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Judges 11:36
ESV And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites."
NIV "My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.
NASB So she said to him, 'My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me just as you have said, since the Lord has brought you vengeance on your enemies, the sons of Ammon.'
CSB Then she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites."
NLT And she said, 'Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do to me what you have vowed, for the Lord has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites.
KJV And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.
NKJV So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the Lord, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.”

What does Judges 11:36 mean?

The courage, respect, and submissiveness of Jephthah's daughter is almost as impressive as his apparent selfishness and folly. She has just learned of Jephthah's vow (Judges 11:30–31) about whatever came to greet him after his victory. As it happens, that was her (Judges 11:34). That, at the very least, means her father had promised to devote her entirely to service to God. At worst, it meant she was pledged as a human sacrifice.

In deep grief, Jephthah has said he cannot go back on his vow (Judges 11:35). His daughter doesn't protest or resist—instead, she agrees. She says plainly that because the Lord did as Jephthah asked, he must now follow through and do to her whatever he promised (Numbers 30:1–2). This is the way of vows to the Lord, and she understands it.

This unnamed daughter expresses far more maturity than her father. She does have one request, however, in the following verse (Judges 11:37). The exact nature of her petition suggests a less-drastic interpretation of her father's vow, but her resolute obedience is still impressive.
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