Jdg 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
The history of Jephthah appears to be an independent history inserted by the compiler of the Book of Judges. Jdg_11:4-5 introduce the Ammonite war without any apparent reference to Jdg_10:17-18.
A genealogy of Manasseh 1Ch_7:14-17 The sons of Manasseh: Ashriel, the son born to his Syrian concubine with Machir the father of Gilead, and Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim; and the name of his sister was Maachah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad. And Zelophehad had daughters. And Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. And the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. And the son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh gives the families which sprang from Gilead , and among them mention is made of an “Aramitess” concubine as the mother of one family. Jephthah, the son of Gilead by a strange woman, fled, after his father’s death, to the land of Tob Jdg_11 :3, presumably the land of his maternal ancestors and an “Aramean” settlement (2Sa_10:6, 2Sa_10:8). It is difficult to conceive that Jephthah was literally the son of that Gilead , if Gilead was the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. Possibly “ Gilead ” here denotes the heir of Gilead , the head of the family, whose name might also have been Gilead .
Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour - Jephthah had his name of Gileadite either from his father, whose name was Gilead, or from the city and country in which he was born, which is most likely, and so was of the same country with the preceding judge; and he was a man of great strength and valor, and which perhaps became known by his successful excursions on parties of the enemies of Israel, the Ammonites, being at the head of a band of men, who lived by the booty they got from them:
the son of a harlot - Probably zonah should be rendered as in Jos_2:1, a hostess, or inn-keeper, so some scholars say. Others say she was a concubine. She was very probably a Canaanite, as she is called, Jdg_11:2, a strange woman and on this account his brethren drove him from the family, as not having a full right to the inheritance.
Jephthah the Gileadite - So called a Gileadite, either from his father Gilead , or from the mountain, or city of Gilead , the place of his birth.
Son of a harlot - That is, illegitimate. And though such were not ordinarily to enter into the congregation of the Lord, Deu_23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. Even to his tenth generation he shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. Yet God can dispense with his own laws, and hath sometimes done honor to base - born persons, so far, that some of them were admitted to be the progenitors of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jdg 11:2 And 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.
And Gilead's wife bare him sons - It seems that, after the birth of Jephthah, Gilead took him a lawful wife, who bore him sons:
thou shalt not inherit in our father's house - as he might not, if the son of an harlot, or of a woman of another tribe, or of a concubine; though the son of such an one might, provided his mother was not an handmaid nor a stranger. And it looks as if this was not rightly done, but that Jephthah was injuriously dealt with by his brethren.
Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house--As there were children by the legitimate wife, the son of the secondary one was not entitled to any share of the patrimony, and the prior claim of the others was indisputable. Hence, as the brothers of Jephthah seem to have resorted to rude and violent treatment, they must have been influenced by some secret ill-will.
Jdg 11:3 Then 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.
The land of Tob - To the north of Gilead , toward Damascus . The readiness with which Jephthah took to the freebooter’s life gives us a lively picture of the unsettled times in which he lived. 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; and the Jews who inhabited this district Tubieni. 2Sa_10:6.
There were gathered vain men to Jephthah - empty men, persons destitute of good sense, and profligate in their manners. The word may, however, mean in this place poor persons, without property, and without employment. The versions in general consider them as plunderers. These evil persons Jephthah managed well, employing them against the enemies of God, and of Israel , that bordered upon them; and particularly upon parties of the Ammonites, which made the Israelites more forward to chuse him for their chieftain in this war.
and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah - not wicked men, but empty men, whose pockets were empty; men without money, had nothing to live upon, no more than Jephthah, and he being a valiant man, they enlisted themselves under him:
and went out with him - not on any bad design, as to rob and plunder, but to get their living by hunting; or rather by making excursions into the enemy's country, and carrying off booty, on which they lived. Josephus says he maintained them at his own expense, and paid them wages.
went out with him--followed him as a military chief. They led a freebooting life, sustaining themselves by frequent incursions on the Ammonites and other neighboring people, in the style of Robin Hood. Jephthah's mode of life was similar to that of David when driven from the court of Saul.
