One of the more troubling passages of the old testament has to do with a vow made by one of israels judges, jephthah, as recorded in judges 11. Then jephthah the gileadite died and was buried in a town in gilead. Jephthah appears in the book of judges as a judge who presided over israel for a period of six. Jephthah, a judge or regent often a hero figure of israel who.
Indeed, this tale of a nameless young woman, with scarcely a voice of her own and with her violent fate precipitated and carried out by her own father. The book of judges, sefer shoftim is the seventh book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. Mar 12, 2017 to read the stories of the bible this way, and especially the book of judges, is to completely miss what the author is trying to communicate through these narratives. For the next 24 years, nothing happensat least nothing important enough for the bible to tell us about.
Jephthah, a judge or regent often a hero figure of israel who dominates a narrative in the book of judges, where he is presented as an exemplar of faith for israel in its monotheistic commitment to yahweh. The following pdf files are downloadable with adobe acrobat reader. When jephthah arrived at home, his daughter, an only child, was the first to come out of his house judges 11. His halfbrothers, sons of their fathers legitimate wife, fearful that jephthah would share in their inheritance, expelled him from the family home when he grew up. To read the stories of the bible this way, and especially the book of judges, is to completely miss what the author is trying to communicate through these narratives.
Aug 09, 2014 a summary and brief commentary on important aspects of these stories from the book of judges, by dr. The israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the. The passage regarding jephthah is a controversial and difficult one. The book ends with a private army raiding a temple and then burning a city to the ground. For more information about jephthah, check out the easton bible dictionary entry as well. A study of joshua, judges, ruth, and i samuel 18 materials are ed but can be used for free. Judges 12 jephthah and ephraim the ephraimite bible. So jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of tob, where a gang of. Although allowed to grow up in his fathers household, the prostitutes son was eventually driven out by his halfbrothers who didnt want him to share in their inheritance. This summary of the book of judges provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of judges. Key personalities include othniel, ehud, deborah, gideon, abimelech, jephthah, samson, and delilah. Judges 11 jephthah the gileadite was a mighty bible. Mar 30, 2012 since jephthah was the son of a harlot judges 11. The following statements in judges indicate its origin at the beginning of king sauls reign.
The hebrew bible includes only the books known to christians as the old. Jephthah lives in exile with a band of misfits, outcasts, and merry men, far from the civilized company of his halfbrothers 11. Jan 02, 2020 the bible does not explicitly state that jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering. Judges 12 jephthah and ephraim the ephraimite bible gateway. The book of judges includes several interesting genres. It is hard to see how the people would have stood for him leading them after this. When jephthah arrived at home, his daughter, an only child. Its author is anonymous but it is usually assumed that samuel, the prophet wrote it. 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 jehovahs, andor it would be. Jephthah, a man who became renowned for his bravery, was the son of a harlot and a man named gileadwhich was also the name of the region where he lived. Jeffthuh comes from the old testament book of judges, chapters 1112. He was born an illegitimate child, but judged over israel for a period of six years judges 12. Jephthah was a hero in the book of judges, a mighty warrior and natural leader. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement before the lord in mizpah judges 10.
You cant help but root for the banished underdog who becomes the leader of his people. Let the lord, the judge, decide the dispute this day between the israelites and the ammonites. The book of judges describes the time after the death of joshua judges 1. The title refers to the leaders israel had from the time of the elders who outlived joshua until the time of the monarchy. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. In the narrative of the hebrew bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the book of joshua and the establishment of a kingdom in the books of samuel, during which biblical judges served as temporary leaders. Judges 11 jephthah the gileadite was a mighty bible gateway. The book of judges is the second of the books of the former prophets in hebrew scripture, and serves as part of the historical books of the greek septuagint old testament, in the following order. Reflections video books of the bible understanding the bible. The judge jephthah had just won a battle over the ammonites, and. The story of jephthah is found in the old testament book of judges, chapters 1112.
Jephthahs daughter is a figure in the hebrew bible, whose story is recounted in judges 11. In the story of the last three judges, their corruption is seen with increased clarity as gideon forgets god, jephthah doesnt know gods character, and samson lives completely contrary to gods law. Mar 05, 2020 jephthah then defeated the ammonites and returned home to mizpah judges 11. The bible does not explicitly state that jephthah sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering. You are not going to get any inheritance in our family, they said, because you are the son of another woman.
Yet jephthahs vow to jehovah god would involve his daughter too. Let the lord, who is judge, decide this day between the israelites and the ammonites. But since gilead also names the region in transjordan from which jephthah comes, the text may be implying that any of the men of gilead could be jephthahs father. Jephthah then defeated the ammonites and returned home to mizpah judges 11. Jephthah who defeated the ammonites, and samson who defeated the philistines. Tragedy and hope in the book of judges bibleproject. At this point, jephthah enters the story as he is the deliverer that god raised up to rescue the israelites from the cruel oppression of the ammonites. Readers want to know why jephthah makes such a vow.
He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from. Jephthah was a leader in israel during the time of the judges. Click the play button below to hear how to pronounce jephthah. Judges 11 niv bible jephthah the gileadite was a mighty. The episode involving jephthahs daughter, partly because of its very brevity, generates numerous questions. This free audio bible name pronunciation guide is a valuable tool in your study of gods word. Of the israelite tribe in gilead present northwest jordan, he was banished from his home. His halfbrothers, sons of their fathers legitimate.
This book is not offering ehud, gideon, or jephthah as people you should aspire to be like. He crossed gilead and manasseh, passed through mizpah of gilead, and from there he advanced against the ammonites. When she comes back to her father, he does with her according to the vow he had made judges 11. Smith is associate professor of biblical studies, liberty. Introduction i have a good friend and respected pastor who long ago was teaching through the book of romans. A summary and brief commentary on important aspects of these stories from the book of judges, by dr. Aug 16, 2019 jephthah lived during the 12 th century b. There is also a phonetic guide to use to see the proper pronunciation of jephthah. The womans father, jephthah, has a rather unconventional background. Gileads wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove jephthah away.
So if the intention of jephthahs vow was to dedicate his daughter to the lords service, he would be required to redeem her because she could not serve there. Like other judges in the bible, jephthah was to conquer the enemies of gods people israel. In his desire to defeat the children of ammon, jephthah made a foolish vow to the lord. The bible tells of jephthahs terrible mistake and what it cost. The angel of god told manoahs wife that she would conceive a savior. Judges bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. Judges 11 niv jephthah the gileadite was a mighty bible gateway. Summary of the book of judges the story of the bible. Joshua, judges, ruth, samuel, and kings, as well as the books of the restoration. Some of these characters have their bright moments, but theyre rare in the mostly.
Throughout the book of judges marriage and the family is a theme that needs to be examined. I made this video to remind everyone of what a lovely character the god of the bible is. Im sorry, folks, it is just too easy to pull out verses, chapters, and even books. If you give the ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when i. Did jephthah sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering.