1In the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh, and sat before me.
2Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
4“Will you judge them, son of man? Will you judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers. 5Tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “In the day when I chose Israel, and swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, ‘I am Yahweh your God;’ 6in that day I swore to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands. 7I said to them, ‘Each of you throw away the abominations of his eyes. Don’t defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’
8“‘“But they rebelled against me and wouldn’t listen to me. They didn’t all throw away the abominations of their eyes. They also didn’t forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt. 9But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10So I caused them to go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11I gave them my statutes and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he will live in them. 12Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.
13“‘“But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They didn’t walk in my statutes and they rejected my ordinances, which if a man keeps, he shall live in them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 15Moreover also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, 16because they rejected my ordinances, and didn’t walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17Nevertheless my eye spared them, and I didn’t destroy them. I didn’t make a full end of them in the wilderness. 18I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Don’t walk in the statutes of your fathers. Don’t observe their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am Yahweh your God. Walk in my statutes, keep my ordinances, and do them. 20Make my Sabbaths holy. They shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’
21“‘“But the children rebelled against me. They didn’t walk in my statutes, and didn’t keep my ordinances to do them, which if a man does, he shall live in them. They profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath on them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. 22Nevertheless I withdrew my hand and worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out. 23Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, 24because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. 25Moreover also I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances in which they couldn’t live. 26I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused all that opens the womb to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Yahweh.”’
27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Moreover, in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. 28For when I had brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There they also made their pleasant aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29Then I said to them, ‘What does the high place where you go mean?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’
30“Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Do you pollute yourselves in the way of your fathers? Do you play the prostitute after their abominations? 31When you offer your gifts, when you make your sons pass through the fire, do you pollute yourselves with all your idols to this day? Should I be inquired of by you, house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I will not be inquired of by you!
32“‘“That which comes into your mind will not be at all, in that you say, ‘We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.’ 33As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be king over you. 34I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” says the Lord Yahweh. 37“I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38I will purge out from among you the rebels and those who disobey me. I will bring them out of the land where they live, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”
39“‘As for you, house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says: “Go, everyone serve his idols, and hereafter also, if you will not listen to me; but you shall no more profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols. 40For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh, “there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the first fruits of your offerings, with all your holy things. 41I will accept you as a pleasant aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered. I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations. 42You will know that I am Yahweh when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I swore to give to your fathers. 43There you will remember your ways, and all your deeds in which you have polluted yourselves. Then you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. 44You will know that I am Yahweh, when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, you house of Israel,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
45Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, 46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and preach toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the south. 47Tell the forest of the south, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word: The Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree. The burning flame will not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it. 48All flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it. It will not be quenched.”’”
49Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They say of me, ‘Isn’t he a speaker of parables?’”
Judges 11 focuses on a "mighty man of valor" by the name of Jephthah, who was a Gileadite (v. 1). Since he was born of a prostitute he was disowned by his father's sons, his life looked dim. Yet the story tells us of his rise back to power and gratitude of the people of Israel to become their ruler. He is remembered, however, not for the difficulties in early life he had, or for his valor in war, leading Israel against their enemy, but for the story about a rash vow that he made to Yahweh, the God of Israel, of what he would perform for Yahweh should he win the battle. Did he truly kill his daughter as a sacrifice to Yahweh? There appear to be three different ways that we may understand this vow in Judges 11:30, 34-40.
1. Jephthah, in an immoral climate violated the law of God and killed his daughter since he has made a rash vow, and the daughter's remorse is over her death to come.
2. Jephthah, in an immoral climate did not violate the law of God, and even though he made this vow to God he chose not to perform the vow but committed her to life in the service of God.
3. Jephthah did not violate the law of God, but instead made a vow that should be understood as "or" so that he would either sacrifice whatever came out or what came out would be dedicated to the service of Yahweh. The girl spent two months in mourning because she would always be a virgin.
Let's look at each of these options.
1. For a vigorous defense of the view that Jephthah offered his daughter as a burnt offering in fulfillment of his vow may be found at George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges, International Critical Commentary (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 304–305. He says, "The older Jewish and Christian interpreters, without exception, understood the words in their plain and natural sense; Jephthah fulfilled his vow by offering his daughter as a burnt-offering. George Foot Moore, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges, International Critical Commentary (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 304." Appearing to agree with Moore's conclusion, David Firth, says, quoting Baker, that modern persons might have difficulty with this any more than other moral issues present at the time in Israel. He says, "A moment’s reflection on the Jephthah story in Judges (Judg 10:6–12:7) quickly illustrates this point. The issue that troubles most modern readers is probably the sacrifice of his daughter (Judg 11:29-40), something that is reported but without any commentary at all.[26] But, as Baker argues,[27] the author of Judges does not moralize on a wide range of abuses prevalent among other peoples around Israel either, but expects that the way the story is told will speak for itself through the context provided and its aftermath. The narrator expects readers to discern why this behaviour is inappropriate without the need to make this explicit. [David G Firth (2020). (p. 8)." "New Studies in Biblical Theology: Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets." Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com]
2. Some have interpreted Jephthah’s vow that whatever comes out of the doors as a clear intention to offer a human sacrifice (11:31). His surprise then is not that he had to sacrifice a human being, but that the unfortunate person was his daughter (11:34). The phrase "to meet me" seems to refer more appropriately to a human than to an animal, and it is difficult to see why Jephthah would mourn over fulfilling a vow to sacrifice an animal. However, In view of the rashness of the vow and the abhorrence of human sacrifice forbidden in Israel by Yahweh (Lev 18:21; 20:2; Deut 12:31; 18:10; Jer 19:5; Ezek 20:30, 31; 23:37, 39), it might have caused Jephthah to refrain from the sacrifice of his daughter, in spite of his vow to Yahweh. It is interesting that the text does not say that he actually killed his daughter, but only that he fulfilled his vow, somewhat unclear, followed by the words that "she was a virgin."
3. The third possible interpretation I find the most satisfying due to the ambiguity of the vow, the matter of the two months to mourn regarding the daughter's virginity, and not her death, and because the Hebrew grammar provides for an alternative. The first question, to me, is why would a ruler of the stature of Jephthah, who was declared a mighty man of valor and who asked for the help of Yahweh, offend God in a vow that would be contrary to unambiguous laws of Yahweh. The vow itself seems unclear if either a human or animal greets him first after a victory from Yahweh. Certainly, he indicates that he spoke too soon in expressing the vow, but would the idea of sacrifice be understood as a part of the vow?
Second, the response to the encounter with his daughter seems most unusual if her death by sacrifice is in view. Upon her greeting him he responds that she has brought him low and troubled him. This seems more for the loss of an heir than the loss of a daughter.
Third, he permits her request to spend two months mourning with her friends because of her virginity rather than being put to death. His response on her returning to her father for the fulfillment of the vow. The only statement is "she was a virgin." This seems to indicate a dedication to Yahweh in service, somewhat like Samuel, rather than being sacrificed on a pyre of wood.
Last of all, the Hebrew provides for the conjunction vav to be translated as "or" rather than "and," though the latter is more normal. But this is not a normal situation and the alternative of dedication to Yahweh in service, with husband or child, rather than dedication to Yahweh in death. The sense of the Hebrew, I believe, seems to be the following: “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be, that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, OR I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”1
I am pleased not only to be able to rely on Hebrew grammar for my conclusion, but the arguments of a Jewish Rabbi: Prof. Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, "Did Jephthah Actually Kill His Daughter?" ↩︎