Jdg 11:4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
The children of Ammon made war - They had invaded the land of Israel , and were now encamped in Gilead . Jdg_10:17.
And it came to pass in process of time - Some time after Jephthah had been expelled from his father's house, and he was become famous for his martial genius, and military exploits; or at the close of the eighteen years' oppression of the children of Israel by the Ammonites, or some few days after the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpeh, that the people and princes of Gilead were preparing for war with Ammon, and were thinking of a proper person to be their general:
the children of Ammon made war against Israel--Having prepared the way by the introduction of Jephthah, the historian here resumes the thread of his narrative from Jdg_10:17. The Ammonites seem to have invaded the country, and active hostilities were inevitable.
Jdg 11:5 And 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:
Jdg 11:6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
that we may fight with the children of Ammon - with judgment, courage, and success; they did not make this proposal to him to save themselves from being engaged in the war, but that they might have one skilful in military affairs at the head of them, to instruct them in the art of war, and lead them on in a regular manner, and animate them by his brave example.
Jdg 11:7 And 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?
And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead - In answer to their request; who though not backward to engage in the war with them, yet thought it proper to take this opportunity to upbraid them with their former unkindness to him.
expel me out of my father's house - for it seems some of these elders at least were his brethren; for who else could be thought to hate him, and through hatred to thrust him out of his father's house, but they? nor is it at all improbable that they were among the elders of Gilead , considering what family they were of: though indeed the magistrates of the city might be assisting to Jephthah's brethren in the expulsion of him.
expel me out of my father's house - Jephthah expressed to the elders his astonishment that they had formerly hated and expelled him, and now came to him in their distress, sc., to make him their leader in time of war. Thus he lays his expulsion upon the shoulders of the elders of Gilead , although it was only by his brethren that he had been driven away from his father's house, inasmuch as they had either approved of it, or at all events had not interfered as magistrates to prevent it. We cannot indeed infer from this reproach, that the expulsion and disinheriting of Jephthah was a legal wrong; but so much at all events is implied, namely, that Jephthah looked upon the thing as a wrong that had been done to him, and found the reason in the hatred of his brethren. The Mosaic law contained no regulation upon this matter, since the rule laid down in Deu_21:15-17 simply applied to the sons of different wives, and not to a son by a harlot.
why are ye come unto me now, when ye are in distress - intimating, that it was not love and respect to him, but necessity, that brought them to him with this request; and that since they used him so ill, they could not reasonably expect he should have any regard unto them.
Jdg 11:8 And 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.
Therefore we turn again to thee now - being sensible of the injury they had done him, and repenting of it, of which their return to him was an evidence; it being with this view to remove the disgrace and dishonor that had been cast upon him, by conferring such honor on him.
that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead - the end of their coming to him was not only to bring him back with them to his own country, and to fight against the Ammonites, and the defense of it, but to be the sole governor of it; not of all Israel, but of the tribes beyond Jordan, which inhabited the land of Gilead: more than this they could not promise, though he afterwards was judge over all Israel, notwithstanding there was a law in Israel, that no spurious person should enter into the congregation, or bear any public office.
Therefore we turn again to thee now - And this they did, though he was the son of an harlot; and according to the law in Deu_23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. Even to his tenth generation he shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD, such an one was not to be a civil magistrate; but this was a case of necessity, and in which, no doubt, they were directed by the Lord, who could dispense with his own law: besides, they had come to such an agreement before they had pitched on any particular person, that who should begin to fight with the children of Ammon should be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead so that they were obliged to it by their vote and decree.
Jdg 11:9 And 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?
Jephthah made his own aggrandisement the condition of his delivering; his country. The circumstances of his birth and long residence in a pagan land were little favorable to the formation of the highest type of character. Yet he has his record among the faithful Heb_11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah; also David, and Samuel and the prophets,
Aggrandisement – Defined as the act of increasing the wealth or prestige or power or scope of something; "the aggrandizement of the king"; "his elevation to cardinal"
and the Lord deliver them before me - or into his hands, on whom he depended for success, and not on his own courage and valor, and military skill:
shall I be your head - not only captain general of their forces during the war, but the chief ruler of them when that was ended.
