Topical Encyclopedia
Jephthah, a significant figure in the Book of Judges, is remembered as a judge of Israel who delivered the Israelites from the oppression of the Ammonites. His account is primarily found in
Judges 11-12. Jephthah was the son of Gilead and a prostitute, which led to his rejection by his half-brothers and his eventual expulsion from his home. Despite his ignoble beginnings, Jephthah rose to prominence as a mighty warrior.
Background and Rise to LeadershipJephthah's early life was marked by rejection and hardship.
Judges 11:1-2 states, "Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. And Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away, saying, 'You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.'" Cast out by his family, Jephthah settled in the land of Tob, where he gathered a band of adventurers around him.
When the Ammonites waged war against Israel, the elders of Gilead turned to Jephthah for help, recognizing his leadership and military prowess. In
Judges 11:6 , they pleaded, "Come, be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites." Jephthah agreed to lead them, but only after securing a promise that he would become their head if the Lord granted him victory.
Diplomacy and VowBefore engaging in battle, Jephthah attempted to resolve the conflict through diplomacy. He sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, questioning the basis of their claim to Israelite land. Jephthah recounted Israel's history and God's deliverance, emphasizing that the land was rightfully Israel's by divine decree (
Judges 11:14-27). However, the king of the Ammonites ignored Jephthah's message, leading to war.
In a moment of fervent devotion, Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, "If You will indeed deliver the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out of the door of my house to greet me on my return in triumph from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering" (
Judges 11:30-31). This vow would later have tragic consequences.
Victory and TragedyEmpowered by the Spirit of the Lord, Jephthah led the Israelites to a decisive victory over the Ammonites, as recorded in
Judges 11:32-33 : "So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand. He struck them down from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith—twenty cities in all—and as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites."
Upon returning home, Jephthah was met by his only child, his daughter, who came out to greet him with tambourines and dancing. In anguish, Jephthah realized the gravity of his vow.
Judges 11:35 records his lament: "When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, 'Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.'"
Jephthah's daughter accepted her fate with grace, requesting only a two-month reprieve to mourn her virginity with her friends. After this period, Jephthah fulfilled his vow, a decision that has been the subject of much theological debate and interpretation.
Legacy and Further ConflictJephthah's leadership extended beyond his victory over the Ammonites. He judged Israel for six years, during which time he also dealt with internal strife. The Ephraimites, feeling slighted for not being called to battle, confronted Jephthah, leading to a conflict that resulted in the deaths of many Ephraimites (
Judges 12:1-6).
Jephthah's account is a complex narrative of faith, leadership, and the consequences of rash vows. His inclusion in the "Hall of Faith" in
Hebrews 11:32 underscores his role as a man of faith, despite the tragic elements of his life.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Jephthah(whom God sets free), A judge about B.C. 1143-1137. His history is contained in (Judges 11:1;Judges 12:8) He was a Gileadite, the son of Gilead and a concubine. Driven by the legitimate sons from his father's inheritance, he went to Tob and became the head of a company of freebooters in a debatable land probably belonging to Ammon. (2 Samuel 10:6) (This land was east of Jordan and southeast of Gilead, and bordered on the desert of Arabia. --ED.) His fame as a bold and successful captain was carried back to his native Gilead; and when the time was ripe for throwing off the yoke of Ammon, Jephthah consented to become the captain of the Gileadite bands, on the condition, solemnly ratified before the Lord in Mizpeh, that int he event of his success against Ammon he should still remain as their acknowledged head. Vowing his vow unto God, (Judges 11:31) that he would offer up as a burn offering whatsoever should come out to meet him if successful, he went forth to battle. The Ammonites were routed with great slaughter; but as the conqueror returned to Mizpeh there came out to meet him his daughter, his only child, with timbrels and dancing. The father is heart-stricken; but the maiden asks only for a respite of two months in which to prepare for death. When that time was ended she returned to her father, who "did with her according to his vow." The tribe of Ephraim challenged Jephthah's right to go to war as he had done, without their concurrence, against Ammon. He first defeated them, then intercepted the fugitives at the fords of Jordan, and there put forty-two thousand men to the sword. He judged Israel six years, and died. It is generally conjectured that his jurisdiction was limited to the transjordanic region. That the daughter of Jephthah was really offered up to God in sacrifice is a conclusion which it seems impossible to avoid. (But there is no word of approval, as if such a sacrifice was acceptable to God. Josephus well says that "the sacrifice was neither sanctioned by the Mosaic ritual nor acceptable to God." The vow and the fulfillment were the mistaken conceptions of a rude chieftain, not acts pleasing to God. --ED.)
