Bible Commentaries

Jephthah

Hebrews 11:32

called Jephthae

a mighty.

6:12, 2 Kings 5:1

an harlot

Heb. a woman, an harlot. Probably zonah should be rendered as in Jos 2:1, a hostess, or inn-keeper: so Targum of Jonathan, wehoo bar ittetha pundekeetha, "and he was the son of a woman, a tavern-keeper." She was very probably a Canaanite, as she is called, ver. 2, a strange woman, ishah achereth, "a woman of another race;" and on this account his brethren drove him from the family, as not having a full right to the inheritance.

thrust out

Genesis 12:10, Deuteronomy 23:2, Galatians 4:30

a strange

Proverbs 2:16, 5:3,20, 6:24-26

from his brethren

Heb. from the face of. Tob. Probably the same as Ish-Tob; and appears to have been a part of Syria, near Zobah, Rehob, and Maachah, east of Jordan, and in the most northern part of the portion of Manasseh. If so, it could not be far from Gilead, the country of Jephthah. This country is called Tobie or Tubin, 1 Mac 5:13; and the Jews who inhabited this district Tubieni, 2 Mac 12:17. 2 Sa 10:6.

vain men

9:4, 1 Samuel 22:2, 27:2, 30:22-24, Job 30:1-10, Acts 17:5

A. M. 2817. B.C. 1187. An. Ex. Is. 304. in process of time. Heb. after days

made war

10:9,17,18

to fetch

1 Samuel 10:27, 11:6,7,12, Psalms 118:22,23, Acts 7:35-39, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Did not ye hate

Genesis 26:27, 37:27, 45:4,5, Proverbs 17:17, Isaiah 60:14, Acts 7:9-14, Revelation 3:9

the elders

Exodus 8:8,28, 9:28, 10:17, 1 Kings 13:6, Luke 17:3,4

we turn

10:18

If ye bring

Numbers 32:20-29

The Lord

Genesis 21:23, 31:50, 1 Samuel 12:5, Jeremiah 29:23, 42:5, Romans 1:9, 2 Corinthians 11:31

be witness

be the hearer.

Genesis 16:5, 31:53, Deuteronomy 1:16, 1 Samuel 24:12

if we do

Exodus 20:7, Zechariah 5:4, Malachi 3:5

head

uttered

1 Samuel 23:9-12, 1 Kings 3:7-9, 2 Corinthians 3:5, James 1:5,17

Jephthah uttered

That is, upon his elevation, he immediately retired to his devotion, and in prayer spread the whole matter before God, both his choice to the office, and his execution of the office, as one that had his eye ever toward the Lord, and would do nothing without him; that leaned not to his own understanding or courage, but depended on the Almighty God, and his favour. This is an ensample worthy of universal imitation; in All Our Ways, whether great or apparently subordinate, let us acknowledge God and seek his direction. So shall we make our way prosperous, and obtain that peace which passeth all understanding. Jephthah opened his campaign with prayer.

before

10:17, 20:1, 1 Samuel 10:17, 11:15

Mizpeh

This Mizpeh was east of Jordan in the mountains of Gilead (Ge 31:49); and hence called Mizpeh of Gilead (ver. 29), to distinguish it from another place of the same name, west of Jordan, in the tribe of Judah.

Joshua 15:38

sent messengers

In this Jephthah acted in accordance with the law of Moses; and hence the justice of his cause would appear more forcibly to the people.

Numbers 20:14, 21:21, Deuteronomy 2:26, 20:10,11, Proverbs 25:8,9, Matthew 18:15,16

What hast

2 Kings 14:8-12

Because Israel

Numbers 21:24-26, Proverbs 19:5,9

from Arnon

That is, all the land which had belonged to the Amorites and Moabites.

Jabbok

Genesis 32:22, Deuteronomy 2:37, 3:16

again unto

Psalms 120:7, Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 3:11

Israel took

Numbers 21:13-15,27-30, Deuteronomy 2:9,19, 2 Chronicles 20:10, Acts 24:12,13

But when

The whole of these messages shew, Jephthah had well studied the book of Moses. His arguments also are very clear and cogent, and his demands reasonable; for he only required that the Ammonites should cease to harass a people who had neither injured them, nor intended to do so.

walked

Numbers 14:25, Deuteronomy 1:40, Joshua 5:6

came

Genesis 14:7, Numbers 13:26, 20:1, Deuteronomy 1:46

sent messengers

Numbers 20:14-21, Deuteronomy 2:4-8,29

the king

Deuteronomy 2:9

abode

Numbers 20:1,16

went

Numbers 20:22, 21:10-13, 33:37-44, Deuteronomy 2:1-8

compassed

Numbers 21:4-9

came by

Numbers 21:11

pitched

Numbers 21:13, 22:36

Numbers 21:21-35, Deuteronomy 2:26-34, 3:1-17, Joshua 13:8-12

Numbers 21:23, Deuteronomy 2:32

Lord God

Nehemiah 9:22, Psalms 135:10-12, 136:17-21

they smote

Numbers 21:24,25, Deuteronomy 2:33,34

so Israel

Joshua 13:15-32

And they

Deuteronomy 2:36

from the wilderness

From Arabia Deserta on the east, to Jordan on the west.

