, "Israel took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and the Jordan when they came up from Egypt. Now restore the same peaceably."

14 Again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites,

15 saying to him, "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.

16 For when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.

17 Israel then sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, 'Let me pass through your land.' But the king of Edom did not give consent. They also sent to the king of Moab, but he too was unwilling. So Israel remained in Kadesh.

18 Then they went through the desert, and by-passing the land of Edom and the land of Moab, went east of the land of Moab and encamped across the Arnon. Thus they did not go through the territory of Moab, for the Arnon is the boundary of Moab.

19 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. Israel said to him, 'Let me pass through your land to my own place.'

20 But Sihon refused to let Israel pass through his territory. On the contrary, he gathered all his soldiers, who encamped at Jahaz and fought Israel.

21 But the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his men into the power of Israel, who defeated them and occupied all the land of the Amorites dwelling in that region,

22 the whole territory from the Arnon to the Jabbok, from the desert to the Jordan.

23 If now the LORD, the God of Israel, has cleared the Amorites out of the way of his people, are you to dislodge Israel?

24 Should you not possess that which your god Chemosh gave you to possess, and should we not possess all that the LORD, our God, has cleared out for us?

25 Again, are you any better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel, or did he war against them

26 when Israel occupied Heshbon and its villages, Aroer and its villages, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon? Three hundred years have passed; why did you not recover them during that time?

27 I have not sinned against you, but you wrong me by warring against me. Let the LORD, who is judge, decide this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!"

28 But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.

29 The spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and through Mizpah-Gilead as well, and from there he went on to the Ammonites.

30 Jephthah made a vow to the LORD. "If you deliver the Ammonites into my power," he said,

31 "whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites shall belong to the LORD. I shall offer him up as a holocaust."

32 Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his power,

33 so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them, from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all) and as far as Abel-keramin. Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection by the Israelites.

34 When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah, it was his daughter who came forth, playing the tambourines and dancing. She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter besides her.

35 When he saw her, he rent his garments and said, "Alas, daughter, you have struck me down and brought calamity upon me. For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot retract."

36 "Father," she replied, "you have made a vow to the LORD. Do with me as you have vowed, because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you on your enemies the Ammonites."

37 Then she said to her father, "Let me have this favor. Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains to mourn my virginity with my companions."

38 "Go," he replied, and sent her away for two months. So she departed with her companions and mourned her virginity on the mountains.

39 At the end of the two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed. She had not been intimate with man. It then became a custom in Israel

40 for Israelite women to go yearly to mourn the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days of the year.

v 1-3. This is another case of a concubine’s son being rejected by his half brothers. Exiled from family, Jephthah, the ninth judge, apparently gathered an outlaw band about him and became known for his fighting ability.

 

 

v 4-11. Invasion has begun, and in desperation they call upon Jephthah to be their captain. He justly questions them about casting him out, then calling upon him when they are in trouble. After they humbly admit their position, he asks assurance that  when the war is over he will indeed be their leader, and they agree. The Lord had not called him, men had, but they called upon the Lord as witness both there and at the formal swearing in at Mizpah. This is a reminder to my peers how England slighted Churchill before World War 2, but asked him back at a time of Crises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 12,13. First Jephthah tries diplomacy and asks why Ammon is attacking them, and they reply that Israel had taken their land and they wanted it back peaceably.

 

 

v 14-28. Jephthah had the second set of messengers remind them of the circumstances of Israel entering the promised land. They had tried to go through peaceably, but only possessed the land because they had been attacked. God had given that to Israel, so Ammon should take only the land their god gave them. Furthermore, Moab had been content not to dispute their land which Israel captured from Sihon of the Ammonites. Besides, that was 300 years before, and it should have been recovered before then. But the Ammonites would not listen. It reminds of the situation in Israel today, thousands of years later, and Israel’s neighbors are still trying to throw her out. Yasser Aarafat’s recent comment was, “Ishmael shall get his revenge”, so they are trying to take a land that God had given Israel, not Ishmael.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 29-31. The Spirit of the Lord being on Jephthah, he had no need to make this rash vow, and indeed it would have been better to offer a gift afterward, than to bargain with the Lord.
His statement in v 31 seems clear, He would offer a burnt sacrifice. His grief in verse 36 seems proof, and verse 39 indicates he carried it out. But read on.
He could not have sacrificed a dog!
Some authorities say “and”  in verse 31 should be translated “or”, which would solve problems of later verses, but this is by no means accepted by others. This does not come under the requirement of Lev. 27:29, which applied to groups as in Josh. 6:17.

v 32,33. The Lord gave a great victory in battle.

 

 

v 34. Jephthah’s daughter was apparently leading a welcoming group of girls. It is pointed out that she was the only child, and as a teenager, he might have no more.

v 35. He expressed extreme grief, perhaps indicating he truly intended to sacrifice her and even if his vow was in secret, he felt obligated to perform it, Num. 30:2.

v 36,37. She was willing to make any personal sacrifice in view of the vow to God and the victory, but she asks two months for herself and the girls with her to isolate themselves to bewail the fact she would always be a virgin & not perpetuate the family.  

 

v 38. Jephthah was probably more than willing to delay his pronouncement.

v 39. Jephthah did “according to his vow” causing many to believe he actually sacrificed her. His father was Gilead but his mother was a harlot, so in his half heathen background, he could well have followed a practice in the area of human sacrifice. However, since he was brought up in a Jewish home and had the knowledge that he must keep a vow, Num. 30:2, he should also have known that the Lord forbade human sacrifice under penalty of death, Lev. 20:2-5. He should also have known that a person vowed to the Lord could be redeemed by paying  their evaluation, Lev. 27:2-8. In her case it would have been only ten shekels (thirty shekels if she was over 20 years old.) He also should have known that a devoted person to be killed referred only to the enemies of Israel, Lev. 27:28,29. Even so, God does not demand one to carry out a vow of sin and death. David did not hesitate to break a wrong oath regarding Nabal, 1 Samuel 25:22 and 33,34. The fact Jephthah's father went to a harlot may or may not indicate a lapse in sound Jewish upbringing; Gideon and others made that mistake.

v 40. Several Hebrew words are translated to mourn, wail and lament, but this word is identical to the word meaning to honor, or celebrate, which would not be the case if she died. Again this is inconclusive. The emphasis in verses 39-40 are on the fact of her virginity, not her death, and I take the position that due to that and the provisions regulating a vow, it was a case of having to remain a virgin for life. For a good summary of opposing views as to whether the girl was sacrificed or kept a virgin for life, see “Jephthah’s Vow” in Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Don’t waste time arguing. Consider: Jephthah should have devoted himself, Rom. 12:1,2.