Judges 11

King James Version

Full text for Judges Chapter 11

1¶ Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he [was] the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

2And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou [art] the son of a strange woman.

3Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

4¶ And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

5And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

6And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

7And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

8And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

9And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

10And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

12¶ And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

13And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those [lands] again peaceably.

14And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

15And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

16But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

17Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken [thereto]. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not [consent]: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

18Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon [was] the border of Moab.

19And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

20But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

21And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

22And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

23So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

24Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

25And now [art] thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

26While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that [be] along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover [them] within that time?

27Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

28Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

29¶ 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.

30And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31Then 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.

32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

33And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, [even] twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34And 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.

35And 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.

36And 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.

37And 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.

38And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39And 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. And it was a custom in Israel,

40[That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jephthah, a mighty man of valour but the son of a harlot, was cast out by his brethren. When the Ammonites warred against Israel, the elders of Gilead sought Jephthah to be their captain. He agreed, but after a diplomatic exchange failed, he made a vow to the Lord for victory. Upon his return, his only daughter met him, leading to the tragic fulfillment of his vow.

Medium Summary

Jephthah, though a mighty man, was expelled from his family due to his birth from a harlot, and he fled to the land of Tob where vain men gathered to him. When the Ammonites threatened Israel, the elders of Gilead appealed to Jephthah to lead them, despite their past rejection of him. He agreed on the condition that he would remain their head if the Lord granted victory. Before battle, Jephthah engaged in a detailed diplomatic exchange with the Ammonite king, asserting Israel's historical right to the disputed land, which was given by the Lord. As the Ammonite king refused to listen, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he vowed that whatever came first from his house upon his return would be the Lord's and offered as a burnt offering. The Lord delivered the Ammonites into his hands, but upon his return, his only daughter came out to meet him, leading to the sorrowful fulfillment of his vow, as she was dedicated to the Lord in perpetual virginity.

Long Summary

Jephthah, a valiant warrior, was the son of a harlot and was consequently driven from his father's house by his half-brothers, settling in the land of Tob where he became a leader of a band of 'vain men.' When the children of Ammon initiated war against Israel, the elders of Gilead, in their distress, sought out Jephthah, pleading with him to become their captain. Jephthah initially rebuked them for their past rejection but agreed to lead on the condition that if the Lord granted victory, he would remain their permanent head. This agreement was sworn before the Lord in Mizpeh. Before engaging in battle, Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, questioning the reason for the aggression. The Ammonite king claimed Israel had taken their land upon coming out of Egypt. Jephthah responded with a detailed historical account, asserting that Israel had not taken land from Moab or Ammon, but rather from Sihon, king of the Amorites, whom the Lord God of Israel had dispossessed. He further argued that Israel had possessed these lands for three hundred years and appealed to the Lord as the ultimate Judge in the dispute, comparing the Ammonite claim to that of their god Chemosh. Despite Jephthah's reasoned plea, the Ammonite king refused to listen. Subsequently, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, empowering him for battle. He then made a solemn vow to the Lord, promising that if granted victory, whatever came forth from his house first to meet him upon his peaceful return would be dedicated to the Lord as a burnt offering. The Lord delivered the Ammonites into Jephthah's hands, and he smote them with a great slaughter. However, upon his return to Mizpeh, his only daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and dances. Overwhelmed with grief, Jephthah rent his clothes, lamenting his vow, which he could not retract. His daughter, understanding the gravity of the situation and acknowledging the Lord's victory, bravely accepted her fate, requesting two months to bewail her virginity with her companions. After this period, she returned to her father, who fulfilled his vow, and she remained a virgin. This event established a custom in Israel for daughters to lament Jephthah's daughter yearly.

Core Concepts

  • Jephthah's Origins and RejectionJephthah, though a mighty man of valour, was the son of a harlot and was consequently cast out by his half-brothers from his father's inheritance, forcing him to flee and live among 'vain men'.
  • Leadership by NecessityDespite their previous expulsion of him, the elders of Gilead, facing war with the Ammonites, were compelled by their distress to seek Jephthah's leadership, appealing to him to be their captain and head.
  • Diplomacy and Historical RightJephthah engaged in a detailed diplomatic exchange with the Ammonite king, presenting a historical and theological argument for Israel's right to the disputed land, emphasizing that the Lord God of Israel had dispossessed the Amorites from it.
  • The Vow and its ConsequenceEmpowered by the Spirit of the Lord, Jephthah made a solemn vow to sacrifice whatever first came from his house upon his victorious return. This vow tragically led to the dedication of his only daughter, who remained a virgin, to the Lord.
  • Divine Empowerment and JudgmentThe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah before battle, granting him victory over the Ammonites. Jephthah also appealed to the Lord as 'the Judge' in his dispute with the Ammonite king, highlighting God's role in determining rightful possession.
  • Filial Obedience and SacrificeJephthah's daughter, upon learning of her father's vow, willingly accepted her fate, acknowledging that the Lord had granted victory. She requested time to bewail her virginity before her father fulfilled his vow concerning her.