Jdg 11:10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
the Lord be witness between us - Assenting to his proposal, and not only giving their word for it, but their oath: that is, make him head over them; they appealed to the omniscient God, and called on him to be a witness of their agreement to it, and swore by him they would fulfill it; or if they did not, that the Lord would take vengeance on them for it, and punish the breach of this covenant and oath in some way or another;
Jdg 11:11 Then 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.
Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord - seems to imply that his inauguration with the character and extraordinary office of judge was solemnized by prayer for the divine blessing, or some religious ceremonial.
Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh - where the congregation of Israel were assembled, and in which the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, dwelt.
Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh - This phrase designates the presence of the tabernacle, or the ark, or of the high priest with Urim and Thummim Jdg_20:26; Jdg_21:2; Jos_18:8; 1Sa_21:7. The high priest waited upon Jephthah with the ephod, and possibly the ark, at his own house (see Jdg_20:18 here). A trace of Jephthah’s claim to unite all Israel under his dominion is found in Jdg_12:2, and breathes through his whole message to the king of the Ammonites. See Jdg_11:12, Jdg_11:15, Jdg_11:23, Jdg_11:27.
Jepthah went with the elders - The elders had chosen him for their head; but, to be valid, this choice must be confirmed by the people; therefore, it is said, the people made him head. But even this did not complete the business; God must be brought in as a party to this transaction; and therefore Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord - the terms made with the elders and the people on which he had accepted the command of the army; and, being sure of the Divine approbation, he entered on the work with confidence.
Mizpeh - This Mizpeh was east of Jordan in the mountains of Gilead (Gen_31:49); and hence called Mizpeh of Gilead (Jdg_11:29), to distinguish it from another place of the same name, west of Jordan , in the tribe of Judah . Jos_15:38
Jdg 11:12 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?
Jepthah sent messengers - Being now declared chief and sole governor of the tribes on the other side Jordan, he acted in character, and as such sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, to know the reason of his invading the land that belonged to Israel . 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.
that thou art come against me to fight in my land - he speaks in the language of a governor, and as a man of spirit concerned for the good of his country, and determined to defend the rights and liberties of it.
Jdg 11:13 And 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.
From Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan - That is, all the land that had formerly belonged to the Amorites, and to the Moabites, who it seems were confederates on this occasion. The land bounded by the Arnon on the south, by the Jabbok on the north, by the Jordan on the west, and by the wilderness on the east was, of old, the kingdom of Sihon , but then the territory of Reuben and Gad.
from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan - the river Arnon was the border between Moab and the Amorites, and the river Jabbok was the border of the children of Ammon, Num_21:13, the one was to the south of the country claimed, and the other to the north and to the west, which was Jordan, and the wilderness to the east, Jdg_11:22,
because Israel took away my land when they came out of Egypt - not as soon as they came out of Egypt, for it was thirty nine years afterwards, and upwards, even a little before they entered into the land of Canaan; and the land they took was not theirs, but in the possession of Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites; though indeed, before their conquest of it, it had been in the hands of the Moabites and Ammonites, and who being confederates, or subjects of the same king, is here claimed by the king of the children of Ammon:
now therefore restore these lands again peaceably - this is demanded or proposed as terms or conditions of peace, and what would prevent a war, and nothing short of this would do it.
Because Israel took away my land -- The subject of quarrel was a claim of right advanced by the Ammonite monarch to the lands which the Israelites were occupying. Jephthah's reply was clear, decisive, and unanswerable;--first, those lands were not in the possession of the Ammonites when his countrymen got them, and that they had been acquired by right of conquest from the Amorites [Jdg_11:21]; secondly, the Israelites had now, by a lapse of three hundred years of undisputed possession, established a prescriptive right to the occupation [Jdg_11:22-23]; and thirdly, having received a grant of them from the Lord, his people were entitled to maintain their right on the same principle that guided the Ammonites in receiving, from their god Chemosh, the territory they now occupied [Jdg_11:24]. This diplomatic statement, so admirable for the clearness and force of its arguments, concluded with a solemn appeal to God to maintain, by the issue of events, the cause of right and justice [Jdg_11:27].
