In the previous chapter, we saw that Israel gathered together, but they had no leader to deal with the Ammonite threat, Judges 10:15-18. In this chapter, we see once again that God raises up another unlikely leader to deliver His people.
His name is Jephthah, whose name means ‘to open’ or ‘to release’, and he’s another striking example of someone rising from humble circumstances. He really is ‘the loser who became a winner’, and we’ll see why as we go through his story.
1. He was the son of Gilead, Judges 11:1, who according to the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 7:14, was the son of Machir, and Machir himself was the son of Manasseh, the older son of the great Joseph.
In Egypt, with the approval of Pharaoh, Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of the ‘Temple to the Sun’ in the city of On. Therefore, there was a strain of Egyptian blood in his descendants.
It’s generally considered that the ancestor of the Egyptians and other tribes who settled in Africa was Ham, the youngest son of Noah, and this means that Jephthah wasn’t of pure Semitic blood.
2. He was the son of a prostitute, Judges 11:1, and consequently, his illegitimacy also affected his social position.
It meant he had no legal rights in his father’s family and no claim to his father’s property.
3. His father Gilead, however, had other sons by a wife whose name isn’t recorded, Judges 11:2, and there came a time when, because of Jephthah’s origin, these sons declared that they had no intention of allowing their illegitimate half-brother to share in the family inheritance.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Today we would say that Jephthah was an abused child, Judges 11:2. His half-brothers rejected him in violation of the Mosaic Law that commanded the Israelites to love one another, their neighbours, and outcasts, Leviticus 19:33-34 / Deuteronomy 10:12-22. David may have suffered the same kind of hostility in his family, Psalms 27:10. One also recalls Jesus’ rejection, Isaiah 53:3, though we have no reason to believe His parents abused Him.’
Jephthah was obviously an innocent victim in this situation, yet, severe as this decision was, it was fully in accordance with Mosaic Law, which declared that only sons born in wedlock had the right to inherit, Judges 11:2 / Deuteronomy 23:2-3.
Therefore, when the sons of Gilead disowned Jephthah, their action had to be upheld by the elders of the tribe, with the result that he was sent away, Judges 11:1. The text tells us that he ‘fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob’, Judges 11:3.
Tob is a district in Syria, from where it’s thought his mother originated, and where, also, in the course of time, he gained a somewhat questionable reputation as ‘a mighty man of valour’ who had gathered about him a small army of men described unflatteringly as ‘scoundrels’, Judges 11:3.
This Hebrew adjective ‘req’ means ‘empty’, and two chapters earlier, it’s the word used to describe the kind of men who had been hired by Abimelech. They are said to have been ‘vain and light persons’, Judges 9:4.
When the Ammonites were fighting against Israel, his half-brothers went to get Jephthah, desperate for their estranged brother’s help, Judges 11:4-5 / Judges 10:17. The elders of the tribe of Gilead came back in when they were faced with a desperate situation.
Notice they invite him to become the commander of their army, Judges 11:6. Jephthah asks them, didn’t they hate him and drive him from his father’s house? Why do they come to him now when they’re in trouble? Judges 11:7.
The elders of Gilead reply and say, nevertheless, we are turning to him now and invite him to come with them to fight the Ammonites, and he will be head over all of them who live in Gilead, Judges 11:8.
Jephthah asks if he does go with them, will he really be their head, Judges 11:9. If he’s successful in driving out the enemy, they must vow to accept him as their leader.
And so, they say that God is their witness and they will certainly do as Jephthah says, Judges 11:10. They agree to raise Jephthah’s status as a full citizen of Gilead with a reinstated family inheritance, Judges 4:11.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The elders had chosen him for their head, but to be valid, this choice must be confirmed by the people; therefore, it is said, the people made him head. But even this did not complete the business; God must be brought in as a party to this transaction; and therefore Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord, the terms made with the elders and the people on which he had accepted the command of the army and, being sure of the Divine approbation, he entered on the work with confidence.’
Jephthah the outcast becomes Jephthah the judge, and he finally gains the respect of his family. Let me make a very important point here, which is sometimes overlooked. Jephthah didn’t allow his past to hinder his future.
Yes, his past hurt him, and yes, he would still have those painful memories of being a child who was bullied by his brothers, unloved and kicked out of his home by his parents.
We can learn to heal the pain of the past when we understand that the past doesn’t have to weigh us down, Hebrews 12:1. Jephthah didn’t allow his past to hinder his future, and we shouldn’t either.
