It appears that they acted as door porters, singers, musicians and workers in cloth (most valuable and needed when the tabernacle stood, as it did in Jephthah's day). Church Pulpit Commentary. and said, if thou shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands; though he was assured of the justness of his cause, and of his call to engage in it, he seems to have some little diffidence in his mind about the success of it; at least, was not fully certain of it. The confusion can be cleared up by carefully examining Jephthah's vow. 1865-1868. Being brought hereby into great distress, and a man of valour, he resolves to live by the sword; collecting a band of men, therefore, he maintained them and himself, most probably, by incursions on Israel's enemies. "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". Some of their arguments are as follows. They might be pleasing or displeasing to God, according to their real character. It is generally assumed this means that he did sacrifice her as an offering. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/judges-11.html. See also Numbers 3:13, ‘I sanctified to myself all the firstborn in the land of Israel, both man and beast. I. Howbeit God made choice of such a one here to be a deliverer of his people; and hath registred him among other of his worthies, famous for their faith. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/judges-11.html. As the narrative progresses Jephthah moves from an outcast to the accepted leader of the Gileadites. The story is more important than one would at first suspect, for the critics have seized upon it as evidence that God is self-contradictory, bloodthirsty and devoid of any sense of equity and justice. The Nelson Study Bible concurs: "The phrase to meet me seems to refer more appropriately to a human than to an animal" (note on 11:31). That they may serve in the sanctuary of God. And he was the son of an harlot.] https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/judges-11.html. ‘Sanctify to me all the firstborn. Hashem also created the answer before the crisis ever began and before the elders of Gilead sought his help. "E.W. And no wonder, removed as they are from nearly all loving influences; never welcomed into the world as blessings, but regarded as troubles and burdens; the very stigma which attaches to them breaking down their self-respect, and making them an easy prey to those whose interest it is to drag them into the ways of sin. Copyright StatementThese files are public domain. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” Now becomes very clear the grief of Jephthah (for he would have no inheritor) and of his daughter (for she would have no children) and of her friends (for their friend would never become "a mother in Israel," and possibly mother of the promised Messiah) and of the people of Israel (for their hero would not leave them descendants and his name would "perish out of Israel")! a. What he did not expect was that it would be his daughter that would be involved. "Commentary on Judges 11:30". 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 ( 1 Samuel 18:6), the leader of whom was Jephthah's daughter. Rather than leaping at the chance to command Gilead's army, he patiently negotiated for a more powerful position. Hashem is the one orchestrating all the circumstances that lead to the victory. First, if Jephthah offered his daughter as a burnt sacrifice, he did so without God’s approval, for the law of Moses condemned human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:10). He. 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.