ATS Bible Dictionary
JephthahThe son of Gilead, was a judge of Israel, and successor to Jair. His history is told in Jud 11:1-12:15. A most affecting incident in it is his devoting his daughter to God as a sacrifice, in consequence of a rash vow.
The arguments on the question whether Jephthah's daughter was actually sacrificed or not, cannot here be cited. The natural repugnance we feel to such a vow and its fulfillment has led many interpreters to adopt the less obvious theory that she was only condemned to live and die unmarried. There is no intimation in Scripture that God approved of his vow, whatever it was. Paul numbers Jephthah among the saints of the Old Testament distinguished for their faith,Hebrews 11:32.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Whom God sets free, or the breaker through, a "mighty man of valour" who delivered Israel from the oppression of the Ammonites (
Judges 11:1-33), and judged Israel six years (
12:7). He has been described as "a wild, daring, Gilead mountaineer, a sort of warrior Elijah." After forty-five years of comparative quiet Israel again apostatized, and in "process of time the children of Ammon made war against Israel" (
11:5). In their distress the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob, to which he had fled when driven out wrongfully by his brothers from his father's inheritance (2), and the people made him their head and captain. The "elders of Gilead" in their extremity summoned him to their aid, and he at once undertook the conduct of the war against Ammon. Twice he sent an embassy to the king of Ammon, but in vain. War was inevitable. The people obeyed his summons, and "the spirit of the Lord came upon him." Before engaging in war he vowed that if successful he would offer as a "burnt-offering" whatever would come out of the door of his house first to meet him on his return. The defeat of the Ammonites was complete. "He smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards [Hebrews `Abel Keramim], with a very great slaughter" (
Judges 11:33). The men of Ephraim regarded themselves as insulted in not having been called by Jephthah to go with him to war against Ammon. This led to a war between the men of Gilead and Ephraim (
12:4), in which many of the Ephraimites perished. (see
SHIBBOLETH.) "Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead" (7).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
JEPHTHAHjef'-tha (yiphtach, "opened," or "opener," probably signifying "Yahweh will open"; Iephthae; used as the name of a place, as inJoshua 15:43;Joshua 19:14; of a man,Judges 10:6-12:7): Ninth judge of the Israelites. His antecedents are obscure. Assuming Gilead to be the actual name of his father, his mother was a harlot. He was driven from home on account of his illegitimacy, and went to the land of Tobit in Eastern Syria (Judges 11:2, 3). Here he and his followers lived the life of freebooters.
The Israelites beyond the Jordan being in danger of an invasion by the Ammonites, Jephthah was invited by the elders of Gilead to be their leader (Judges 11:5, 6). Remembering how they had expelled him from their territory and his heritage, Jephthah demanded of them that in the event of success in the struggle with the Ammonites, he was to be continued as leader. This condition being accepted he returned to Gilead (Judges 11:7-11). The account of the diplomacy used by Jephthah to prevent the Ammonites from invading Gilead is possibly an interpolation, and is thought by many interpreters to be a compilation fromNumbers 20-21. It is of great interest, however, not only because of the fairness of the argument used (Judges 11:12-28), but also by virtue of the fact that it contains a history of the journey of the Israelites from Lower Egypt to the banks of the Jordan. This history is distinguished from that of the Pentateuch chiefly by the things omitted. If diplomacy was tried, it failed to dissuade the Ammonites from seeking to invade Israel. Jephthah prepared for battle, but before taking the field paused at Mizpeh of Gilead, and registered a vow that if he were successful in battle, he would offer as a burnt offering to Yahweh whatsoever should first come from his doors to greet him upon his return (Judges 11:29-31). The battle is fought, Jephthah is the victor, and now his vow returns to him with anguish and sorrow. Returning to his home, the first to greet him is his daughter and only child. The father's sorrow and the courage of the daughter are the only bright lights on this sordid, cruel conception of God and of the nature of sacrifice. That the sacrifice was made seems certain from the narrative, although some critics choose to substitute for the actual death of the maiden the setting the girl apart for a life of perpetual virginity. The Israelite laws concerning sacrifices and the language used inJudges 11:39 are the chief arguments for the latter interpretation. The entire narrative, however, will hardly bear this construction (11:34-40).
