Judges 11:2

2 And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up, and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in the house of our father, for thou art the son of a concubine.

Judges 11:2 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 11:2

And Gilead's wife bare him sons
It seems that, after the birth of Jephthah, Gilead took him a lawful wife, who bore him sons:

and his wife's sons grew up;
to the estate of men:

and they thrust out Jephthah:
out of his father's house, his father in all likelihood being dead, or he would not have suffered it, and what follows confirms it that he was dead:

and said unto him, thou shalt not inherit in our father's house:
as he might not, if the son of an harlot, or of a woman of another tribe, or of a concubine; though as Kimchi, from their Rabbins, observes, the son of such an one might, provided his mother was not an handmaid nor a stranger. And it looks as if this was not rightly done, but that Jephthah was injuriously dealt with by his brethren, of which he complains:

for thou art the son of a strange woman:
or of another "woman" ^F5, that was not their father's lawful wife; or of a woman of another tribe, as the Targum; or of another nation, as others, prostitutes being used to go into foreign countries to get a livelihood, and hide the shame of their families; hence a strange woman, and a harlot, signified the same ^F6, see ( Judges 11:1 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 (trxa hva) "mulieris alterius", Pagninus, Montanus; "exterae", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Tigurine version.
F6 "Pro uxore hanc peregrinam", Terent. Audria, act 1, scen. 1. l. 118.

Judges 11:2 In-Context

1 And Jephthae the Galaadite a mighty man; and he the son of a harlot, who bore Jephthae to Galaad.

2 And the wife of Galaad bore him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up, and they cast out Jephthae, and said to him, Thou shalt not inherit in the house of our father, for thou art the son of a concubine.

3 And Jephthae fled from the face of his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and vain men gathered to Jephthae, and went out with him.

4 And it came to pass when the children of Ammon prepared to fight with Israel,

5 that the elders of Galaad went to fetch Jephthae from the land of Tob.