Judges 11:29-39

Introduction

One of the most misunderstood and perplexing passages of Scripture is the story of Jephthah and his vow to the Lord found in the book of Judges.

Some think that Jephthah actually offered his daughter in human sacrifice to appease the vow he had made unto the Lord when the Lord delivered into his hands the children of Ammon, the enemy of Israel at that time.

But is this really what happened? Could – what has been said of Jephthah – a righteous man actually sacrifice on an altar his own daughter and, even more concerning, would God actually honor such a detestable offering?

If this view is correct, and Jephthah actually did sacrifice his daughter, what does this say about God, and wouldn’t this be in contradiction with the revealed Word of God? Why would God ever put more credence in a vow over the life of a child? Isn’t this an indictment of God and His character?

God Abhors Human Sacrifice

In ancient Israel, child sacrifice to Molech and other pagan deities is revealed to be an abomination unto God. The LORD repeatedly condemns the evil practice. Below is only two of many examples:

“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart” (Jeremiah 7:31). (Emphasis mine)

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). (Emphasis mine)

There can be no doubt as to God’s abhorrence of such wicked practices.

The Vow

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon” (Judges 11:29).

“The spirit of the Lord” was upon Jephthah and, immediately, he “vowed a vow unto the LORD”:

“And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh 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” (Judges 11:30-31). (Emphasis mine)

Institute for Creation Research founder, Henry M. Morris, in The Henry Morris Study Bible, wrote the following in regard to this passage:

11:31 “and.” The Hebrew conjunction, vau, can mean “and” or “or” depending on context. Here it is better rendered “or.” That is, whatever first came forth would be dedicated to the Lord: if a person came out (Jephthah was probably thinking of a servant), he or she would be dedicated to God’s service at the tabernacle, as Samuel would later be (1 Samuel 1:11). If an animal came out, it would be offered as a burnt offering. Jephthah apparently kept small flocks of clean animals in his “house” (enclosed area where he lived) and fully expected it to be one of these.

Virginity vs. Death

The story continues:

“And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.

And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains” (Judges 11:34-38). (Emphasis mine)

Jephthah’s daughter was “bewailing her virginity.” She was not “bewailing her impending death,” which is what one would certainly think someone who was about to die would be lamenting.

Another consideration is the fact that Jephthah allowed his daughter to leave for two months with her friends before he fulfilled his vow. If he was intending to sacrifice his daughter, he most certainly would have wanted her around with himself for the last remaining months of her life.

Also, why would she come back, knowing that her father intended to kill her in honor of his vow? This wasn’t an Abraham/Isaac situation where God requested the sacrifice as a test of faith – this was a man’s, seemingly, hasty vow made in the passion of the moment.

The Verse 39 Summary Determinant

To emphasize the context, verse 39 is most clearly the determining factor signifying Jephthah’s daughter’s virginity – and not her life – that was the source of her sadness:

“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” (Judges 11:39). (Emphasis mine)

She returned to her father. Her father carried out his vow. She knew no man. These are the facts. No human sacrifice is mentioned, let alone implied here.

Theological Problems, ‘Hall of Faith’ Commendation, and A Warning

Those who believe Jephthah sacrificed his daughter have some problematic theological issues that don’t align with the revealed character of God.

Because Jephthah is regarded as a righteous man, this would imply that God puts more stock into someone who keeps a rash and hasty vow over the murder and sacrifice of a human being, which is strictly prohibited by God Himself.

Jephthah is even mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews:

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:” (Hebrews 11:32). (Emphasis mine)

I think the overwhelming evidence – Jephthah’s daughter bewailing her virginity, the ‘vau‘ translation issue, the verse 39 summary determinant, the commendation of Jephthah in the New Testament, and the spirit of the Lord being upon Jephthah – makes this interpretation the more reasonable, logical, and factual of the two. Personally, I don’t think the other view has any merit whatsoever.

But there does seem to be a lesson to be learned here, especially in regard to the New Covenant: One shouldn’t make rash and hasty vows in the passion of the moment, or at all!

“Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).

Jesus warned His disciples:

“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).

The Greek word for “swear” is 3660 “omnuó” and means to swear, take an oath, promise with an oath. [Definition from Biblehub.com]

Conclusion

Jephthah’s Sacrifice was most certainly a sacrifice for both himself and his daughter. For Jephthah, he would not be able to see his daughter grow up into a young woman, marry, and have his grandchildren as a father ought. For his daughter, it was the same; unable to be under the perpetual loving influence and guiding care of her godly father, and with no marriage and children in her future.

Both paid a supreme sacrifice in their desire to honor Jephthah’s vow.

Sincere and yet, seemingly, foolish in the eyes of some – yet both are noted for their righteousness and thankfulness to the Lord in delivering Israel from the children of Ammon.

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

Email: mab10666@yahoo.com

 

There is a story that I saved in one of my older files that seems very relevant for today. It starts out by saying it’s a true story about a pastor named George Thomas, from an unnamed small New England town. (any emphasis mine)

One Easter Sunday morning, Pastor Thomas came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old birdcage and set it up on a stand by the pulpit. Everyone looked at the cage with obvious questions on their minds. Pastor Thomas gave the message below, which had an obviously deeper meaning.

“I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this birdcage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked what he had. He replied, ‘just some old birds.’ When I asked what he was going to do with them, he said he was going to have ‘fun’ with them. He intended to tease them and pull out their feathers, and eventually feed them to some cats.

