She had to lament the fact that her vain show of triumph had denied her father his progeny. Her father’s shortsightedness signifies the chaos of pre-monarchic life. JEPHTHAH (Heb. II. I will explore why the story about the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter is included in the book of Judges. No legitimate priest would have helped Jephthah carry out his vow if a human was to be the sacrifice. Jephthah is described as a Gileadite warrior. What Jephthah did to his daughter may have been acceptable to Molech, but it was not to Yahweh. You are among those who trouble me! https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=wes&b=7&c=11 Then again, in 11:39, it is recorded that Jephthah fulfilled his vow to the LORD, and the text clearly describes how this vow was fulfilled—“that is, she did not know a man.” He is the son of Gilead and a prostitute and his half-brothers drives him away. Jephthah’s daughter completed the vow out of loyalty—not out of wisdom, not out of knowing faithfulness, and certainly not out of covenantal faithfulness! Most early Jewish and Christian commentary condemned Jephthah for fulfilling his vow. Name: unknown. He’s also a bestselling and award-winning Christian author with more than a million copies of his books sold … And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. Then, in 11:38, the text records that while with her friends, she wept over the fact of her virginity. In contrast, her father is depicted as haughty and ignorant, making an inappropriate and reckless vow after a military victory. Jephthah's Vow (Part 1): What Did Jephthah Do to His Daughter? And Jephthah had to lament the fact that his desire … Verse 31 of chapter 11 says: "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." (Judges 11:40) The custom is long dead. The Book of Judges frequently gets a lot of negative press. Judges 10:6-18; 11:1-40. The feelings of the Israelites towards Jephthah’s daughter would be much the same as that of the Romans towards Claelia, and of other nations towards heroines whose self-sacrifice has helped them to victory. Jephthah was the son of a great warrior named Gilead. He showed that Gaebelein is not correct and listed a number of passages showing that or is plainly to be chosen. We saw in Part I that Christian apologists insist that Jephthah did not ritually slaughter his own daughter and offer her up as a burnt-offering to the God of Israel.Instead, apologists maintain, Jephthah’s “sacrifice” was that his daughter was fated to consecrate the rest of her life as an unmarried virgin in full devotion to God. He was a Danforth Fellow at Harvard and Brandeis University where he received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Judges Chapter Eleven. An analysis of Judges 11:31. to the anointing of Saul as king (1050 B.C.). Jephthah’s ill-usage began when he was born, and it has continued down to the last Old Testament commentary and last Bible dictionary that treats of Jephthah’s name. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! When Jephthah arrived at home, his daughter, an only child, was the first to come out of his house (Judges 11:34). 1. A lamb, a pair of turtle doves, or even a kilogram of flour could have saved her. Jephthah’s daughter is portrayed in midrash as a wise and practical woman, well-versed in halakhah and the Torah. But the terrible sacrifice of his only daughter was totally unnecessary. Yes, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering in Judges 11—and (yeesh) this was a heinous act before God. When Jephthah’s daughter mourned her virginity (Judges 11:37), she had to reflect on the fact that she would die childless. In the New Testament he is listed among the heroes of faith (Heb. Here we have, I. We only know of her in relation to her famous father. Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. The moment Jephthah sees his dancing, tambourine-playing child, he blames her for ruining him. Regarding the Canaanites, Moses says: “For every abomination to G‑d which He hates, they did to their gods; for also their sons and their daughters they would sacrifice in fire to their gods.” 3. THE SERMON: IN MEMORY OF JEPHTHAH’S DAUGHTER So there arose an Israelite custom that for four days every year the daughters of Israel would go out to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. One person wrote the following: His daughter bewailed her virginity, not her life, and it became a custom for 4 days a year to “lament” (original word actually means to celebrate) the daughter of Jephthah. The daughter of Jephthah is a heartbreaking story, but is also a testament to true faith and true love. Jephthah's Vow. 324-331.This book as well as all other work of E. W. Bullinger … So what came to the door of his house first after he returned from the battle? The Lord used him to free Israel from eighteen years of Ammonite oppression. In Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha (ed. Than Jephtha when he sacrificed his daughter." ; Place of Action: Mizpeh. Judges 10. In Hebrews 11:32 Jephthah is counted among the faithful. 30–31). jephthah's daughter: a lament And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to the vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. When Jephthah’s daughter mourned her virginity (Judges 11:37), she had to reflect on the fact that she would die childless. He was the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute. The story of Jephtah’s daughter has two parts: 1 The vow of Jephtah, Judges 11:1-11, 29-33. […] [ Jephthah Becomes Israel’s Judge] Now Jephthah of Gilead was a great warrior. According to Judges, Jephthah was the son of a harlot, and his father's name is given as Gilead. She had to lament the fact that her vain show of triumph had denied her father his progeny. Accessed 08-14-2019. This implies that she was set apart for service to God, and not killed. Judges, a commentary. She acted upon what she knew, but sadly she had learned from her father, who knew little. Jephthah's mother was a prostitute. He says that the fact that Jephthah continued in his judgeship after the incident favors this view. The Character of Jephthah: In Judges Jephthah is described as a capable soldier and as a man of principle who learned to depend on and obey the Lord (verse 24). If you would like to read it yourself, begin in Judges 11. She asks only for two months in the mountains to mourn her virginity with her friends. Second, Jephthah followed the letter and not … Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Judges 11:29-40 is a reasonable supposition to Jephthah’s vow: 11:29-40: Several important lessons are to be learned from Jephthah’s vow. Judges 12. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances—The return of the victors was hailed, as usual, by the joyous acclaim of a female band (1Sa 18:6), the … Four days out of every year the women of Israel go to visit her there, and they have a happy time together. For an animal it would have meant sacrifice. 11:32). THE TRAGIC STORY OF JEPHTHAH (Judges 11:1-40). The dedication of Samuel to God in 1 Samuel 1:11-28 is not a good precedent for the view that the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter was just a “spiritual sacrifice.” The sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter is not the focus of Jephthah’s narrative; the real focus of the story is the irrevocability of a vow. . Gilead’s wife also had several sons, and when these half brothers grew up, they chased Jephthah off the land. If you would like to read it yourself, begin in Judges 11. For his daughter it meant devoting her life utterly to God. [Link above is to the print copy; here is a link to an electronic copy] Stewart, Anne W. "Jepthah's Daughter and Her Interpreters." He might have resorted to such an extreme measure to secure victory and acceptance by the Gileadites (cf. Jephthah promised to offer up whatever emerged from his house to God. She had to live a life of isolation, fully devoted to Divine service. Maria Doerfler’s recent book, Jephthah’s Daughter, Sarah’s Son: The Death of Children in Late Antiquity, is a shining example of how scholarship can utilize liturgy towards new social insights. Jephthah is described as a “mighty warrior”. His brothers drove him out to prevent him from getting an inheritance. 1. 1 Samuel 12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye … “Jephthah's Daughter: A Lament.” RitualWell. Stories like the gang rape of a concubine (Judg. We only know of her in relation to her famous father. Judges Chapter Eleven. The Slaying of Jephthah’s Daughter. God had already made provision. We saw in Part I that Christian apologists insist that Jephthah did not ritually slaughter his own daughter and offer her up as a burnt-offering to the God of Israel.Instead, apologists maintain, Jephthah’s “sacrifice” was that his daughter was fated to consecrate the rest of her life as an unmarried virgin in full devotion to God. Context –The interpretation that Jephthah’s daughter was offered as a burnt offering best fits the context of the Book of Judges. American Journal of Biblical Theology Volume 17(21). Alicia Ostriker. Keeping your word. Keil & F. Delitzch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, trans. Augustine says about the incident with Jephthah’s daughter, “The Scriptures never approve nor disapprove of the act explicitly but let the matter stand, to be evaluated and contemplated after consulting the righteousness and law of God.”((John R. Franke, ed. Judges 11:39 says that Jephthah’s daughter never married, not that she died. Jephthah was one of ancient Israel's eighteen Judges who sporadically governed God's people from the time of Joshua (who became the first Judge in 1398 B.C.) Jephthah’s daughter is not named in scripture. Scripture references: Judges 10; 11. However, a closer … One respectable scholar, Goslinga, who contends that Jephthah did actually kill his daughter, concedes that the “perpetual virgin” view is also possible. The Slaying of Jephthah’s Daughter. Updated January 09, 2020. Our Wednesday Night series on Women of the Bible continues as we study what Jephthah and his daughter can teach us about steadfast faith even when it requires deep sacrifice on our part. JEPHTHAH ’ S DAUGHTER. Assuming you already know the story in judges. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Jephthah. 