Document dump
“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—”
(Hebrews 11:32, ESV)
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The recurring theme in Judges is that the lack of a king allowed everyone to do what was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Therefore, the days of Jephthah were days of rampant apostasy and spiritual ignorance.
TORCH TRINITY JOURNAL 6 (2003) Pp.118-131. JEPHTHAH’S SACRIFICE: NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE FOR TODAY. James P. Breckenridge
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70—The number of Gideon's children (8:30)
30/30/30—The sons/donkeys/cities under Jair (10:4)
1
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The single daughter of Jephthah (11:34)
30/30/30—The sons/daughters/daughters-in-law of Ibzan (12:9)
70—The donkeys for Abdon's 40 sons and 30 grandsons (12:14)
The story of Jephthah is at the focal point of this chiasm, and the story of Jephthah's daughter is central in the five-part account. She is his only child; he had no sons (11:34). The story of Jephthah therefore is of strategic importance in the theme of the failure of the family. What this father did with his child is of utmost importance.
Certainly Jephthah knew that human sacrifice was forbidden in Israel (Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31), and "yet Israel's neighbors—ironically, especially the Ammonites—sacrificed their children and this custom might have influenced Jephthah." Mullen suggests that "on one level, Jephthah the outcast appears a good Yahwist. But the nature of the vow itself serves as a commentary on Jephthah's relationship to Yahweh. Unwilling to trust that Yahweh is with him, Jephthah attempts to insure his victory via the promise of a burnt offering." Block states that his vow was "outrightly pagan" and that it "arose from a syncretistic religious environment."
BiBLiOTHECA SACRA 162 (July-September 2005): 279-98, THE FAILURE OF THE FAMILY IN JUDGES, PART 1: JEPHTHAH, Michael J. Smith
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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary
With regard to Jephthah’s vow, the view expressed so distinctly by Josephus and the Chaldee was the one which generally prevailed in the earlier times among both Rabbins and fathers of the church, viz., that Jephthah put his daughter to death and burned her upon the altar as a bleeding sacrifice to Jehovah. It was not till the middle ages that Mos. and Dav. Kimchi and certain other Rabbins endeavoured to establish the view, that Jephthah merely dedicated his daughter to the service of the sanctuary of Jehovah in a lifelong virginity. (Vol. 2, p. 280).
… All these circumstances, when rightly considered, almost compel us to adopt the spiritual interpretation of the words, “offer as a burnt-offering.”
Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 284). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
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Concerning an alternative translation of
"or" instread of
"and" in verse 11:31
“then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s,
"OR" I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”” (Judges 11:31, ESV)
It is offered as a possible translation but it is rare and when used generally and easily be replaced by the word "and" – which isn't the case in this instance.
6. in conditional phrases and questions וְ comes to mean or: וּבְאִשְׁתּוֹ or his wife Gn 2611, וְאִמּוֹ or his mother Ex 2117, מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵהֶם mine or theirs Jr 4428;
Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M. E. J., & Stamm, J. J. (1999). The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill.
d. it connects alternative cases, so that it = or: Ex 20:10, 17; 21:16 he that stealeth a man וּמְכָרוֹ וְנִמְצָא בְיָדוֹ and selleth him, and ( = or if) he be found in his hand, v 17 Lv 21:14; 22:23, 24 Pr 29:9 (Fl Ew RV: whether … or) Jb 31:13, 16, 26, etc.
Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (2000). Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon.
This is articulated well in the
NET Bible translation notes:
54 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the LORD’s service, but if an animal comes through the doors, he will offer it up as a sacrifice. However, it is far more likely that the Hebrew construction (vav [ו] + perfect) specifies how the subject will become the LORD’s, that is, by being offered up as a sacrifice. For similar constructions, where the apodosis of a conditional sentence has at least two perfects (each with vav) in sequence, see Gen 34:15–16; Exod 18:16.
The NET Bible First Edition Notes (2006) (Jdg 11:31). Biblical Studies Press. .
Josephus
(266)
Accordingly, when that time was over, he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering, offering such an oblation as was neither conformable to the law nor acceptable to God, not weighing with himself what opinion the hearers would have of such a practice.
Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The Works of Josephus: complete and unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson.
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I thought this was most interesting since if Jephthah offered his daughter for service to the LORD rather than kill her, he would be sending her to the very people his fought in Judges chapter 12.
Did Jephthah kill his daughter?
Those who answer this question in the negative will generally say that she, rather than actually being killed, was redeemed from death but consigned to perpetual virginity. It will usually then be presumed that she served out this vow as a servant at the tabernacle, which was then in Shiloh, in the tribal territory of Ephraim.
Rob
