Jephthah's Vow

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor and the son of a harlot who was driven away by his half-brothers to the land of Tob. When the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought Jephthah to be their captain. After initial negotiations regarding his status, Jephthah agreed to lead them provided he would become their head if successful. He then sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites to debate the territorial rights of the land, asserting that Israel had possessed the territory from the Arnon to the Jabbok for three hundred years because the Lord had delivered the Amorites into their hands (Judges 11:26). The king of Ammon did not heed the message.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh to Mizpah. At this location, Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, stating that if he were given victory over the Ammonites, whatever came out of the doors of his house to meet him when he returned in peace would be the Lord's and he would offer it up for a burnt offering (Judges 11:31). Jephthah then crossed over to the Ammonites and defeated them with a very great slaughter, taking twenty cities from Aroer to Minnith. The text does not say how many soldiers were killed or the specific tactics used in the battles.

Upon his return to his home in Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and dances. She was his only child; the text does not say her name. When Jephthah saw her, he rent his clothes and explained his vow, stating he could not go back on it. His daughter requested two months to bewail her virginity upon the mountains with her companions. At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed (Judges 11:39). The text does not say the specific method of the offering or the daughter's internal feelings beyond her request for time.