The story of Jephthah in Judges 11 is quite peculiar. How are we to excuse an army captain who heartlessly offers his daughter in exchange for victory in a war against the Amorites? The account begins in Judges 11, verse 30:

“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 (vs. 34). 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 (vs. 39). 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. And it was a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.”

When Jephthah says “Whatsoever cometh forth from my house to meet me,” the verb is masculine. Since he had no sons, he obviously was not thinking about a human being. But now he is confronted with the unexpected: the first thing out of his house is his daughter. Is he prepared to offer her as a burnt offering as he had vowed?

Jephthah had complete faith in God, which is why he is listed as a hero of faith in Hebrews 11:32. His word is his bond so what he has vowed he will pay. His daughter similarly shows complete devotion to fulfilling a promise made to God, whatever it may be. So did Jephthah offer his daughter as a burnt offering? Certainly NOT! But what could he do? He could substitute money.

Leviticus 27:2 reads, “Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by thy estimation.” Then follow the rules concerning the exchange of money for people. It even describes the exchange of money for an unclean beast because only clean male animals could be sacrificed as a burnt offering. The law was clear: humans were never offered in fire. “Whosoever … giveth any of his seed unto Molech [the fire god] shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones” (Leviticus 20-2).

So Jephthah had two options: (1) He could redeem his daughter with money according to the rules of Leviticus 27, or (2) He could give his daughter to the service of the sanctuary. He selected the second option. He had said, “Whosoever comes forth … shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up. “ In his mind substituting money would not be right ‘

So what really happened to his daughter? She remained unmarried and had no children. This was a heavy penalty in Israel. All the women prayed that they might be the mother of that “seed” which was to bless Israel. Jephthah’s daughter never had that chance. Being barren was considered a curse from God. Being a mother was a great blessing. Of course the daughter remained alive.

Although verse 40 says “The daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah this is the only place where this Hebrew word is translated “lament “ The word means to “give praise” (margin: “to talk with”). Jephthah gave his daughter to the Lord just as Hannah gave her son Samuel to the Lord.

Jephthah’s vow meant a life without a husband for his daughter, and that affected him in a very direct way. Since she was his only child, there was none to continue his line. His name must perish out of Israel. That, too, was a heavy penalty.

All this happened because of a vow uttered rashly. We can commend Jephthah for being as good as his word. Would we do as well? Have we ever said, “If only thus and so, I’ll do such and such?” But did we do it? Maybe not. Starting today, let’s be more careful with our words. “It is a snare to utter a vow rashly, and not until later inquire whether we can fulfill it” (Proverbs 20:25). Those who are walking in the footsteps of the Master ought to be as good as their word.

– Michael Nekora

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