The king of the Ammonites replied, that when Israel came up out of Egypt , they had taken away his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok (on the north), and to the Jordan (on the west), and demanded that they should now restore these lands in peace. The claim raised by the king of the Ammonites has one feature in it, which appears to have a certain color of justice. The Israelites, it is true, had only made war upon the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, and defeated them, and taken possession of their kingdoms and occupied them, without attacking the Ammonites and Moabites and Edomites, because God had forbidden their attacking these nations (Deu_2:5, Deu_2:9,Deu_2:19); but one portion of the territory of Sihon had formerly been Moabitish and Ammonitish property, and had been conquered by the Amorites and occupied by them. According to Num_21:26, Sihon had made war upon the previous king of Moab , and taken away all his land as far as the Arnon. And although it is not expressly stated in the Pentateuch that Sihon had extended his conquests beyond Moabitis into the land of the Ammonites, which was situated to the east of Moab, and had taken a portion of it from them, this is pretty clearly indicated in Jos_13:25, since, according to that passage, the tribe of Gad received in addition to Jaezer and all the towns of Gilead, half the land of the children of Ammon, namely, the land to the east of Gilead, on the western side of the upper Jabbok (Jos_13:26).
Jdg 11:14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:
Jdg 11:15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
Jdg 11:16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea - which is to be understood not of their walking to it; when they first came out of Egypt, they indeed then came to the edge of the wilderness of Etham, and so to the Red sea, and walked through it as on dry land, and came into the wilderness of Shur, Sin, and Sinai; and after their departure from Mount Sinai they came into the wilderness of Paran, in which they were thirty eight years; and this is the wilderness meant they walked through, and came to Eziongaber, on the shore of the Red sea, Num_33:35.
walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea - Unto which they came three times; once, Exo_13:18, again, a little after their passage over it, and a third time, long after, when they came to Ezion Geber, which was upon the shore of the Red - Sea, from whence they went to Kadesh; of this time he speaks here.
and came to Kadesh - not Kadeshbarnea, from whence the spies were sent, but Kadesh on the borders of Edom , from whence messengers were sent to the king of it.
Jdg 11:17 Then 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.
Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom - The history of which may be read in Num_20:14-21.
saying, let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land - so far were the Israelites from invading and seizing upon the properties of others, that they would not attempt to set their foot in another's country without leave; which they asked in an humble manner, promising to do no injury to any, but pay for whatever they ate and drank in their passage:
in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab - that they should pass through his country, which lay, as Jarchi says, at the end of the land of Edom, to the west of it, and to the south of Canaan; and though we nowhere else read of their sending messengers to the king of Moab, and of the denial he made them, it is not at all to be doubted of, and the Jewish commentators observe, that it is clearly intimated by Moses, Deu_2:29.
and Israel abode in Kadesh - quietly and peaceably, and did not attempt to force their way through either country, but continued in Kadesh some little time to consider what way they should take, and to wait for divine direction.
Jdg 11:18 Then 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.
Then they went along the wilderness - The wilderness of Paran, which lay along the borders of Edom ; they went from the west to the east on the south border of Edom and Moab :
and pitched on the other side of Arnon - the river Arnon, which, according to Jarchi, was at the east end of the land of Moab , where began the country of Sihon and Og:
for Arnon was the border of Moab - which divided between Moab and the Amorites, Num_21:13 From there they pulled up and pitched on the other side of Arnon, in the wilderness that comes out of the borders of the Amorites; for Arnon is in the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
Jdg 11:19 And 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.
