jephthah's daughter judges 11jephthah's daughter judges 11

In contrast, Lev. @FrankLuke Do you assume that it was a women that was the skillfully weaver in Exodus 28:8 or do you refer to wrong passage? Jephthah lived some 300 to 400 years later. 20But Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. You can check these in your browser security settings. Yet, if this is so, how do we explain his apparent ignorance of the blaring prohibition against child sacrifice contained in the books of Moses? He was clearly expecting it to be someone elseprobably a household servant. There is Judges 11 You have brought me very low! 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. People still did them. 15 Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites ( Judges 12:8-15 ). Consequently, they were punished; Phinehas, by the Divine presence Working hard for my Archaeology badge :). Jephthah (meaning set free) was the son of a man named Gilead from a tribal area of ancient Israel that was also called Gilead. In light of that, some have suggested hopefully that perhaps the daughters life was spared, that she lived into adulthood in perpetual virginity [as] a fulfillment of the vow. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that Judges 11 (along with other textual and historical evidence) says otherwiseand says it plainlywhether our modern sensibilities like it or not. But I felt it was too rich to leave in the comment section. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. It is unlikely they would have done so had she volunteered for a pagan ceremony. that she never married) cite is that she says, "I will go to bewail my virginity." 35When he saw her, he tore his clothes(AY) and cried, Oh no, my daughter! A father sacrifices his own daughter! He did as he had promised the Lord, and she died without being married. Judges 11 Jephthah and the Ammonites A. Jephthah negotiates with the Ammonites. A father sacrifices his own daughter! You are among those who trouble me! As one of Israels judges, Jephthah certainly earned his place on the honor roll of Jewish history. Jephthah judges Israel for 6 years afterwards. I believe there is more depth of meaning as to why Jephtah did this, but that might be more in the realm of homiletics. (W) So Israel stayed at Kadesh. He was willing to give up his only hope of grandchildren and perpetuation of the family line, enduring a social stigma, in order to obey God. 34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! The daughters of Israel went yearly to see the daughter of Jephthah to praise her for the work that she was doing. It's clear that what Jephthah intended was to sacrifice the first animal that he met when he returned home: Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. 39-40.) People in the Bible often do things that are cruel and wicked. @Jon Of course Jon there is a picture of Christ in it all, but I hesitate to share it. For more information on this view and interpretation, follow this link: Jephthahs Vow. He is asking if the language of the passage allows other interpretations, such as dedication to service in the tabernacle. She doesn't bewail her coming death, but the fact that she never married. Yet it still appears that the vow was rash and unwise. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. From this comes the Israelite tradition 40that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Jud 5:11 and 11:40 are the only two occurrences of the word in the Hebrew Bible. Human sacrifice was always understood from the days of Abraham onward to be an offense and an abomination. He immediately tore his clothes and started wailing, Oh no, my daughter! The story is more important than one would at first suspect, for the critics have seized upon it as evidence that God is self-contradictory, bloodthirsty and devoid of any sense of equity and justice. Who Was Jephthah? a statute in Israel as connected to the following verse. Although allowed to grow up in his fathers household, the prostitutes son was eventually driven out by his half-brothers who didnt want him to share in their inheritance. Therefore, Jephthah was perhaps, to a degree, acting onfaith, allowing God to choose how Jephthah would fulfill his part of the covenant. Bullinger points out that the verse can read, "If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the Ammonites shall be the Lords OR shall be offered by me as a burnt offering." It is hard to see how the people would have stood for him leading them after this. 21Then the LORD, the God of Israel, delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who defeated them. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. 25Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor,(AH) king of Moab? (Judges 11:39, 40). Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Interspersed among the accounts of the major judges are some very brief comments regarding minor judges. CHAPTER 11. Do to me just as you promised,(BA) now that the Lord has avenged you(BB) of your enemies,(BC) the Ammonites. If we suppose that this myth reflects an ancient Cannanite rite to mourn in the hills the death of Baal and the loss of Anat's virginity (in which they were supposed to re-enact their god's mythical death), then we can certainly presume that this is what Jephthah's daughter meant when she asked to let her "mourn her virginity". In addition to Soldarnal's point I would like to add that there is evidence that Jephthah's dagheter's request to "mourn her virginity" was an ancient cultic rite associated with the cult of Anath and Baa'l. More to come. This is not a full answer of itself, and better supplements/supports the second half of Frankluke's answer. If it was a human sacrifice, they could have "stood for him leading" them because he stayed true to his oath, which was respectable despite the consequences. However, most translations take lthannoth as "lament" or variations thereof. of Gilead. (His limbs But if, indeed, Jephthah's daughter was sacrificed in gruesome and flagrant disobedience to God, this added statement about knowing no man would seem to be superfluous and inane; it only appears to make sense if she continued in a state of celibacy after Jephthah fulfilled his vow. by Francisco Goya (1774) The story of Jephthah is well known by readers of the Bible because of his willingness to sacrifice his daughter to celebrate his victory against the enemies of Israel (Judges 10:6-12:7). Jephthahs Daughter In Judges 11:39-40 did Jephthah actually sacrifice his daughter? For less than $5/mo. Thankfully, as the evidence seems to support, Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughterhe devoted her to the service of God, much as did Hannah devote Samuel to the service of God. In view of the comments below, I might add the rendering in the Revised New World Translation (2013) that makes the text clearer: Jephthah said: "'Oh no, my daughter! It is the taking of vows to celibacy. Lev. Similarly, those who adhere to the belief in the divine inspiration of Scripture have found the story to be a stone of stumbling, especially since the book of Hebrews includes Jephthahby namein its famous catalog of the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32-34). This is an intriguing segment of the Scriptures. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. This changes the complexion of the difficulty entirely. In Mizpah, Jephthahs home in Gilead, news of his victory spread like wildfire, and celebration ensued. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. The motif of roaming the hills for lost fertility is therefore a I noticed you said, "I've read in many places that . Wikipedia, however, notes: According to the commentators of the rabbinic Jewish tradition, Jepthah's daughter was not sacrificed, but was forbidden to marry and remained a spinster her entire life, fulfilling the vow that she would be devoted to the Lord. Why is Jephthah then listed as man of faith in Hebrews 11? What happened to Jephthahs daughter? - Chabad.org 19952023 All correspondence and questions should be sent to info@ucg.org. (AZ), 36My father, she replied, you have given your word to the Lord. How then are we to understand Jephthah's vow? The idea of perpetual virginity is not found until the Middle Ages. 27I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. Jephthah had apparently not thought this through well enough. You have brought me down and I am devastated. 27 for how to redeem a person (v1-8), animal (v9-13), or house (v14-15), if a man has consecrated them in a vow. Stephen M. Miller. I've changed a little formatting on your answer so that it fits with the rest of the site and network (i.e. It is stated in verse 39 after Jephthah had performed his "burnt offering" that "she knew not a man." and it was a statute: They decreed that no one should do this anymore I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break (Judges 11:35 NIV). They both had 30 sons (Judges 10:3-4; Judges 12:8-9), while Jephthah had just this one and only daughter. Handed down. (S) 17Then Israel sent messengers(T) to the king of Edom, saying, Give us permission to go through your country,(U) but the king of Edom would not listen. There he set up shop as an outlaw prince, and a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him (Judges 11:3). Judges 11:30-40 KJV - And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Consider the lengths to which Lot's daughters are willing to go in order to bear children and preserve the family line. You have brought me down and I am devastated. 11So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. We are missing a piece of the puzzle that is not given us. She had never known a man. 6Come, they said, be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites., 7Jephthah said to them, Didnt you hate me and drive me from my fathers house? Learn more about Mikey at Nappaland.com and MikeNappa.com. In doing so, it serves to advance the theme of Judges, that, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. To go back would forsake heavenly reward. So while this is an interesting comment on the question, it doesn't seem to answer it. The sacrifice of his daughter is the most natural way to interpret the text. In the Bible, Hebrews 11 is a Hall of Fame of Faith that name-drops Old Testament rockstars such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samson, David and, um Jephthah? Jephthah Women in the Bible Jephthahs Daughter Rabbi Tanchum makes it mean to praise, or celebrate. The feelings of the Israelites towards Jephthahs daughter would be much the same as that of the Romans towards Claelia, and of other nations towards heroines whose self-sacrifice has helped them to victory. Jephthahs Daughter. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 29Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. This era was very corrupt and there is no reason to see Jephthah as substantially different than his contemporaries. The Nelson Study Bibleconcurs: "The phraseto meet meseems to refer more appropriately to a human than to an animal" (note on Judges 11:31). I'll answer this more tonight. https://ritualwell.org/ritual/jephthahs-daughter-lament. 26For three hundred years Israel has lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the cities along the banks of the Arnon. Presumably, a clean animal in this scenario would be sacrificed while an unclean animal would be dedicated like a person. 33He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith,(AU) as far as Abel Keramim. Jephthah. Besides her he Such wording would be inane and heartless if she had died but is appropriate if she was devoted to service at the tabernacle. September 5, 2006. by Jeffrey W. Hamilton. So also, we possess whatever the LORD our God has granted us. 34When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing(AV) to the sound of timbrels! Why Do Love and Forgiveness Have to Go Hand-in-Hand? However, they were Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Let the Lord, the Judge,(AL) decide(AM) the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.(AN). It seems clear that she was, in fact, offered as a burnt offering in violation of Leviticus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 18:10. Yes, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering in Judges 11 and (yeesh) this was a heinous act before God. There was no stronger way for him to say 'thank you' to God than to dedicate his firstborn to God's service which used to be the custom before God changed it here in Num. because had Jephthah gone to Phinehas or vice versa, he would have All rights reserved. Many commentators firmly believe that this is referring to pagan prisoners of war, in which case Jephthah's daughter would not qualify. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. He says, "This is done by observing the well known rule that the connective particle [vav] is often used as a disjunctive, and means or, when there is a second proposition." rev2023.6.27.43513. Posted on February 26, 2007 by Claude Mariottini The Sacrifice of Jephthahs Daughter by Francisco Goya (1774) Last week I wrote about the problem various versions of the Bible have in translating Judges 11:31. 38 So he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. Start your free trial today! Jephthah's mother was a prostitute. (AE), 23Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? The following are excerpts from this chapter and notice how it is said that they are dedicated to the Lord - the words 'sacrificed' and 'offer' are used: And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord. Why is Jephthah then listed as man of faith in Hebrews 11? Additionally, when his daughter learned of her father's vow, sheencouragedhim to keep the vow and asked only to be able to go and mourn her virginity for two months, at the end of which time shevoluntarilyreturned so that her father could carry out his vow. Why? People try to find a different view that something that is clearly stated in the Bible. Thus, if a person came out first, he would dedicate that person to the Lord, or if an animal came out first, he would offer the animal as a burnt sacrifice" (note on Judges 11:39). Only Holy Scripture can assist us, at this time. He tears his clothes in devastation. Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. (Z) They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border. He describes such cruelty as "a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart." IfGod would give Jephthah the victory and bring him safely home,thenJephthah would either dedicate a person of his household to God or he would offer a burnt-offering to God if no one came out. Mike Nappa is a big ol Bible Study Nerd, and an ongoing Bible commentary and theology writer for Christianity.com. a. Jephthahs little princess was given two months to mourn with her friends because she would never marry (Judges 11:38 NIV). So she said to him, My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon. Then she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I. So he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. Judges 11:37 reports that Jephthahs daughter was youngnot yet married, but old enough to be thinking of marriage and family. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity upon the mountains. As anyone whose read the story knows, his daughter rushes out to greet him, and gamely submits to the terms of her fathers vow. I don't claim to know what really happened, but it seems to me that he did not kill his daughter. Now Jephthah - was the son of a harlot I think the word zonah, which we here render harlot, should be translated, as is contended for on Joshua 2:1, viz. The Law of Moses expressly prohibited any Israelite from practicing human sacrifice, emphasizing it as something the Lord hates (see Deuteronomy 12:29-31). The Israelites of the day prove quite willing to put to death their fellow Israelites - even for a failure to assemble - but are unwilling and grieved to let the line of the Benjamin be cut off. Because he looked forward to the promises that he had seen and embraced (Hebrews 11:13), which would be bestowed in that country of God (verse 14) when he would be raised in that better resurrection (verse 35)! 27:29 seems to speak of things and humans that are "devoted." It is not the virginity per se that she so desperately wanted to mourn, it was this ancient rite that she wanted to take part in one last time, coupled with the thought that she will not be able to bear children anymore and continue her father's family line; this time the mourning for Anat's virginity would resonate well with her. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she 14Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites Jephthah could not control who would come out of the doors of his house to greet him (or whether anyone would), just as Abraham's servant had no control over who would give him drink (see Genesis 24:12-14). I falsely jumped to the conclusion that it was simply a "surely not" position. You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back., 36My father, she replied, you have given your word to the LORD. Judges 11 He led Israel for eight years. It had been denounced and forbidden in Lev 18:21; 20:2-5; Dt 12:31; 18:10. Those are two men whom I respect very much. They [BDB] also point out that the word is used positively in Judges 5:11, "let them recount the victories of YHWH." Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Jephthahs grief was real, to be sure but he also had to have known that his vow meant a member of his family would die. The IVP Bible Background Commentary 11:37 makes this observation. Though some argue that this should be read as "youth" instead of "virginity," K&D show that the terms are not interchangable. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. (AW) She was an only child. The vow contained a choice to be made by God: either accept a consecrated person or a burnt offering. Many commentators object and see no other option than to say that Jephthah horribly fulfilled his vow by the human sacrifice of his own daughter. Excellent find! By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. We will find that Jephthahs daughter was loved both by God and by her friends. In support of the human sacrifice theory, Kaiser in Hard Sayings of the Bible says: People, even servants of God, do horrid things. This era wa Moreover, if the common understanding of the story is correct, God gave Jephthah the victory over Ammon knowing full well that Jephthah would sacrifice his child, and yet He never said a wordnot in person, not in a dream, not by a prophet. 33With a great blow he devastated twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel-keramim. And it became a custom in Israel: From year to year, the young women of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year." Regardless, what truly matters is whether or not were relating to other people with love.