Pagan worship? Family rivalry? National warfare? Rash vows? Devastating heartbreak? Child sacrifice? This is a tale that has it all. Let’s begin at the end of the story, in Judges 11:30-40.
“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…
“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 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 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.”
A surface reading of the above verses can easily lead to the conclusion that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as “a burnt offering” (verse 31). But, as with any Bible story, we need to consider everything in context; and for that we need to back up to chapter 10.
There we see that Israel had turned away from God to worship idols, resulting in their being conquered by the Philistines and the Ammorites, who came routinely every year to collect tribute from the Jews. The Israelites put away their pagan idols, repented, and cried unto God for deliverance. Then they looked for someone to lead their army into battle against the Ammorites.
Chapter 11 introduces us to Jephthah, “a mighty man of valour,” and the son of a prostitute. Jephthah’s father had other sons with a lawful wife. Those legitimate heirs didn’t want Jephthah to have any part in their inheritance after their father had died. So, they drove him out of their house, their tribe, and their land.
Jephthah leaves and settles down in another town populated by other displaced men without property or employment. These men seemingly had no way to earn a living except as soldiers of war, protecting the wealthy from robbers. Jephthah was obviously very good at this.
The elders came to Jephthah requesting that he be the one to captain the Jewish forces against the Ammonites. After Jephthah rebukes the elders for supporting his step-brothers in exiling him from his home, they agree to make him their judge in Israel.
The title “head” (verse 9) means commander (one who has the first rank or place), and, for Jephthah, would represent his complete reinstatement as a leading figure of the society, despite his sordid origins. Could he be revealing his deepest desire when he asks the elders, “If ye bring me home again..?”
Verses 12-29 detail Jephthah’s failed attempts to form a peace treaty with the Ammonites, and his recruiting of additional troops throughout the land in preparation for battle. In verse 29, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah,” and he was ultimately used by God to save Israel from further destruction (see verse 33).
This brings us finally to his infamous vow in verses 30 and 31:
“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.”
Apparently, Jephthah had no idea who or what was going to be the first to greet him upon his return home. It could have been his daughter, but also another female attendant in his house; it could have been a clean animal (an acceptable sacrifice), or it may have been unclean (unacceptable as a sacrifice). No mention is made of a living wife.
Shockingly, Jephthah’s daughter, “his only child” (verse 34), comes out to meet him, celebrating his victory and his return home. Jephthah is overwhelmed, rending his clothes in extreme grief. Interestingly, Jephthah doesn’t tell his daughter what his vow was, but based on his reaction to seeing her, she somehow seems to know what it must have been. She encourages her father to keep his vow, but with an unusual request:
“Let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions." (Judges 11:37, NASB)
Jephthah agrees to postpone the fulfillment of the vow. His daughter and her friends mourn that she will never experience the joy of a wedding or the rewards of raising children; for a young Hebrew woman, a devastating reality, to her and to her family.
Verse 39 concludes with two points. It says of Jephthah that “he did with her according to his vow,” and it says of his daughter that “she knew no man.” Finally, we are told that the women in Israel gathered annually to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter.
While there is a difference of opinion, a majority of Bible commentators believe that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter. But, is there another, equally valid interpretation? Let’s consider some additional evidence, and reason through it.
1. The Vow from Jephthah’s Perspective
Listen to Jephthah’s language upon seeing his one and only child be the first to greet him at his return: “thou hast brought me very low;” “thou art one of them that trouble me;” “I have opened my mouth to the Lord;” “I cannot go back.” All of his words reflect on himself, seemingly with no consideration for the daughter he is about to lose?
Was the battle against the Ammonites just another in an endless parade of violent engagements for him, or was it about coming “home?” Was it about acceptance and validation, his father’s legacy, and his own posterity? Now, his only daughter will not continue on Jephthah’s lineage and legacy. The judge of Israel has vowed, and the end result of that rash vow is that his name will perish with him.
Verse 29 says that the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. In the very next verse (11:30), Jephthah makes his vow. Would the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have led one to declare an intention to commit human sacrifice?
Jephthah continued to function as a Judge in Israel for another six years until his death (Judges 12:7). During that period of time, the Bible mentions no reaction from the people or from God about Jephthah’s fulfilling of his vow. Despite the widespread abomination in the land at that time, would the nation have continued to follow a man who had killed his own daughter over a foolish vow made during a time of war?
