Judges 11:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him.

NIV: So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.

NASB: So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless men gathered around Jephthah, and they went wherever he did.

CSB: So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some worthless men joined Jephthah and went on raids with him.

NLT: So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Soon he had a band of worthless rebels following him.

KJV: Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

NKJV: Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

Some of Israel's greatest heroes came from unlikely beginnings. Gideon, the previous judge, was hiding his food from the enemy when an angel commissioned him to fight (Judges 6:11–12). Jephthah will become a renowned rescuer of Israel, despite his own humble origins. Not only is he the son of a prostitute, but also his own brothers ran him out of the family to avoid sharing inheritance with him. Jephthah is on his own, socially and economically.

Jephthah flees to a region described as the land of Tob. Some scholars believe this to be an area in Gilead somewhere west of Mount Hauron, though the evidence is not conclusive. There, he proves to be a charismatic figure and natural leader. Alone in a strange territory, he begins to attract a following. His fellows are not the best and brightest of their culture; these are men on the less reputable side of society and the law. In fact, they are described using the same term given to Abimelech's hired goons (Judges 9:4). These are men of low moral character.

That Jephthah "goes out" with such men implies a party of bandits. This group might have raided towns or other targets to make their living. Jephthah's reputation may have developed in much the same way as did famous pirates, known and feared for their exploits.

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).