Remember, he was the illegitimate son of Gilead, and we can safely assume he didn’t have a very happy childhood. Because he was forced to leave his homeland, to become an outcast, driven away by his thirsty half-brothers.
So that’s a pretty miserable start to his life, thrown out of the family and homeless. And if you or I were to look for someone to be a deliverer, then I’m sure if we were honest with ourselves, Jephthah would be the last person on our minds to choose. But people aren’t doing the choosing; God is.
Despite being rejected and exiled, God will choose him and he will rise above his circumstances and establish himself. He will gain a whole lot of experience, and he will end up with a reputation as a warrior and leader.
In God’s eyes, everyone has worth, and even though we may feel like outcasts at times, we can be assured that God loves us. And if we learn from Jephthah, it should certainly teach us that we, too, can rise above our circumstances.
The most motivated people in the world are those with full confidence in God. When we feel shattered, forsaken, and lacking, we learn that the approval of others isn’t what keeps us going. We learn that we need, first and foremost, God’s approval to achieve true success in life.
Jephthah became the only hope to stop the Ammonite invasion, and his fame grew through organising a band of warriors, perhaps fellow outcasts, and misfits, which, in hindsight, we see as God’s preparation for greater responsibilities.
Here we read that Jephthah doesn’t immediately storm into battle; he first attempts a diplomatic solution by negotiating with the Ammonite king. And so, to his credit, he tries to resolve the conflict without bloodshed and tries reasoning with the king, remembering that the inhabitants of Canaan regarded the Jews as invaders.
Jephthah’s messengers ask the king, what does he have against Jephthah that he has attacked his country? Judges 11:12. The king tells the messengers when Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan and asks for it to be returned peaceably, Judges 11:13.
Jephthah sent back messengers to tell the king that Israel didn’t take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites, Judges 11:14-15. Israel came up out of Egypt, went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh, Exodus 13:17-14:31.
Then they sent messengers to the king of Edom, and said to him, give us permission to go through your country, but the king of Edom would not listen, Judges 11:16-17 / Numbers 20:14-25:5. Israel also sent to the king of Moab, and he refused and so, they stayed at Kadesh, Judges 11:17 / Numbers 20:14-25:5.
Israel then travelled through the wilderness, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon, Judges 11:18.
However, they didn’t enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border, Judges 11:18 / Numbers 21:13. Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, let us pass through his country to our own place, Judges 11:19 / Numbers 21:21-35.
However, Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory, and so he mustered all his troops and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel, Judges 11:20 / Numbers 21:23. Jephthah continues and says the God of Israel, gave Sihon and his whole army into Israel’s hands, and they defeated them, Judges 11:21.
Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan, Judges 11:21-22 / Numbers 21:21-31 / Deuteronomy 2:24-37.
Since the God of Israel has driven the Amorites out before His people, what right has the Ammonite king to take it over? Judges 11:23. Will the king not take what his god Chemosh gives him? Likewise, whatever Israel’s God has given them, they will possess, Judges 11:24.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Chemosh was the national god of the Moabites, and as the territory in question was Moabitish territory before the Amorites took it from ‘the people of Chemosh,’ this may account for the mention of Chemosh here rather than of Moloch, or Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. Possibly the king of the children of Ammon at this time may have been a Moabite.’
Jephthah asks, Is the Ammonite king any better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Numbers 22:2 / Joshua 24:9. Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? Judges 11:25.
Davis and Whitcomb, in their commentary, say the following.
‘Even the pagans recognised that when victory was given by a deity, the victors had full right to possess that territory.’
Jephthah reminds him that for three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn’t the king retake them during that time? Judges 11:26.
Jephthah hadn’t wronged the king, but the king is doing Israel wrong by waging war against them, Judges 11:27. Notice Jephthah suggests allowing God to be the judge between them, Judges 11:27.
And so Jephthah used this opportunity to explain their legitimate claim and divine right to possess the land. The enemy is given an opportunity to yield to God’s will before force is used.
Jephthah isn’t afraid to combat the enemy, but he sought to avoid an unnecessary war. And it’s not surprising that the king rejects Jephthah’s reasoning, Judges 11:28, so both sides prepare for battle.
God chose Jephthah, and then God empowered him through His Spirit for the task before him, Judges 11:29 / Judges 3:10 / Judges 6:34 / Judges 14:6 / Judges 14:19 / 1 Samuel 10:10.
