The conquest and the judges · Judges 11
Jephthah and His Vow
Driven out by his brothers because he is the son of a prostitute, Jephthah the Gileadite lives in the land of Tob, surrounded by a band of worthless men. When Ammon attacks Israel, the elders of Gilead come to get him: “Come and be our commander.” The Spirit of the LORD comes on him, and he makes this vow: “Whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me… shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” The LORD gives Ammon into his hands. But when he returns to Mizpah, it is his daughter, his only child, who comes out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. Jephthah tears his clothes: “I cannot take back my vow.” She answers: “Do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth.” After two months in the mountains, she returns, and he carries out his vow on her.
What happens
- Driven out by his brothers, Jephthah flees to the land of Tob Judges 11:1–3
- The elders of Gilead: “Come and be our commander” Judges 11:5–6
- The Spirit of the LORD comes on Jephthah, who makes a vow Judges 11:29–31
- The LORD gives the Ammonites into his hands: a very great slaughter Judges 11:32–33
- His only daughter comes out to meet him with tambourines Judges 11:34–35
- “Do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth” Judges 11:36–39
Who is in this story
The lesson
Jephthah, whom the letter to the Hebrews counts among the heroes of faith (Heb 11:32), nevertheless makes God a promise that God never asked for, even though the Spirit of the LORD was already on him. Grace is not something to bargain for: let us weigh our words before God (Eccl 5:2).
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh 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, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
Quick quiz on this story
To which land does Jephthah flee after being driven out by his brothers?
“Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob.” Worthless men gathered around him. Judges 11:3
Who comes out to meet Jephthah when he returns to Mizpah?
“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.” Judges 11:34
What vow does Jephthah make to the LORD before facing the Ammonites?
He promises that “whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me… shall surely be the LORD’s,” and that he will offer it up as a burnt offering. Judges 11:30–31
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