Jephthah was judge in Israel for 6 years, but appears only once more in the Scripture narrative. The men of Ephraim, offended because they had had no share in the victory over the Ammonites, made war upon Gilead, but were put to rout by the forces under Jephthah (Judges 12:1-6).
C. E. Schenk
Greek
2422. Iephthae --Jephthah, a judge of Isr.... Iephthae. 2423 .
Jephthah, a judge of Isr.
... Word Origin of Hebrew origin Yiphtach
Definition
Jephthah, a judge of Isr. NASB Word Usage
Jephthah (1).
Jephthah.
...Strong's Hebrew
3316. Yiphtach -- "He opens," a Gileadite, also a city of Judah... "He opens," a Gileadite, also a city of Judah. Transliteration: Yiphtach Phonetic
Spelling: (yif-tawkh') Short Definition:
Jephthah.
...Jephthah, Jiphtah.
...Library
Jephthah's Foolish Promise
... THE OLD TESTAMENTJEPHTHAH'S FOOLISH PROMISE.Jephthah, the Gileadite, was
an able warrior, but he was the son of a wicked woman, and...
A Cloud of Witnesses.
... Barak, Samson,Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith
subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths...
The Judges.
... destroyed these bold oppressors. (5) The invasion of the Ammonites and
Israel's deliverance throughJephthah. (6) The Philistines...
The Kingdom Conquering
... XI. Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon,Jephthah, Samson: the Six Deliverers.
XII.1. Environment counts.... 2. What wasJephthah's vow?...
After the Whole People had Been Freed from all Distress...
... refers to that subject; and also to the admonition concerning oaths; for which reason
also, the history of Jonathan, and Saul, and that ofJephthah, is brought...
Judges
... form elsewhere, vi.7-10, x.6-16, is amply illustrated by the stories that
follow"the stories of Othniel, Ehud, Deborah and Barak, Gideon,Jephthah and Samson...
Hebrews xi. 28-31
... "For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and
ofJephthah, of David also and Samuel, and of the prophets."....
Scriptural Uses of the General Words for Prayer
... give him in gift to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon
his head" is strictly not a prayer but such a vow asJephthah also vowed in...
Bear up the Hands that Hang Down, by Faith and Prayer...
... more:" but they humbled themselves, put away their strange gods, and God's "soul
was grieved for the misery of Israel," and he sent them deliverance byJephthah...
The Historical Books.
... ThusJephthah and the three succeeding judges seem to have exercised their office
in northeastern Israel, while the scene of Samson's exploits was southwestern...
Thesaurus
Jephthah (26 Occurrences)... and in "process of time the children of Ammon made war against Israel" (11:5). In
their distress the elders of Gilead went to fetch
Jephthah out of
...JEPHTHAH.
...Jephthah's (1 Occurrence)
...Jephthah's vow.... After a crushing defeat of the Ammonites,Jephthah returned to his
own house, and the first to welcome him was his own daughter....
Bene-ammon (44 Occurrences)
... Judges 11:5 and it cometh to pass, when the Bene-Ammon have fought with Israel,
that the elders of Gilead go to takeJephthah from the land of Tob; (YLT)....
Gileadite (10 Occurrences)
... Judges 11:1 NowJephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the
son of a prostitute: and Gilead became the father ofJephthah....
Tob (5 Occurrences)
... A district on the east of Jodan, about 13 miles south-east of the Sea of Galilee,
to whichJephthah fled from his brethren (Judges 11:3, 5). It was on the...
Ammonites (97 Occurrences)
... In the days ofJephthah they oppressed the Israelites east of the Jordan, claiming
that the latter had deprived them of their territory when they came from...
Ammon (100 Occurrences)
... In the days ofJephthah they oppressed the Israelites east of the Jordan, claiming
that the latter had deprived them of their territory when they came from...
Mizpeh (24 Occurrences)
... Here was the home ofJephthah, to which he returned after the defeat of the Aremonites,
only to realize how his rash vow had brought desolation to his house....
Ammonite (22 Occurrences)
... Judges 3:13).Jephthah waged war against them, and "took twenty cities with
a very great slaughter" (Judges 11:33). They were again...
Mizpah (42 Occurrences)
... (2.) A town in Gilead, whereJephthah resided, and where he assumed the
command of the Israelites in a time of national danger....
Resources
Who was Jephthah? | GotQuestions.orgDid Jephthah sacrifice his daughter to the Lord? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the importance of Mizpah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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