Time and time again, we see that whoever God calls upon people to do a task, He also equips them for the task ahead, Ephesians 4:11-12 / Hebrews 13:20-21. In other words, God didn’t just call Christians to worship Him; He calls Christians to serve and work in His kingdom. And He equips every one of us with the tools we need to serve and work.
He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites, Judges 11:29. Jephthah made a vow to God and says, if God gives the Ammonites into his hands, whatever comes out of the door of his house to meet me when he returns in triumph from the Ammonites will be the God’s, and he will sacrifice it as a burnt offering, Judges 11:30-31.
Jephthah goes over to fight the Ammonites, and the God gave them into his hands, Judges 11:32. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim, and so, Israel subdued Ammon, Judges 11:33.
Over the years, scholars and Bible students have been asking this age-old question concerning Jephthah and his vow. The question is simple: Did he or didn’t he sacrifice his daughter?
It’s a pity that, whilst we recognise that Jephthah made a vow which was, it must be admitted, by any standard, extremely rash, this is probably the only fact about him with which Christians are familiar.
I suggest, therefore, that, before judging him on this one episode in his life, it would be useful to look at Jephthah a little more closely, because this might help us to gain a clearer understanding of what actually occurred. It was at this time that he made the vow for which he will always be remembered.
Now, there’s nothing unusual in the fact that he made a vow to God before going into battle, because this was a common practice among the ancient tribes of Old Testament times, and, indeed, it has survived to our own days! What makes Jephthah’s vow unusual is the promise he made to God in return for giving him victory in battle.
Notice the emphatic word in Judges 11:31. In the A.V., the word is ‘whatsoever’, but modern versions, including the R.S.V, give us ‘whoever’, and this is certainly the more accurate rendering. In fact, it’s the word used in the Hebrew text and both the Septuagint and the Vulgate versions of the passage.
Jephthah promised that ‘whoever comes out of the doors of my house shall surely be the Lord’s, to be offered up by me as a burnt offering,’ Judges 11:31. But what did he have in mind, always assuming he was thinking logically! Do you really think that on his return from battle, he was expecting a lamb or goat, or some other sacrificial animal to come out of his house to meet him?
Suppose some unclean animal, say, a dog, had run out and was the first to meet its master, would he have felt obligated to fulfil his vow? If you say he wasn’t expecting an animal to emerge from his house, you are doubtlessly right! We must face the fact that he was promising to offer a human sacrifice.
1. Was he an ignorant man who did not know God’s Law?
2. Was he a bad man who knew the Law and went ahead anyway?
3. Was he a good man who realised he had made a mistake and had the courage to draw back from offending God?
These are just a few of the questions that arise when we try to reach a reasonable conclusion.
Some commentators suggest that, if we consider that he was of ‘semi-heathen parentage’ because his mother was an Aramean, that is, Syrian, Judges 11:1, it should not altogether surprise us that Jephthah made such a vow.
They tell us that, having lived among the Syrians for several years, he would be fully aware that such a practice was common among the Canaanite tribes, and they also point out that, as Genesis 22 records, even Abraham had been prepared to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering when his faith was put to the test by God Himself.
Again, when the King of Moab, desperate in the face of imminent defeat, sacrificed his own son, his action produced a wave of anger, 2 Kings 3:27. And even later, Manasseh, the evil King of Judah, sacrificed his son to the idol Moloch, a fact which again the Scriptures record with obvious revulsion, 2 Kings 21:6.
What we really want to know is, was this rash vow actually carried out, or was it retracted and replaced by some other course of action? And it’s here that opinions differ.
There are many, including great and good men of past centuries, who believe that, as appalling as it is to us, the daughter of Jephthah actually paid with her life for her father’s rashness.
Some have expressed the view that Jephthah was actually expecting to sacrifice a slave and was shocked when the first person to greet him on his return was his only daughter, but they say, having vowed, he felt he couldn’t go back on his vow.
Incidentally, would it have been any less appalling if it had, indeed, been ‘merely a slave’ who first came out of the house, and was sacrificed as a consequence? But there are several issues that we need to consider.
1. There is the fact that God had neither commanded nor desired the making of such a vow as this.
Furthermore, nowhere in the Scriptures do we find any recurrence of it. If the exceptional case of Abraham and his son Isaac is quoted, we should understand that the test was set by God, not to prove to God the strength of Abraham’s faith, because God already knew both Abraham’s strengths and weaknesses.
