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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
10:6-12:7 Jephthah. Jephthah was the eighth judge, and his is the third extended account of a judge's activity (after Deborah and Gideon). Jephthah freed Israel from the Ammonite burden, but he made a foolish vow that led to a personal tragedy.
10:6-18 Apostasy and Distress. The introduction restates the themes in ch. 2 about Israel's apostasy and God's mercy. A new theme emerges, however, concerning the Israelites' confession and repentance (10:10, 15-16).
10:6 The references to seven groupings of foreign gods (cf. the seven nations in vv. 11-12) shows the wide scope of Israel's apostasy. Not only did they worship the major Canaanite deities (Baal, Asherah, Ashtoreth; see notes on 2:13; 3:7; 6:25-26), but also, apparently, the gods of any people with whom they came into contact.
10:7 Philistines . . . Ammonites. The next two major judges were God's instruments against the Ammonites (Jephthah) and the Philistines (Samson).
10:14 gods whom you have chosen. Cf. v. 6. The Israelites had also "chosen" new gods in Deborah's time (5:8).
10:16 he became impatient over the misery of Israel. Many scholars see this as a reference to God's great mercy and his capacity to be moved by Israel's misery and repentance (cf. 2:18). Another interpretation is that it is Israel's unfaithfulness, the cause of their misery, that makes God impatient. This would indicate that Israel's "repentance" here was only a superficial one.
11:1-3 Introduction to Jephthah. Like Jair (10:3), Jephthah was from Gilead. He was a "mighty warrior," but his illegitimacy caused his half brothers to expel him from his father's house. Like Abimelech (9:4), he attracted "worthless fellows" (11:3; cf. 2 Chron. 13:7), which did not bode well for his future; indeed, God did not "raise" him up (see note on Judg. 11:6). This is unlike the band of distressed men that David attracted, to whom he gave good leadership (see note on 1 Sam. 22:2).
11:4-11 Jephthah's Commissioning. After some negotiation, Jephthah was commissioned by the people--but not, apparently, by God--as "head" and "leader" (v. 11) over Israel.
11:6 Come and be our leader. God did not "raise up" Jephthah, as he had raised up previous judges (3:9, 15; 4:6; 6:14). Now, for the first time, a leader was commissioned by the people, without seeking God's approval--another sign of their increasing apostasy.
11:8 that you may go with us and fight. Cf. the language later used by the Israelites to ask Samuel for a king: "that our king may . . . go out before us and fight" (1 Sam. 8:20). In both cases, even though God acquiesced, the request was inappropriate. God, not any judge or any king, was to be Israel's prime warrior.
11:11 Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord. Jephthah represented a strange mixture of faith and foolishness. While he acknowledged God (cf. vv. 21, 23, 27, 30-31; 12:3), overall his foolishness seemed to outstrip his faith (see note on 11:31).
11:12-28 Diplomatic Discussions. The negotiations between Jephthah and the Ammonites consisted largely of an impressive speech by Jephthah, answering the Ammonite charge (v. 13) that Israel had unlawfully seized the territory currently disputed. Jephthah asserted that "the Lord, the God of Israel," himself was the one who dispossessed these peoples from before Israel (vv. 21, 23, 24) and that Israel was not an aggressor (v. 15) but merely a recipient of the Lord's generosity. The Ammonites had brought this upon themselves by hindering Israel, thus prompting God's help in dispossessing them (Israel was not to take Ammonite land, since God had expressly forbidden it; Deut. 2:19). However, Sihon, king of the Amorites, had taken some of what was Moabite/Ammonite territory, and then Israel had taken this and other territory of Sihon (see Num. 21:25-26). The Ammonites, if they had indeed been involved at all, deserved what they had coming. Furthermore, the Ammonites never really had true claim to the land to begin with; rather, it was the land of the Amorites (Judg. 11:19-22). Finally, it was a little late to be challenging Israel's claim to the land in any case, since had passed since the events in question (v. 26). Jephthah ended his speech with an appeal to God to judge between the two disputants.