34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. Sunday, June 18, 2017: “Jephthah’s Answer and Vow” Commentary. Jephthah’s Daughter Judges 11:34-40. Did Jephthah really sacrifice his daughter ? Furthermore, E. W. Bullinger made a defense of the idea that Jephthah’s daughter was consecrated instead of made a burnt sacrifice. Susanna and Jephthah's Daughter For the first time in modem scholarship - indeed, perhaps in the two thousand years of the Church - eight biblical women can be identified as christological types.1 These female types of Christ are part of mainstream Christian tradition, found in the Lectionary, in preaching, in hymnody, in church decoration. The people love Jephʹthah’s daughter because she is such a good servant of Jehovah. After this it became the custom for the daughters of Israel to lament four days in every year the death of Jephthah's daughter (Judges xi. 2. 19:25-30), and graphic descriptions of an overweight king having a dagger plunged into his belly (Judg. Jephthah vowed to God that if the Lord would grant him victory over the evil Ammonites, the first thing that came out to meet him upon his return home, would be Jehovah's, and/or it would be offered as a burnt sacrifice. When he arrived home, his daughter came out to greet him. He was devastated, but eventually he fulfilled the vow. חָתְפִיּ), judge of Israel for six years and victor over the Ammonites (Judg. David Murray recently posted a discussion of Jephthah’s vow (Judges 11:29-40). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary 34-40. Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page, Jr. and Matthew J. M. Coomber; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2014) 277-99. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. The majority opinion among commentators is that Jephthah killed his daughter as an act of human sacrifice . There is, however, a minority opinion that Jephthah's daughter spent the rest of her life in seclusion. His faithfulness to God can be seen in the training his daughter must have received. First, notice that the daughter … In 11:37, Jephthah’s daughter requests a two-month leave in order to lament her virginity. Jephthah’s daughter is Daughter Zion, God’s people, Yahweh’s (Christ’s) bride. In his defense, Jephthah might point out that it was actually his daughter who insisted that he fulfill his vow to God (Judges 11:36) perhaps mitigating to some extent his responsibility. The first thing that comes out of his house upon his return is his daughter, his only child (vv. Open your Bibles to Judges chapter 10. In any case, Jephthah’s vow brought him terrible grief. What consternation Jephthah must have felt: When he saw her, he … In verse 39, the writer repeats, "She knew no man" immediately after he writes that Jephthah performed the vow. Note: the below is a chapter from the book of E. W. Bullinger : Great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11, Kregel Publications, 1979, pp. The idea of Jephthah’s daughter being given over to a celibate life of service to the LORD came about in the 12 th century. 3:21-25), or an enemy general having a tent peg driven through his skull (Judg. Women of the Bible: Jephthah’s Daughter. There is a second interpretation that asserts that Jephthah never committed human sacrifice, but rather he dedicated his daughter over to the Lord as mentioned in Leviticus 27:1ff. This is a minority opinion among scholars and is not viewed highly by most. Furthermore, the narrative is not clear about the purpose or the daughter’s knowledge, and why no … In Brief Jephthah’s daughter is the victim of her father’s vow to sacrifice a person in return for victory in battle, although the text does not explicitly state that he killed her. ... had vowed: and she knew no man. Jephtah was a man of outstanding military ability who rose from despised beginnings (he was illegitimate) to become a leader of Israel. It should also serve as a warning to make sure any vow we make is something that is not in violation of God’s Word. 1. “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance,” they said, “for you are the son of a prostitute.” Lesson: Judges 11:4-11, 29-31; Time of Action: about 1087 B.C. Judges: Jephthah's Daughter. d. Jephthah’s background suggests that he was a rash person. The daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah — The Hebrew word לתנות, lethannoth, here rendered, to lament, occurs nowhere else in … See more ideas about bible, daughter, biblical art. This was a time when Europe experienced a surge in women living a monastic lifestyle. Jephthah promised to offer up whatever emerged from his house to God. Jephthah's vow (and the fate of his daughter) is one of the great mysteries of the Book of Judges. I will discuss the story of Jephthah’s daughter and the rash vow made by Jephthah. Second, Jephthah followed the letter and not … A. Jephthah negotiates with the Ammonites. Later the elders of Gilead ask him to lead them in the battle of Ammonites. But Jephthah’s “opening his mouth” has led to his daughter’s death. 