The test was designed to reveal the strength of his faith to Abraham himself, and because God knew beforehand what the outcome would be, the life of Isaac was never really in danger.
2. Human sacrifices were clearly and emphatically forbidden by the Law of Moses, Leviticus 18:21 / Jeremiah 7:31 / Ezekiel 16:21, because the practice was an identifying mark of idolatry and was the reason why the inhabitants of Canaan were driven out and the land given to the Israelites, Deuteronomy 12:30-31.
The prohibition of the shedding of blood, first set out in Genesis 9:6, is also frequently repeated in the Old Testament Scriptures, and the sacredness of blood is made abundantly clear in the Law.
If the elders, the religious leaders of Gilead, had allowed Jephthah to carry through his rash pledge, not only would they have been guilty of descending to the level of their cruel pagan neighbours, but they would, in fact, have shared Jephthah’s guilt for the sin of deliberate disobedience of the Mosaic Law.
Some have argued that Jephthah was perhaps ignorant of the law of God relating to human sacrifice, but I suggest that this is inconceivable. We cannot believe that the Elders of His people didn’t know the Law, and they may even have advised him that adherence to the Law of God should always take precedence over any rashly made vow.
3. ‘Obedience is better than sacrifice’.
This was God’s message to King Saul, brought by the prophet Samuel, 1 Samuel 15:22. Jephthah was faced with a choice between abandoning his vow or persisting in offering to God a sacrifice which He had expressly forbidden, and which, we may be absolutely sure, wasn’t acceptable to Him.
It’s true the Hebrews regarded failure to keep a vow as an extremely serious matter, especially a vow made to God. But it would be better for Jephthah to abandon a vow he ought never to have made, rather than to violate the sacred Law of God.
4. But was Jephthah ignorant of God’s law?
It has also been argued by some writers that he was. But, when reading the message he sent to the King of the Ammonites, recorded in Judges 11:15-27, we find that he shows an impressively detailed knowledge of Israel’s history and a clear understanding of God’s dealings with His people during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Indeed, he must have known about the Covenant made at Sinai and the Laws delivered to Israel through Moses.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are Biblical scholars who claim that Jephthah was ‘not a freebooter’, that is, not a man who lived by plundering other tribes, but a man of high principles and a true worshipper of God. We must accept this assessment, after all, his name appears in Hebrews 11:32, as one of those honoured by God because they lived ‘by faith’.
The question then arises, would a true worshipper of God deliberately disobey the revealed will and law of God, and commit an act which God would regard as repulsive? I believe that he wouldn’t. Recognising the course of action to which his rash vow committed him, he would seek an honourable release from it.
Numbers 30:16 reveals that vows weren’t always irrevocable, and Leviticus 27 contains divinely revealed instructions concerning the redemption of what are described as ‘votive offerings’. The word ‘votive’ means ‘that which is dedicated in fulfilment of a vow’ and in this chapter it relates particularly to whatever was promised in vows to God.
The chapter explains that there were four different types of votive offerings, that is, vows, which could be redeemed. They were vows that involved human beings, animals, houses, and lands.
For instance, a man might have vowed to dedicate to God, either himself or a member of his family, or possibly a slave. But the passage tells us that it was possible to redeem the person, or thing, that had been so dedicated, by handing over a prescribed amount of money to the priest.
This law means that Jephthah’s daughter could be redeemed and need not die. If it’s thought that the last few verses of the chapter say something different, that isn’t the case because those verses deal with a quite different situation.
1. The first part of Leviticus 27 deals with the ‘vow’, ‘neder,’ such as Jephthah made.
The word ‘nadar’ means ‘to make a vow’ and describes Jephthah’s action; it’s what Jephthah did.
2. The verses from Leviticus 27:28 lay down the law relating to things that were ‘devoted’, and here we have a different word, the word ‘cherem’.
‘Cherem’ identifies any object or person that couldn’t be redeemed, but which must be destroyed. Not destroyed because of a decision made by man, but because of God’s command.
These last few verses of Leviticus 27 explain why this was the case. There were two classes of people and things that could never be redeemed, either, because God had already issued an explicit command with regards to what must be done with them, or, because they had been claimed by Him, and therefore they already belonged to Him, and one can never ‘buy back’ from God, that which He declares is already His!
Think, in this connection, about His command concerning the destruction of Jericho, or His instruction to King Saul concerning the destruction of the evil King Agag and the Amalekites. All were ‘cherem’, under the ban and couldn’t be spared.