I asked the boy how much he would take for the birds. The boy said they weren’t pretty, couldn’t sing, and were good for nothing.

I again asked how much, and the boy said $10.00. I gave the boy the $10.00, and took the cage to a tree in a grassy spot and set them free – they were saved.”

At this point, the pastor told a story of why he had brought that cage to church.

One day, Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and with an evil laugh, said he had set a trap and caught the people there. He said he used “bait” that they could not refuse. Jesus asked Satan what he was going to do with the people, and Satan said he was going to have “fun” with them.

He was going to have them marry and divorce each other; learn to drink and smoke and curse; and then teach them to make weapons to kill each other.

Jesus asked what Satan would do when he was done with them, and Satan said he would kill them all, including all offspring.

Jesus asked Satan how much he wanted for them. Satan laughed and said that Jesus didn’t want them because they’re totally no good. He said they would turn and hate Jesus, spit in His face, and kill Him.

Once more, Jesus asked, “How Much?” Satan told Him, “All your blood, tears and your life. Jesus simply said, “Done,” and paid the price.

At this point, Pastor Thomas picked up the birdcage, and without another word, left the church.

Granted, we are not in the Easter season, but rather Christmas when many celebrate the Birth of our Savior. What we need to understand is that Jesus was destined to come as our Messiah from the very beginning of creation when there were no holidays. Though God cursed the serpent, and therefore put a curse on Satan (Genesis 3), He knew from that time forward what was to take place right up to the very end of the existence of this present earth. He knew that humans could never save themselves, and they must have someone to offer the perfect sacrifice they could take hold of and be rescued.

First, Grace is being given blessings we do not deserve. Second, Mercy is not being given the punishment we do deserve. Our Lord and Savior gave us the absolute greatest gift we could ever have. For His gift to be effective, we must receive and accept it. Otherwise, it would be like leaving a present under the tree and then throwing it out when the tree is removed, never having opened it.

As humans with a sin-nature that has been passed down from Adam and Eve to every person born or that will be born on this earth, we deserve no less than to be condemned by our Heavenly Father. He is a perfect God, our Creator, and cannot tolerate any sin, large or small. Only with the proper “sacrifice” to atone for our sins can we have any Hope of an eternal life with Him. The only sacrifice that He could possibly accept would be to offer a part of Himself in our place. Jesus did not come into existence with His human birth here. He has always been with God, and is, in fact, God. (John 1:1-4)

Prior to the human birth of Jesus, God allowed temporary measures that had to be repeated often as a sign of repentance and submission. The blood of animals and birds could never satisfy His requirement of pure, sinless blood.

Jesus led a sinless life while He was here, and His Blood met all requirements of the Father at Calvary. Now, when anyone becomes a part of the Savior’s flock, they meet the criteria of Psalm 103:11-12, which states, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” The blood of Jesus was so pure that it reached all those who, prior to Calvary, were in God’s will, and will reach all from Calvary to the end of the Millennium that will call on Him to be their Savior. He paid completely to satisfy the Heavenly Father for us.

At the same time, all who were disobedient prior to the Cross, and all who will refuse to call on Jesus and accept His gift, will appear at the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11-15. This is not a “rewards” judgment, and all who are there will be given what degree of punishment they will suffer forever. There is no pardon there, and it will be too late to call on Jesus to be saved. Eternity is a long time to make this mistake.

God also realizes that we are humans, and we will slip and sin. As long as we have His Son as our Shepherd, He will forgive us when we confess and ask for His forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10), As humans, we can never fully understand the total scope of God’s love for us, but by faith, we know He is absolutely true to His word.

When we are saved (Romans 10:9-13), our past is just that – behind us. For those who will not be saved, their past will be paid for, in full, by them in the Lake of Fire that was originally made for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41).

This world is full of false prophets and antichrists that are doing everything possible to fulfill Satan’s wishes. The Father knows that more will accept this world than will accept Jesus, but He stands ready to receive and forgive all who truly repent and call out to be saved.

If you haven’t asked Jesus to be your Savior and to forgive you all your sins, right now would be a great time to do so. We do not know the day or hour that He will come to call for His flock, but it could be any time now. God does not want us to fail but will not force anyone to accept His Son. Those who do will spend all eternity in forever, imperishable, immortal, pain-free bodies with Jesus.

It’s a gift we did not earn (Grace), and without the punishment we deserve (Mercy). Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), and we cannot buy or earn our own Salvation. Being “good enough” doesn’t cut it and is not an option as we are all lost sinners (Romans 3:23). We deserve death for all we have done (Romans 6:23), but we will receive the “free gift” promised by asking Jesus into our lives, to be there forever.

Call on Jesus; develop a relationship with Him through Bible reading and prayer. Just talk to Him, nothing formal or rehearsed. He’s listening 24-7, and it gets more natural each time to talk to Him. If you’ve never read the Bible, be sure to get a true version you can understand from a reputable Christian source, and start with the book of John. From there, go to Romans, and then go to the very beginning – Genesis – and read from there on.

Before long, you too will rejoice that we have a Savior and God that loves us and didn’t leave us to Satan’s evil plan. We have a wonderful option of a Heavenly Home, and He’s coming soon to take us there. Please don’t miss the call.

Ahava B’Shem Yeshua! (Love in the Name of Jesus)

huebshman46@gmail.com