Judges 11:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.

NIV: Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.

NASB: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. And Gilead had fathered Jephthah.

CSB: Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.

NLT: Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute.

KJV: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

NKJV: Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.

The previous chapter ended with Israelite leaders in Gilead looking for someone to lead their fighters in battle against the invading Ammonites (Judges 10:17). Chapter 11 begins immediately to tell Jephthah's story, as he will be the answer to their question, "Who will begin to fight against the Ammonites?" (Judges 10:18).

Jephthah was from the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. In fact, his father bore the family name of Gilead. This would normally have given Jephthah a privileged status if it weren't for his mother. Jephthah's mother was a prostitute, meaning he was born through his father's immorality. Even if his father weren't criticized for that sin, Israelite culture would have considered any children from such a relationship to be less-than-legitimate (Judges 8:30–31; 9:18).

We're not told whether Jephthah's mother was an Israelite or a Canaanite woman. It's possible she was a temple prostitute, meaning that Jephthah's father may have visited her while participating in the worship of false gods. If she were an Israelite, the other Israelites would have seen her as an especially shameful woman. In either case, the son of a prostitute often loses all standing in that culture, no matter who his father might be.

Jephthah is described as a "mighty warrior," using the Hebrew phrase gibbor' ha'yil. An angel used the same phrase to describe Gideon (Judges 6:12) and by the writer of 1 Kings in reference to the accomplished general Naaman (2 Kings 5:1). It can refer to royalty or wealthy men, but that doesn't fit the context of Jephthah's life. As described here, Jephthah is a man of war (Judges 11:3, 32–33).

A man named Jephthah is driven away from his home in Gilead by jealous brothers. He settles in Tob, where he becomes warrior chief of a criminal band. Gilead's elders later recruit Jephthah to lead the fight against their Ammonite oppressors. After a failed negotiation attempt, Jephthah vows to make a burnt offering to the Lord of whatever comes to meet him if God gives him victory over the Ammonites. Israel thoroughly defeats Ammon, and Jephthah's daughter, his only child, greets him. Jephthah carries out his vow after his daughter grieves never marrying or having children.

Judges 11 answers the question raised at the end of the previous chapter: who could lead Gilead's fight against the Ammonites? The elders recruit Jephthah, a warrior driven away by his family in Gilead. Jephthah agrees to return and is appointed leader of Gilead. Jephthah raises an army and makes a foolish vow to the Lord in exchange for victory. Israel defeats Ammon, but Jephthah's vow costs him his only child, his daughter. His victory also creates civil strife in Israel, leading to a minor civil war.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).