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Judges
Chapter 11
{Note: I have not studied this chapter yet under RBT. However, I felt this chapter demanded some explanation. So, here are 'opinions' on what might be happening here.
Some theologians believe that since Jephthah was the son of a harlot and kicked out of the family and that he was not raised in the Way of God.
That explains why, for example, in this chapter, he communicates as if the True God was on the same plane as Chemosh, one of the Chaldean gods.
It also is one explanation why it appears he offered a 'human sacrifice' for a military success - which would clearly be against God's Law.
Another theory on the 'human sacrifice' is that the 'death' here is not physical death, but sexual death. This is supported by verses 37 and following where Jephthath's daughter is grieving. It appears she is grieving over her virginity - meaning she will never be permitted to have sexual relations.}
1
Now Jephthah, the Gileadite,
was
a mighty man of valor,
and
he was the son of an harlot.
And Gilead begat Jephthah.
2
And Gilead's wife bare him sons
and
his wife's sons grew up,
and
they thrust out Jephthah,
and
said unto him,
'you
shall not inherit in our father's house . . .
for
you are the son of a 'woman of a different kind'.
3
Then Jephthah fled from his brethren,
and
dwelt in the land of Tob.
And
there were gathered vain/empty/worthless men to Jephthah,
and
went out with him.
4
And it came to pass in process of time,
that
the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5
And it was so,
that
when the children of Ammon made war against Israel,
the
elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob.
6
And they said unto Jephthah,
'Come,
and be our captain,
that
we may fight with the children of Ammon.'
7
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead,
'Did
not you hate me, and expel me out of my father's house?
And why are you come unto me now when you are in distress?'
8
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah,
"Therefore
we turn again to you now,
that
you may go with us,
and
fight against the children of Ammon,
and
be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."
9
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead,
"If
you bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon,
and
Jehovah/God deliver them before me, shall I be your head?"
10
And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah,
"Jehovah/God
be witness between us . . .
if
we do not so according to your words."
11
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead,
and
the people made him head and general over them.
And
Jephthah uttered all his words
before
Jehovah/God in Mizpeh.
12
And Jephthah sent messengers
unto
the king of the children of Ammon, saying,
"What
have you to do with me,
that
you are come against me to fight in my land?"
13
And the king of the children of Ammon answered
unto
the messengers of Jephthah,
"Because
Israel took away my land,
when
they came up out of Egypt,
from
Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto the Jordan {River}.
Now therefore restore those lands again peaceably."
14
And Jephthah sent messengers again
unto
the king of the children of Ammon 15
and
said unto him,
"Thus
says Jephthah,
Israel
took not away the land of Moab,
nor
the land of the children of Ammon. 16
But
when Israel came up from Egypt,
and
walked through the desert unto the Red sea,
and
came to Kadesh . . . 17
then
Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom,
saying,
'Let me, Please/I pray you,
pass
through your land.'
But
the king of Edom would not
'hear,
listen and obey' {shama`} thereto.
And
in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab
but
he would not consent.
And Israel abode in Kadesh. 18
Then
they went along through the desert,
and
compassed the land of Edom,
and
the land of Moab,
and
came by the east side of the land of Moab,
and
pitched on the other side of Arnon,
but
came not within the border of Moab . . .
for
Arnon was the border of Moab. 19
And
Israel sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the Amorites,
the
king of Heshbon
and
Israel said unto him,
'Let
us pass, we pray you, through your land into my place.' 20
But
Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast
but
Sihon gathered all his people together,
and
pitched in Jahaz,
and
fought against Israel. 21
And
Jehovah/God . . . 'Elohiym/Godhead of Israel
delivered
Sihon and all His people into the hand of Israel,
and
they smote them.
So
Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites,
the
inhabitants of that country. 22
And
they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites,
from
Arnon even unto Jabbok,
and
from the desert even unto the Jordan {River}.
23
So now Jehovah/God
'Elohiym/Godhead
of Israel
has
dispossessed the Amorites
from
before his people Israel,
and
should you possess it? 24
Will
you not possess that which Chemosh, your 'elohiym/gods,
give
you to possess?
So
whomsoever Jehovah/God our 'Elohiym/Godhead
shall
drive out from before us,
them
will we possess. 25
And
now are you any thing better than Balak,
the
son of Zippor, king of Moab?
Did
he ever strive against Israel,
or
did he ever fight against them, 26
while
Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns,
and
in Aroer and her towns,
and
in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon,
three
hundred years?
Why therefore did you not recover them within that time? 27
Therefore
I have not sinned against you,
but
you do me wrong to war against me.
Jehovah/God
. . . the Judge . . . be judge this day
between
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
and
the children of Ammon."
28
Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon
'heard,
listened and obeyed' {shama`} not
unto
the words of Jephthah
which
he sent him.
29
Then the spirit of Jehovah/God came upon Jephthah,
and
he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh,
and
passed over Mizpeh of Gilead,
and
from Mizpeh of Gilead
he
passed over unto the children of Ammon.
30
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah/God, and said,
"If
You shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon
into
my hands, 31
then
it shall be, that whatsoever comes forth of the doors
of
my house to meet me,
when
I return in peace from the children of Ammon,
shall
surely be Jehovah/God's,
and
I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
32
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon
to
fight against them
and
Jehovah/God delivered them into his hands.
33
And he smote them from Aroer,
even
till you come to Minnith,
even
twenty cities,
and
unto the plain of the vineyards,
with
a very great slaughter.
Thus
the children of Ammon were subdued
before
the children of Israel.
34
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house,
and,
behold, his daughter came out to meet him
with
timbrels and with dances
and
she was his only child . . .
beside
her he had neither son nor daughter.
35
And it came to pass, when he saw her,
that
he tore/rent his clothes, and said,
"Alas,
my daughter!
You
have brought me very low,
and
you are one of those who trouble me . . .
for
I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah/God,
and
I cannot go back."
36
And she said unto him,
"My
father, if you have opened your mouth unto Jehovah/God,
do
to me according to that which
has
proceeded out of your mouth . . .
forasmuch
as Jehovah/God has taken vengeance
for
you of your enemies,
even
of the children of Ammon."
37
And she said unto her father,
"Let
this thing be done for me . . .
let
me alone two months,
that
I may go up and down upon the mountains,
and
keep on bewailing/'shedding tears over'
my
virginity/maidenhood . . .
I
and my female and male companions."
38
And he said,
"Go."
And
he sent her away for two months
and
she went with her female companions,
and
bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
39
And it came to pass at the end of two months,
that
she returned unto her father,
who
did with her according to his vow which he had vowed.
And she knew no man.
And
it was a custom in Israel, 40
that
the daughters of Israel went yearly
to
lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite
four
days in a year.
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