Jephthah shews that the Israelites did not take the land of the Moabites or Ammonites, but that of the Amorites, which they had conquered from Sihon their king; and although the Amorites had taken the lands in question from the Ammonites, yet the title by which Israel held them was good, because they took them, not from the Ammonites, but from the Amorites.

Wilt not thou possess

This is simply an argumentum ad hominem; in which Jephthah argues on this principles recognized by the king of Ammon. As if he had said, "You suppose that the land which you possess was given you by your god Chemosh; and therefore will not relinquish what you believe you hold by a divine right. Now we know that Jehovah, our God, has given us the land of the Israelites; and therefore we will not give it up."

Chemosh

Numbers 21:29, 1 Kings 11:7, Jeremiah 48:7,46

whomsoever

Deuteronomy 9:4,5, 18:12, Joshua 3:10, Psalms 44:2, 78:55, Micah 4:5

Balak

Numbers 22:2-21, Deuteronomy 23:3,4, Joshua 24:9,10, Micah 6:5

Heshbon

Numbers 21:25-30, Deuteronomy 2:24, 3:2,6, Joshua 12:2,5, 13:10

Aroer

Deuteronomy 2:36

three hundred

3:11,30, 5:31, 8:28, 9:22, 10:2,3,8, Joshua 11:18, 23:1

the Judge

Genesis 18:25, 1 Samuel 2:10, Job 9:15, 23:7, Psalms 7:11, 50:6, 75:7, 82:8, Psalms 94:2, 98:9, Ecclesiastes 11:9, 12:14, John 5:22,23, Romans 14:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Timothy 4:8, Hebrews 12:23

be judge

Genesis 16:5, 31:53, 1 Samuel 24:12,15, Psalms 7:8,9, 2 Corinthians 11:11

2 Kings 14:11, Proverbs 16:18

the spirit

3:10, 6:34, 13:25, Numbers 11:25, 1 Samuel 10:10, 16:13-15, 1 Chronicles 12:18

Jephthah

"Jephthah seems to have been judge only of north-east Israel."

over Mizpeh

10:17

Genesis 28:20, Numbers 30:2-16, 1 Samuel 1:11, Ecclesiastes 5:1,2,4,5

whatsoever, etc

Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth. shall surely.

Leviticus 27:2,3,28,29, 1 Samuel 1:11,28, 2:18, 14:24,44, Psalms 66:13,14

and I will

or, or I will, etc. Wehäâleetheehoo ôlah, rather, as Dr. Randolph and others contend, "and I will offer Him (or to Him, i.e., Jehovah) a burnt offering;" for hoo may with much more propriety be referred to the person to whom the sacrifice was to be made, than to the thing to be sacrificed. Unless understood in this way, or as the marginal reading, it must have been the vow of a heathen or a madman. If a dog, or other uncleaned animal had met him, he could not have made it a burnt offering; or if his neighbour's wife, sons, etc., his vow gave him no right over them.

Leviticus 27:11,12, Deuteronomy 23:18, Psalms 66:13, Isaiah 66:3

the Lord

1:4, 2:18, 3:10

Aroer

Deuteronomy 2:36

Minnith

Situated, according to Eusebius, four miles from Heshbon, towards Philadelphia or Rabbath.

Ezekiel 27:17

the plain

or, Abel.

Mizpeh

11, 10:17

his daughter

5:1-31, Exodus 15:20, 1 Samuel 18:6,7, Psalms 68:25, 148:11,12, 150:4, Jeremiah 31:4,13

beside her

or, he had not of his own either son or daughter. Heb. of himself. neither.

Zechariah 12:10, Luke 7:12, 8:42, 9:38

rent his clothes

Genesis 37:29,30,34,35, 42:36-38, 2 Samuel 13:30,31, 18:33, Job 1:20

have opened

Leviticus 27:28,29, Numbers 30:2-5, Psalms 15:4, Ecclesiastes 5:2-6

I cannot

21:1-7, 1 Samuel 14:44,45, Matthew 14:7-9, Acts 23:14

forasmuch

16:28-30, 2 Samuel 18:19,31, 19:30, Acts 20:24, 21:13, Romans 16:4, Philippians 2:30

go up and down

Heb. go and go down. bewail.

1 Samuel 1:6, Luke 1:25

did with

That Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter, but consecrated her to the service of God in the tabernacle, in a state of celibacy, will we imagine be evident from the following consideration:--1. Human sacrifices were ever an abomination to Jehovah, of which Jephthah could not be ignorant; and consequently he would neither have made such a vow, nor carried it into execution. 2. We are expressly told (ver. 29) that Jephthah was under the influence of the Spirit of God, which would effectually prevent him from embruing his hands in the blood of his own child. 3. He had it in his power to redeem his daughter, (Le 27:4;) and surely his only child must have been of more value than thirty shekles. 4. Besides, who was to perform the horrid rite? Not Jephthah himself, who was no priest, and in whom it would have been most unnatural and inhuman; and the priests would certainly have dissuaded him from it. 5. The sacred historian informs us, that she bewailed her virginity, that she knew no man, and that the Israelitish women went yearly to comfort or lament with her.

31, Leviticus 27:28,29, Deuteronomy 12:31, Isaiah 66:3

to his vow

1 Samuel 1:11,22,24,28, 2:18

custom

or, ordinance.

yearly

Heb. from year to year. lament. or, to talk with.

5:11

four days

1 Kings 9:25