Jdg_11:19-22 are almost verbatim the same as Num_21:21-25.
the king of Heshbon - Which was his royal city, where he had his palace, and kept his court, and is therefore particularly mentioned; and the rather, because he had taken it from the Moabites, and was part of that land now in dispute; and this Sihon was not only in possession of, when Israel sent messengers to him, but it was his royal seat, the metropolis of his kingdom, and he was called king of it:
let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land unto my place - all that Israel desired of Sihon was only a passage through his land to the land of Canaan, prepared and reserved for them when the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, promised by the Lord to their ancestors and to them, and given unto them, who is sovereign Lord of all.
Jdg 11:20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast - For fear they should seize upon his dominions, and retain them.
but Sihon gathered all his people together - whereby it appears that he was the aggressor, and therefore Israel was not to be blamed: Sihon was the aggressor, and the Israelites were forced to fight in their own defense.
Jdg 11:21 And 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.
And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel - So that as Sihon, his people, and his country, fell into the hands of Israel through the victory the Lord gave them over him, they had a divine right to the land now in dispute:
And the Lord God of Israel - The title “God of Israel” has a special emphasis here, and in Jdg_11:23. in a narrative of transactions relating to the pagan and their gods.
Jdg 11:22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
From the wilderness even unto Jordan - From the wilderness of Arabia to the river Jordan .
Jdg 11:23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
The Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites - Jephthah shows 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, who had, without cause or provocation, attacked them; 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 conquered them from the Amorites.
The Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites - It is his doing, and not the work of the Israelites; it is he that dispossessed the Amorites, and put the Israelites into the possession of their land, and therefore they enjoy it by a good tenure:
Jdg 11:24 Wilt 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.
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee - As if he had said: “It is a maxim with you, as it is among all nations, that the lands which they conceive to be given them by their gods, they have an absolute right to, and should not relinquish them to any kind of claimant. You suppose that the land which you possess was given you by your god Chemosh and therefore you will not relinquish what you believe you hold by a Divine right. Now, we know that Jehovah, our God, who is the Lord of heaven and earth, has given the Israelites the land of the Amorites; and therefore we will not give it up.” The ground of Jephthah’s remonstrance was sound and good.
1. The Ammonites had lost their lands in their contests with the Amorites.
2. The Israelites conquered these lands from the Amorites, who had waged a most unprincipled war against them.
3. God, who is the Maker of heaven and earth had given those very lands as a Divine grant to the Israelites.
4. In consequence of this they had possession of them for upwards of three hundred years.
5. These lands were never reclaimed by the Ammonites, though they had repeated opportunities of doing it, whilst the Israelites dwelt in Heshbon, in Aroer, and in the coasts of Arnon; but they did not reclaim them because they knew that the Israelites held them legally. The present pretensions of Ammon were unsupported and unjustifiable.
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee - Chemosh was the national god of the Moabites (see the marginal references); and as the territory in question was Moabite territory before the Amorites took it from “the people of Chemosh,” this may account for the mention of Chemosh here rather than of Moloch, or Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. Possibly the king of the children of Ammon at this time may have been a Moabite.
Jdg 11:25 And 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,
art thou anything better than Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab - though he plotted against Israel , in defense of his own land, which he feared they would invade and conquer, yet never contended with them about the restitution of those lands which Sihon took from him or his predecessors. This argument seems to strengthen the conjecture, that this king was king of Moab at this time, and so Balak was one of his predecessors. Now he is asked, whether he thought he was a wiser and more knowing prince than he, as to what was his right and due; or whether he had a better claim, or any additional one to the land in dispute the other had not; or whether he judged he was more able to regain what belonged to him:
or did he ever fight against Israel - that is, on that account; no, he sent for Balaam to curse Israel, and sought to defend and secure his own country he was in possession of, which he thought was in danger by the Israelites being so near him; but he never made war with them under any such pretence, that they had done him any injury by inheriting the land they had taken from Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites.
Jdg 11:26 While 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?
