Judges 11:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob.

NIV: the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

NASB: When the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob;

CSB: When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

NLT: When the Ammonites attacked, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah in the land of Tob.

KJV: And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

NKJV: And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.

The elders of Gilead have a problem. Their people are willing to take a stand against the invading Ammonites (Judges 10:17–18) but have no one to lead them into battle. They need someone with combat experience to given them direction and confidence. Apparently, time has run out, and the Ammonites are on the move (Judges 11:4).

Someone has the idea to approach Jephthah (Judges 11:1–2) about taking on this role. By this time, he has gained a reputation as the leader of a successful band of morally empty men (Judges 11:3). This band of hooligans worked as brigands and bandits in the land of Tob. Even if Jephthah was renowned as a leader of fighters, that the elders of Gilead went to Tob to try and bring him back shows their desperation. Jephthah was the son of a prostitute who had been cruelly chased away by his own brothers. What motive could he have to come and lead the Israelites into battle with their enemies?

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 5/6/2024 2:18:18 AM