1. So, the only obvious interpretation of Jephthah’s words, that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had made” (Judges 11:39), is that Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice to God, and that in his mind and in the minds of some people in Israel, that kind of sacrifice was the best offering one could offer to God. As a potential mother, the daughter represents the future for family and community. Jephthah’s daughter completed the vow out of loyalty—not out of wisdom, not out of knowing faithfulness, and certainly not out of covenantal faithfulness! Jephthah was the illegitimate son of an Israelite who was expelled by his family and clan after his father ’ s death. Judges 11:1. Feb 12, 2017 - Judges 11 resources. The haftarah, however, actually stops in the middle of the story, informing us of Jephthah’s victory over the Ammonites, but making no mention of his return home or of the fulfillment of his vow (vv. So Jephʹthah’s daughter goes to Shiʹloh, and she spends the rest of her life serving Jehovah at his tabernacle. He even made an effort to avoid war against the Ammonites through negotiations (verses 12-14, 27). We can’t really understand her story without first looking into his story. The account of Jephthah and his daughter serves as an example for us to not make foolish vows or oaths. My first question is about the story of Jephthah in Judges 11, which has always been disturbing to me. We can’t really understand her story without first looking into his story. Thus, as it states specifically, Jephthah's daughter mourned with her friends over her virginity, not her impending death. We identify with Barak thinking he needed someone more in touch with God to come along with him in order to really believe God would work through him. The final comment of the biblical text on the subject is the laconic statement that Jephthah fulfilled his vow, though the text gives no details of her death. Contrast her with Job’s wife, when faced with her loss, encouraged Job to “curse God and die” ( Job 2:9 ). 34-40). I believe Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice. Maria E. Doerfler’s monograph, Jephthah’s Daughter, Sarah’s Son, provides a fundamental assessment of the role late antique texts (commentaries, homilies, inscriptions, letters, and poems) that dealt with the death of children in the Bible played in church and society. Judges 10 Commentary Judges 10 Commentary. VIII. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! As we see, Jephthah also, to his credit, kept the vow. The story of Jephthah is one of the most encouraging and, at the same time, one of the most tragic in the Bible. In Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha (ed. May 22, 2016 A Response to Esther Fuchs An Evangelical appraisal of her article Marginalization, Ambiguity, Silencing: The Story of Jephthah’s Daughter Mark Alroy Mascrenghe mark_ai@yahoo.com 1 Introduction Judges has the story of Jephthah who vows to Yahweh to sacrifice anything that comes out of his house to meet him when returns in … JEPHTHAH. Jephthah’s Daughter and her sacrifice. If only Jephthah had known his Bible. Jephthah then defeated the Ammonites and returned home to Mizpah (Judges 11:32–34). Others hold that she was killed according to Canaanite practices which Jephthah had embraced.” Based on this idea, many of the biblical commentators 4 maintain that Jephthah did not offer his daughter as a sacrifice. Thankfully, as the evidence seems to support, Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter—he devoted her to the service of God, much as did Hannah devote Samuel to the service of God. You can watch the video below. He triumphed over rejection, yet lost someone very dear to him because of a rash, unnecessary vow. Context –The interpretation that Jephthah’s daughter was offered as a burnt offering best fits the context of the Book of Judges. JEPHTHAH'S EARLY LIFE (Judges 11:1-3) "Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. The Ryrie Study Bible explains: “Some understand that Jephthah’s daughter was only dedicated to the service of God in a life of celibacy and not actually slain. Though I did not arrive at my view through democratic means, it’s interesting that over 1,000 of you are with me and over 600 of you are, well, still my friends anyway I hope. A couple of people focused on Jephthah’s daughter’s reaction and the tradition that arose from it to claim that he did not sacrifice her. The most popular interpretation concerning Jephthah’s daughter is that he literally sacrificed her on an altar thus killing her. 11:32 ), though he had not such an extraordinary call as the rest there mentioned had. Jephthah’s Daughter Was Offered as a Burnt Offering. For his daughter it meant devoting her life utterly to God. Question #1: I have a couple questions for you if you don't mind. Jephthah evidently expected an animal to exit, but this unexpected event caused him to tear his clothes in mourning. The story of Jephthah and his daughter is the subject of Lion Feuchtwanger's historical novel, Jefta und seine Tochter (1957), English translation, Jephta and His Daughter, also known as Jephthah and His Daughter, published 1958; In Hamlet, Polonius tells Hamlet "If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a daughter I love passing well." The old testament … (1-3) Jephthah’s background before his rise to leadership. She had to live a life of isolation, fully devoted to Divine service. 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