11:17-22 The review of the past refers to events in the wilderness recounted in Num. 20:14-21. all the territory. The limits of the Amorites' land, precisely what the Ammonites claimed was theirs in Judg. 11:13 (cf. Num. 21:24).
11:24 Chemosh was the Moabites' god (1 Kings 11:7, 33); elsewhere, the Ammonites' god was Molech (1 Kings 11:7) or Milcom (1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13). However, Ammon and Moab were closely associated (cf. Judg. 11:15; cf. Deut. 2:18-19; 23:3-5; Judg. 3:12-13), as both were descended from Lot (Gen. 19:37, 38). The two nations likely shared cultural and religious heritages, and Chemosh may have been considered stronger than Molech/Milcom.
11:26 . If the exodus took place (the "early date"), with the conquest of Palestine beginning , then Jephthah's speech would fall (However, "" may be a round number, giving an approximate date.) If the exodus took place (the "late date"), then Jephthah's number is either inaccurate or a generalization indicating simply seven or eight generations (see note on 1 Kings 6:1). See The Date of the Exodus.
11:29-40 Victory and Jephthah's Foolish Vow. The conflict with the Ammonites reached its peak with their defeat by Jephthah (vv. 29, 32-33; see map). However, the climax of the Jephthah narrative centers upon his rash vow (vv. 30-31, 34-40). In order to gain God's favor, he promised to sacrifice whatever came out of his house upon his victorious return. This reflected a misguided application of the principle of offering to God the best of one's treasure. Theoretically, a vow to make a burnt offering was valid: cf. Lev. 22:18-20, which also specifies what is a valid offering. The tragic result of Jephthah's vow was the sacrifice of his only child, a daughter (see note on Judg. 11:39).
11:31 whatever comes out. The wording here would indicate that Jephthah intended to offer some animal as a burnt offering. However, the grammar also allows for "whoever" (see ESV footnote), in which case Jephthah would have intended to offer a human sacrifice all along. If so, what surprised him was not that he had to sacrifice a person, but that it was his daughter. Human sacrifice was strictly forbidden in Israel (Lev. 18:21; 20:2; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; Jer. 19:5; Ezek. 20:30-31; 23:37, 39). Yet, Jephthah's foolishness impelled him to make such a vow and apparently to follow through with this abomination (see note on Judg. 11:39).
11:35 I cannot take back my vow. Vows were solemn affairs, made only to God. People were not forced to take them, but, if they did, they had to be kept, under normal circumstances (Deut. 23:21-23; Ps. 15:4; Eccles. 5:4-5). But any vow that would end in sin was not binding; keeping it could not please God, and the Levitical laws provided for such instances (Lev. 5:4-6). Human sacrifice was an abomination, and Jephthah should not have followed through with killing his daughter.
11:39 who did with her according to his vow. Most likely this means Jephthah literally sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering. However, another interpretation is that Jephthah dedicated his daughter to perpetual virginity, as a figurative sacrifice (cf. references to her uniqueness [v. 34] and virginity [vv. 37-40]). This would be a tragedy for her, as she would bear no children; but it would also be tragic for Jephthah, whose line would come to an end. Some support for this comes from Jephthah's speech in vv. 12-28, which shows enough grasp of Israel's history that he might well have stopped short of literally sacrificing his own child.
12:1-7 Jephthah's Conflict with Ephraim. This episode recalls Ephraim's earlier challenge to Gideon (8:1-3). In the first incident, Gideon was able to pacify Ephraim, whereas in the second, Jephthah did not, and a civil war erupted. The Ephraimites were defeated, and they never again played any important role in Israel's history.
12:6 Shibboleth . . . Sibboleth. The Gileadites devised a test to catch the Ephraimites using an insignificant word--it means either "a flowing stream" or "an ear of grain"--that was difficult for outsiders to pronounce correctly. In modern English usage, "Shibboleth" may refer to words, expressions, ideas, or beliefs used by "insiders" to detect "outsiders." The terrible tragedy is that Israel is again turning upon itself in internal strife (cf. 8:17).
