Judges 11:29-40

Jephthah's Tragic Vow

29 Now ¹the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that 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.

30 Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, "If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,

31 then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."

32 So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand.

33 He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of ²Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before * the sons of Israel.

34 When Jephthah came to his house at ³Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him ⁴with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter.

35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and ⁵I cannot * take it back."

36 So she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD; ⁶do to me as you have said * *, since * the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon."

37 She said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me; let me alone * two months, that I may go * to the mountains and weep because of ⁷my virginity, I and my companions."

38 Then he said, "Go." So he sent her away for two months; and she left with her companions, and wept on the mountains because of her virginity.

39 At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

Judges 11:29-40 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 11

This chapter gives an account of another judge of Israel, Jephthah, of his descent and character, Jud 11:1-3 of the call the elders of Gilead gave him to be their captain general, and lead out their forces against the Ammonites, and the agreement he made with them, Jud 11:4-11 of the message he sent to the children of Ammon, which brought on a dispute between him and them about the land Israel possessed on that side Jordan the Ammonites claimed; Israel's right to which Jephthah defended, and made it clearly to appear, hoping thereby to put an end to the quarrel without shedding of blood, Jud 11:12-27 but the children of Ammon not attending to what he said, he prepared to give them battle, and previous to it he made a vow, and then set forward and fought them, and got the victory over them, Jud 11:28-33 and the chapter concludes with the difficulties Jephthah was embarrassed with upon his return home, on account of his vow, and the performance of it, Jud 11:34-40.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 3:10
• 2. Ezekiel 27:17
• 3. Judges 10:17; Judges 11:11
• 4. Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 18:6; Jeremiah 31:4
• 5. Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5
• 6. Numbers 30:2
• 7. Genesis 30:23; Luke 1:25

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "even until you are coming to"
• [b]. Lit "opened my mouth"
• [c]. Lit "opened your mouth"
• [d]. Lit "according to what has proceeded from your mouth"
• [e]. Lit "go and go down on"
• [f]. Lit "knew no man"
• [g]. Lit "recount;" ancient versions, "lament"