Now it’s evident that the hand of God was enabling Jephthah to deliver Israel, but why does Jephthah make what many regard as a rash, foolish vow? Remember that vows in the Bible are binding obligations, which aren’t to be taken lightly.
They are oaths, pledges, obligations, and even prayerful transactions between God and individuals. They’re a very serious matter in the Scriptures and not to be taken lightly, Ecclesiastes 5:5.
Although scholars disagree about Jephthah’s vow, they all agree that it was unnecessary because God would have given Jephthah the victory regardless of his promise.
He possibly made the vow just to get some reassurance from God, as his predecessors did before him. Maybe he simply wanted reassurance that God wouldn’t abandon him as his parents and brothers had before.
When we think about Jephthah’s background, he could’ve resigned himself to thinking he was a waste of space and thought to himself that people like him never amount to much, but God turned him into a hero. If we really believe that God is working in and through us, then we can safely know that He’s pleased with the work He’s doing.
If Jephthah felt he had nothing to offer, he wouldn’t have attempted much in life, 1 Corinthians 15:10. Jephthah had a healthy sense of self-respect, despite his past and because God loves us, He never gives up on us. God will help us conquer the pain of our past and lead us to a brighter future, Philippians 3:13-14.
Jephthah knew that either an animal or a person would meet him when he returned from battle. If an animal appeared, it would be sacrificed as a burnt offering, Judges 11:31, and if a person came out, he or she would be dedicated to God for life-long service in the tabernacle.
He probably expected a servant to greet him; instead, his daughter rushes out of their home, dancing to the sound of timbrels, Judges 11:34 / Exodus 15:20 / 1 Samuel 18:6.
Jephthah’s sorrow came because his lineage would end with his only child, Judges 11:34 / Jeremiah 6:26 / Zechariah 12:10, and to an Israelite, this was a significant loss.
Jephthah was clearly appalled when he realised that his rash vow had jeopardised the life of his only daughter, his only child, and when he contemplated the horror of what he had planned to do, Judges 11:35.
The conversation that he had with her shows he was well aware of what the Law said concerning vows, and it’s my personal view that he availed himself of the opportunity presented by the Law to be released from his vow.
The outcome was that his daughter wasn’t made a burnt offering; instead, her father surrendered her to the service of God, in which state she remained unmarried. We are told that he had vowed that whoever came out to meet him, ‘should be YHYH’S’, that is, belong to God.
Look at his daughter’s reaction because I believe this is one of the most moving stories in the Bible. She says, he father has given his word to God, and so he must do to her just as he promised, now that God has avenged him of his enemies, the Ammonites, Judges 11:36.
It’s so evident that she loves her father but loves her Lord even more. She then makes a request of her father to allow her two months to roam the hills and weep with her friends, because she will never marry, Judges 11:37.
Notice she isn’t sad because her father made a rather rash vow, and she will have to go to the tabernacle to serve her Lord for the rest of her life. Her sadness centres on the fact that she had no relations with a man. She would never marry, never have children, which shows that rather than being literally sacrificed, she was being devoted to an unmarried, celibate life.
Jephthah grants her request, and can you imagine the joy when his daughter returned, and she’s still a virgin? Judges 11:38-39. Can you imagine how proud of her he was? But can you also imagine that now is the time she’s going to have to leave the home?
What an emotional time for them both. This must have been. And it was a time that many women would never forget. Her father was denied the companionship of his only child, and her dedication to God’s service in this manner meant the end of his hopes of grandchildren.
He kept his promise, and she was dedicated to the service of God and remained unmarried for the rest of her life. She was denied a husband, and there would be no one to carry on the family name, which was one of the greatest sorrows that could be inflicted on a Hebrew. But although she who paid the heaviest price for her father’s rashness, at least she remained alive.
What a great woman and forever remembered by her people for her humble submission and humble love for her Lord, Judges 11:39-40. What an example she was, and she still cries out to all the young women today, ‘being married isn’t everything,’ ‘having sex isn’t everything’, ‘having children isn’t everything’, but serving a devoted life to God is all you need’.
And so Jephthah set apart his daughter for the Lord’s service, to help out with the logistics of worship, which was in line with Jewish practice, Leviticus 27:2-31.
Remembering the fact that Jephthah won a great victory over the Ammonites further proves that human sacrifice was never considered. God wouldn’t have given Jephthah success in battle if he had intended to sacrifice a human being.