2. The Vow from the Daughter’s Perspective
Isaac, once he understood what his father believed God was asking Abraham to do, obediently allowed himself to be placed on an altar atop Mt. Moriah (Genesis 22:9, 10). Did Jephthah’s daughter see herself in the same way, believing that she was going to be killed by her own father? Or, did she see herself as about to be consecrated to a life of temple service, celibacy, and deep communion with God? This vowing of a person to the Lord was not uncommon in those days (Leviticus 27:28; 1 Samuel 1:11, 22-28).
3. The Annual Lamenting of Jephthah’s Daughter
Did these women convene every year on the mountainside to weep and wail for their departed friend? Or does the passage mean that the young women in Israel gathered to spend time with her, sympathizing with her sorrow, and encouraging her in her service for the Lord? Jephthah’s daughter would be sacrificing the most important blessing desired by all women in the Jewish world, the blessing of bearing children (Genesis 30:1).
Interestingly, this story and its annual memorial are never mentioned anywhere else in the Bible (much like the Feast of Purim in the book of Esther).
4. The Emphasis on the Daughter’s Virginity
Verses 37, 38, and 39 all specifically reference the virginity of the daughter, but never her death.
We are told in verse 39 that Jephthah fulfilled his vow. The very next words are, “she knew no man,” a puzzling, even incomprehensible, detail if she has just lost her life. After all, she and her friends had just spent two months specifically mourning her virginity, not her impending death (verse 38). Wouldn’t perpetual virginity be the last thing on your mind if you were facing your own gruesome demise? Plus, would she have really wanted to spend the last two months of her life separated from her broken-hearted father?
5. The Prohibition Against Human Sacrifice
Judges 10:6 tells us that the children of Israel were worshipping pagan deities from the surrounding nations, all of which demanded child sacrifice. While abhorred and forbidden by God (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35), two kings in Israel, Ahaz and Manasseh, actually did offer human sacrifice (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). However, according to Mosaic Law, the Israelites might have killed Jephthah for such an act (Leviticus 20:1-5).
6. Jephthah Listed in the Hall of Faith
Despite this story, Jephthah is still listed in Hebrews 11. We may say there are many heroes of the faith listed there who committed terrible acts like adultery, murder, genocide, and the breaking of every commandment. But didn’t all of those people repent of their sins? The Bible gives no record either of Jephthah’s condemnation or his repentance. In the two other biblical references to Jephthah, he’s commended (1 Samuel 12:11; Hebrews 11:32). Are we to believe that the inspired author of Hebrews would have included him in such exalted company if the main thing he would be known for was the gruesome sacrifice of his own daughter? One lingering question, however, is why he never took another wife to bear him children.
7. A Priest Needed for Sacrifice
Burnt offerings were given voluntarily, not for thanksgiving, but to make atonement for the offerer (Leviticus 1:1-6; Numbers 3:12, 13). According to Mosaic Law, all burnt offerings had to be exclusively male (Leviticus 1:3). Would God have accepted a sacrifice offered contrary to His law? In addition, a priest would have had to agree to offer the burnt offering. If Jephthah desired to sacrifice his offspring to God, how likely is it that he would have been able to find a priest in Shiloh who would kill, skin, cut into pieces, and then burn his child before the Lord (as required according to Leviticus 1)?
“Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.” (Judges 12:7)
So, what are we to make of it all?
After considering the above information, it’s possible, even reasonable, to conclude that Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering, but consecrated her as a perpetual virgin to the service of God. She would belong to Him in the sense that her life was dedicated completely to His service, without family responsibilities.
Jephthah made a rash vow; there’s no getting around that. And the obligation to which one's word is pledged - if it does not bind him to perform a wrong act - should be held sacred (Proverbs 12:22; Psalm 24:3; 15:4). But would the obligation to keep Jephthah’s vow have bound him to perform a wrong act?
What vows, even foolish ones, have you and I made before the Lord? And have we kept them?
“Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2)
Richard Cecere and his lovely wife, Leslie, volunteer at Uchee Pines Institute in Seale, Alabama. He is an elder of the Phenix City SDA Church, and enjoys reading, teaching, and being married, not necessarily in that order.