Judges 11:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD will be witness between us, if we do not do as you say.”

NIV: The elders of Gilead replied, 'The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.'

NASB: And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, 'The Lord is witness between us; be assured we will do as you have said.'

CSB: The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord is our witness if we don't do as you say."

NLT: The Lord is our witness,' the elders replied. 'We promise to do whatever you say.'

KJV: And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

NKJV: And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.”

Jephthah was the first to bring God's will into the conversation about leading fighters of Gilead against the Ammonites (Judges 11:4–9). He put any chance of victory squarely in the Lord's hands, saying that he would become leader over the elders and all the people of Gilead only if the Lord gave the Ammonites over to him.

Here, the elders of Gilead match Jephthah's commitment to the Lord. They place themselves under threat of the Lord's judgment if they do not follow through in making Jephthah the leader over all of Gilead, including themselves. This, of course, presumes that he succeeds and defeats the Ammonites. In that era and culture, this was as firm a contract as one could ask for. Jephthah will take the job (Judges 11:11).

Judges 11:1–11 introduces Jephthah as the unlikely answer to the dilemma of the previous chapter (Judges 10:17–18). Jephthah is a warrior called to lead Gilead against the Ammonites. Though he had been driven from Gilead by his people, he agrees to return if the elders will make him their leader.

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).

Accessed 5/3/2024 8:48:30 AM