Judges 11:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel

NIV: After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite tradition

NASB: And at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her what he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel,

CSB: At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel

NLT: When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel

KJV: And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

NKJV: And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel

Jephthah fulfilled his vow (Judges 11:30–31). He allowed her two months of mourning with her friends, weeping that she would never marry or have children (Judges 11:37–38). Then, he makes good on his promise. The text is clear that Jephthah fulfilled his promise to God, exactly as he had intended. It's also clear that the result involved Jephthah's daughter never having children. Other than that, there is great controversy about precisely what happens here.

The original phrasing of Jephthah's vow referred to giving something to God "as a burnt offering." Some scholars insist Jephthah killed his daughter and burned her body as a sacrifice to the Lord. They interpret his promise as a reflection of the pagan culture, or a misunderstanding of vows.

Other commentators note it is at least possible that Jephthah fulfilled his vow by following Leviticus 27:1–8. That would mean paying some money for her life to the tabernacle, then committing her to lifelong celibate service to the Lord. God clearly forbade human sacrifice in Israel (Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:9–10); Jephthah may have come to understand that more clearly, even if it was his first intention. Alternatively, he may have never planned on human sacrifice, and a form of permanent dedication was always his meaning.

Beyond her lack of a family—which means the end of Jephthah's line (Judges 11:34)—we are only told that this choice brought great grief to her and, later, to other women on her behalf (Judges 11:40).

Judges 11:29–40 begins with God's Spirit coming on Jephthah and empowering him to raise an army from Gilead and Manasseh. Before attacking the Ammonites, Jephthah makes a vow regarding victory in the war. When Israel wins the victory, Jephthah's vow surprisingly binds him to offer his daughter, his only child, as an offering to the Lord. She agrees that her father must follow through on this sacred promise, but she first spends two months grieving that she will not marry or have children. Jephthah fulfills his vow, though scholars have long debated how, exactly, he did so.

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).