Jephthah

Biblical Account

Jephthah is an Israelite judge who appears in Judges 10:6–12:7. Judges 11:1 introduces him as "the son of an harlot" whom "Gilead begat." Driven out by the sons of his father's wife, he lived in the land of Tob, where "vain men" (a band of drifters) gathered around him. When the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought him out and made him their commander.

Jephthah first sent messengers to the king of Ammon to explain how the land had come to belong to Israel, but the king would not listen (Judges 11:12–28). After the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, he made a vow that "whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me" would be offered up as a burnt offering (Judges 11:30–31). When he returned victorious from battle, his only child, a daughter, came out to meet him "with timbrels and with dances." She asked to be allowed two months to go up on the mountains and "bewail my virginity." The text then states only that he "did with her according to his vow which he had vowed," and records that the daughters of Israel lamented her four days every year (Judges 11:34–40).

Afterward the men of Ephraim quarreled with Jephthah, complaining that they had not been called to the battle, and fighting broke out. The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan River and identified Ephraimites by whether they pronounced "Shibboleth" as "Sibboleth," putting to death those who did (Judges 12:1–6). Jephthah judged Israel six years, then died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Significance Within the Bible

In 1 Samuel 12:11, Samuel names Jephthah among those whom God sent to deliver Israel. In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:32 lists him alongside Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel. This verse belongs to the chapter commonly called the Faith Chapter.

Interpretations and Issues

• Was the daughter actually sacrificed? Many Jewish and Christian interpreters, including the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, have read the text as saying that the daughter was in fact offered as a burnt offering. By contrast, some medieval Jewish commentators and a number of later Protestant commentators hold that she lived a life dedicated to God and remained unmarried all her days. They point out that she bewailed not her death but her virginity, and that the Law forbids offering human beings as sacrifices (Deuteronomy 12:31). Those who hold the former view regard Judges as a book that candidly records the religious confusion of its era.
• The intent of the vow: The wording of the original text can refer to either a person or an animal. Interpreters therefore differ over whether Jephthah had a human being in mind from the outset.
• The list in Hebrews: Many interpreters hold that the commendation of Jephthah in Hebrews does not praise all of his actions but refers to the faith with which he relied on God in battle.
• Distinguishing later traditions: The Bible does not give the daughter's name. Some later Jewish writings are known to have assigned her a name, but this is not part of the biblical text. Nor does the text say that Jephthah was punished for this deed.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Jephthah is chiefly presented, together with Ecclesiastes 5:4–5, as a warning against rash vows. He also frequently appears in sermons emphasizing that God made a leader of someone who had been rejected because of his origins.