A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Ammonites were disputing the right of Israel to hold land they had taken 300 years earlier as a
result of a military conflict.
Jephthah realized he could not make the suggested concession to such an outlandish
request. He reminded the king of Ammon of the true historical background of the conflict to
which he referred (vv. 15-23). He further reminded the king of Ammon’s own policy of keeping
that territory conquered in battle (v. 24). He went on to note Israel had settled the land and been
living there for 300 years, and none of the Ammonite kings seemed to believe the land was their
land or made any effort to reclaim the land (vv. 25-26).
With the breakdown of diplomatic talks over their differences, a military solution to the
problem was inevitable. “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through
Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he
advanced toward the people of Ammon” (v. 29). As he went out to battle against the Ammonites,
Jephthah knew it would take more than his own expertise and that of his army on the battlefield
to insure a victory over the enemy. The victory that could be his would only happen if it was
given to him by the Lord. Therefore, Jephthah made a vow to the Lord as an expression of his
commitment to God. “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, `If You will indeed
deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors
of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the
Lord’s, and [or) I will offer it up as a burnt offering’” (vv. 30-31).
The battle against Ammon was violent and resulted in “a very great slaughter” (v. 33),
but Jephthah and the army of Israel were the victors. But as he returned home the victor, his only
daughter ran out to meet her victorious father. What should have been a happy reunion was
suddenly turned into a sorrowful occasion as Jephthah remembered his vow. It was his daughter
who was to be offered to the Lord.
Conservative scholars are divided in their opinion as to Jephthah’s actions concerning his
daughter. Some argue he offered her as a human sacrifice to God much as Israel might have
offered their children to Baal at other times. Of course, God never endorsed the principle of
human sacrifice but rather opposed it throughout the Law (cf. Lev. 13:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31;
18:10). Still, that in itself does not mean Jephthah did not burn his daughter on an altar to God.
Even years later in the history of Israel, human sacrifice was not entirely unknown (cf. 2 Kings
3:27; 16:3; 17:17; 2 Chron. 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35).
Others believe Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter but rather dedicated her to God as a
virgin for life. There is no question that Jephthah “carried out his vow with her which he had
vowed” (Jud. 11:39), but there may be some question as to what that vow was. The Hebrew text
which records the vow suggests Jephthah said, “Then it shall be, that whatever comes forth of the
doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely
be the Lord’s, or I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (v. 31, literal translation). This being the
case, Jephthah could have kept his vow to the Lord and preserved the life of his daughter by
dedicating her to the Lord as a virgin for life. The Hebrew word translated “lament” (v. 40) could
also be legitimately translated “celebrate.” The decision of the translator in translating this word
depends on whether he believes Jephthah’s daughter was sacrificed and mourned or dedicated
and preserved. In the latter case, the daughters of Israel celebrated either the fact her life had
been preserved by her father or that she was celebrated for her faithfulness in fulfilling her
father’s vow.