JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:1 JEPHTHAH was a MIGHTY WARRIOR, but his illegitimacy caused his half brothers to force him out of his father’s house. He attracted WORTHLESS FELLOWS (v. Judges 11:3; compare 2 Chronicles 13:7), which indicates a weak personal character. ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:6 COME AND BE OUR LEADER. God did not “raise up” Jephthah, as he had previous judges (Judges 3:9, Judges 3:15; Judges 4:6; Judges 6:14). The people appointed a leader without seeking God’s approval—another sign of their increasing rebellion. ⇐ ⇔ [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:8 THAT YOU MAY GO WITH US AND FIGHT. Compare the language later used by the Israelites to ask Samuel for a king: “that our king may... go out before us and fight” (1 Samuel 8:20). In both cases, even though God granted it, the request was inappropriate. God, not any judge or... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:11 JEPHTHAH SPOKE ALL HIS WORDS BEFORE THE LORD. Jephthah displayed a strange mixture of faith and foolishness. While he acknowledged God (see vv. Judges 11:21, Judges 11:23, Judges 11:27, Judges 11:30; Judges 12:3), overall his foolishness seemed to outweigh his faith (see... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:12 In__ an impressive speech, Jephthah answered the Ammonite charge (v. Judges 11:13) that Israel had unlawfully seized the disputed territory. Jephthah asserted that “the LORD, the God of Israel” was himself the one who had displaced these peoples (vv. Judges 11:21, Judges... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:17 The review of the past refers to events in the WILDERNESS described in Numbers 20:14. ALL THE TERRITORY refers to the limits of the Amorites’ land, precisely what the Ammonites claimed was theirs in Judges 11:13 (compare Numbers 21:24). ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:24 CHEMOSH was the Moabites’ god (1 Kings 11:7, 1 Kings 11:33); elsewhere, the Ammonites’ god was Molech (1 Kings 11:7) or Milcom (1 Kings 11:5, 1 Kings 11:33). However, Ammon and Moab were closely associated, as both were descended from Lot ... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:29 THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WAS UPON. See note on 14:6. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:31 WHATEVER COMES OUT. The wording here would indicate that Jephthah intended to offer some animal as a burnt offering. However, the grammar also allows for “whoever” (see esv footnote), in which case Jephthah would have intended to offer a human sacrifice all along. If so,... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:35 I CANNOT TAKE BACK MY VOW. Vows were solemn affairs, made only to God. People were not forced to take them, but, if they did, they had to be kept, under normal circumstances (Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4). But any vow that would result in sin was not binding (Levit... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGES—NOTE ON JUDGES 11:39 WHO DID WITH HER ACCORDING TO HIS VOW. Most likely this means Jephthah literally sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering. Another interpretation is that Jephthah dedicated his daughter to permanent virginity, as a figurative sacrifice (see references to her uniqueness... [ Continue Reading ]