On the contrary we affirm, that the terms used by Jephthah do not imply any such thing. or, if a dog or other unclean animal should come forth, he would offer it up for a burnt-offering? Those who think that she was sacrificed, are satisfied with the present version; those who dissent from this, contend earnestly for the marginal rendering, ‘to talk with,’—meaning that the daughters of Israel went yearly to condole with and to comfort her. There is another way also in which we follow the steps of Jephthah, namely, by undertaking so lightly the office of sponsors for the children of our friends. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/judges-11.html. Judges 11. God had promised that He would not do this as long as His people trusted and obeyed Him ( Deuteronomy 28:1; Deuteronomy 28:7). [Note: Davis and Whitcomb, p123. Strict inquiry should be made into the nature and extent of the proposed engagements, before we enter into them. ], "Jephthah"s theology contains at least one serious flaw: Chemosh was not the patron deity of the Ammonites but of Moab. Though a vow could not be broken, the law allowed for the mitigation of vows, especially those involving persons (see comment on Lev 27:2–8). Nor is the objection more valid, that supposing her only devoted to God, there was no reason why she should remain unmarried; since Samson and Samuel, both of whom were devoted to God from the womb, were both married. American King James Version×), even when it was to his own hurt (compare Psalms 15:4 Psalms 15:4In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honors them that fear the LORD. Look back, all ye who have been restored from sickness, ye who have been delivered from the pangs of childbirth, ye who have seen your friends or relatives cut off by death, ye who have been in a storm at sea, or been alarmed by thunder and lightning; look back, and call to mind the vows that are upon you; and see how Jephthah will rise up in judgment against you for your violation of them. The Nelson Study Bible concurs: "The phrase to meet me seems to refer more appropriately to a human than to an animal" (note on Judges 11:31 Judges 11:31Then it shall be, that whatever comes 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.American King James Version×). His belief that he needed to bargain with and bribe God to get Him to bless His people was unfortunate (cf. We may request cookies to be set on your device. 15:20-21; Judg. Note the references to weeping at the beginning ( Judges 2:4), middle ( Judges 11:38), and end ( Judges 20:23; Judges 20:26; Judges 21:2) of this book. Moreover, he was at this time under the influence of the Spirit of God (Jdg 11:29). So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. Judges 11:39 And it came about at the end of two months that she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. It will be well if we lay this to heart in future. [9] And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. The vow of Jephthah has engaged the attention of learned men in all ages: but they are by no means agreed as to the import of it. This changes the complexion of the difficulty entirely. If the Lord has spoken to you about your honesty and about the vows you have made to Him, you ought to come before Him and deal with that today. c. The institution of a four-day annual feast in Israel as a result of her fate argues for her death ( Judges 11:40). If she were really put to death, is it not strange that the fact of her death is not once spoken of? 23:22, 23. 1. ותהי חק בישראל vattehi ’hok be-yisraël. The Philistines harassed Israel for40 years ( Judges 13:1; ca1124-1084 B.C.). (Judges 11:34-40) THE COMMITMENT MAINTAINED DESPITE THE GREAT COST, A. But there is yet a third source from whence we may derive arguments in confirmation of this point. ‘They might have lamented only what they and Jephthah’s daughter had lamented before, viz. the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. ‘thou hast become among my troublers.’ This language might, in reality, have been more properly addressed by the daughter to her father, but his meaning obviously is, that she had innocently and involuntarily become a source of unspeakable distress to him. (F. B. Meyer. thou hast brought me very low [after having been raised so high by the victory: compare the Antitype weeping in the very hour of triumph (Luke 19:38–41)], and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth [in a vow] unto the LORD [JEHOVAH], and I cannot go back [Ps. What lessons did we learn? He should have vowed to offer the inhabitants of the cities he would conquer as sacrifices to God ( Numbers 21:2). Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Many commentators object and see no other option than to say that Jephthah horribly fulfilled his vow by the human sacrifice of his own daughter. [Note: McCann, p80.]. (Jdg 11:32, 33) But would God have sanctioned in this manner a gross act of deliberate murder? He gave us much more personal information about the last three major judges: Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. As to the objection, that if he had only devoted her in the sense that we maintain, he would not have so deplored her fate, it has no weight; for as she was his only child, all the distress occasioned to her came with double force on him, who was thereby doomed, and by his own folly too, to have his name and posterity cut off from Israel.]. 4:1; 1 Sam. King Balak of Moab had never fought with Israel ( Numbers 22-24). God"s Spirit then clothed Jephthah, giving the promise of divine enablement and victory in the approaching encounter with the Ammonite army ( Judges 11:29; cf. Evidently Jephthah told the Lord about this covenant in prayer. [Note: Wolf, p381.]. Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did to all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Now I ask, Would this act have been so commended, if it had been ushered in with such an impious vow, and been followed by such a deliberate murder? Although the narrative does not represent him as informing her specifically of the burden of the vow, yet from what follows it is plain that she soon became aware of it, either from the extreme distress which he now manifested, or from his subsequent explicit disclosures. No mournings, no lamentations will ever be excited by our performance of them. He could not take back his vow. [Note: Block, Judges . Minnith — A place not far from Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites. Did he ever strive against Israel? Jephthah's daughter exhibits no terror, no pleading for her life—even the friends with whom she mourned her virginity allowed her to return! Unlike Gideon, he was a courageous and valiant warrior. 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")! [39] And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. (1) It is not expressly stated that she was offered up for a burnt offering. It would therefore almost amount to a positive immolation of her. Genesis 22). And not by Jephthah himself, for this would have been a transgression of the Levitical law, which enjoined that every offering should be made by the hand of the priest, and at the place where the tabernacle and altar stood. I cannot but consider the frequency of oaths, the ease with which they are administered, and the indifference with which they are taken, as among the most crying sins of the nation. But the word which we translate to lament, is in the margin of the Bible translated to talk with: and this assigns the true reason of those stated convocations: her female friends went to condole with her on the occasion, and to do her honour. Compare Gideon"s similar response to the gift of God"s Spirit. There is one point in particular which the conduct of this pious virgin may well impress on the minds of all who belong to the Established Church; I mean, the observance of those vows which were made for us in baptism — — — Of those vows our parents will never have reason to repent; nor can we ever regret that they were made for us. He should never have made that promise. Tho' the attempt of others to wrong us, will justify us in the defence of our own right, yet it will not authorize us to do them wrong. But where, for the gratifying of our own inclination, excuses are sought out for receding from an engagement, God himself will be the avenger of the injured party. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. d. Until the Middle Ages this was the uniform interpretation of the commentators. ", [Note: See Lindsey, p401 , for three other possible interpretations.]. For ourselves, the narrated facts of the Scripture allow us to come to no other conclusion. "whatever" can apply to a person or an animal, but Jephthah was probably thinking of an animal. If it be thought, that her piety kept her from bemoaning her death, and that she bemoaned her virginity merely as a circumstance that seemed to render her death opprobrious; I answer, that the same piety that reconciled her to death, would certainly have reconciled her to the opprobrium of dying in a virgin state; exactly as Isaac was willing to forego his prospects in relation to the promised Seed, when he yielded up himself to be slain in sacrifice to God.
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