While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns - This was the principal city, which formerly belonged to the Moabites, and was taken from them by Sihon; who being conquered by Israel, it fell into their hands, and they inhabited it, and the towns adjacent to it, from that time to the present; Num_21:25.
and in Aroer and her towns - another city with its villages, taken at the same time, and ever since inhabited by the Israelites, even by the tribe of Gad, who rebuilt it; it lay near the river Arnon; Num_32:34.
why therefore did ye not recover them within that time - signifying they ought to have put in their claim sooner, and endeavored to have recovered them long before this time, if they had any right unto them.
Jdg 11:27 Wherefore 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.
thou doest me wrong to war against me - meaning that he had no just cause to commence a war against Israel, but acted an injurious part; and seeing things could not be adjusted in an amicable way, but must be decided by the sword, he leaves the affair with the Lord, and appeals to him:
the Lord the Judge be Judge this day - not that he expected a decision of the controversy between them would be made that precise and exact day; but that from henceforward the Lord would appear, by giving success to that party which was in the right in this contest.
Jdg 11:28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
Jdg 11:29 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.
Then the Spirit of the Lord - This was the sanctification of Jephthah for his office of Judge and savior of God’s people Israel . The Lord qualified him for the work he had called him to do, and thus gave him the most convincing testimony that his cause was good. Jdg_6:34 But the spirit of the LORD came to Gideon, and he blew a ram's horn. And he called the Abiezrites after him. Jdg_13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. The declaration is one of the distinctive marks which stamp this history as a divine history.
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah - The spirit of strength, as the Targum; of fortitude of mind, of uncommon valor and courage, and of zeal for God and Israel, and against their enemies; such a spirit as used to be given to men, when they were in an extraordinary manner raised up by the Lord, to be judges, saviors, and deliverers of his people; so that as Jephthah was before chosen by the people to be the general and head of the tribes beyond Jordan, he was raised up and qualified by the Lord now to be the judge of all Israel; of which the Spirit of the Lord coming on him was a sufficient proof and evidence:
and he passed over - The geography is rather obscure, but the sense seems to be that Jephthah first raised all the inhabitants of Mount Gilead; then he crossed the Jabbok into Manasseh, and raised them; then he returned at the head of his new forces to his own camp at Mizpeh to join the troops he had left there; and thence at the head of the whole army marched against the Ammonites, who occupied the southern parts of Gilead.
Jdg 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord - Before he set out for the land of the children of Ammon, and to fight with them; hoping that such a religious disposition of mind would be regarded by the Lord, and be acceptable to him, and he should be blessed with success in his enterprise:
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord - Moreover, Jephthah no doubt intended to impose a very difficult vow upon himself. And that would not have been the case if he had merely been thinking of a sacrificial animal. Even without any vow, he would have offered, not one, but many sacrifices after obtaining a victory.
Jdg 11:31 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.
The words of this verse prove conclusively that Jephthah intended his vow to apply to human beings, not animals: for only one of his household could be expected to come forth from the door of his house to meet him. The circumstance of the Spirit of the Lord coming on Jephthah Jdg_11:29 is no difficulty; as it by no means follows that because the Spirit of God endued him with supernatural valor and energy for vanquishing the Ammonites, He therefore also endued him with spiritual knowledge and wisdom. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, but that did not prevent his erring in the matter of the ephod Jdg_8:27. Compare 1Co_12:4-11; Gal_2:11-14.
Shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering - The translation is, according to the most accurate Hebrew scholars, this: I will consecrate it to the Lord, or I will offer it for a burnt-offering; that is, “If it be a thing fit for a burnt-offering, it shall be made one; if fit for the service of God, it shall be consecrated to him.” That conditions of this kind must have been implied in the vow, is evident enough; to have been made without them, it must have been the vow of a heathen, or a madman. If a dog had met him, this could not have been made a burnt-offering; and if his neighbor or friend’s wife, son, or daughter, etc., had been returning from a visit to his family, his vow gave him no right over them. Besides, human sacrifices were ever an abomination to the Lord; and this was one of the grand reasons why God drove out the Canaanites, etc., because they offered their sons and daughters to Molech in the fire, i.e., made burnt-offerings of them, as is generally supposed. That Jephthah was a deeply pious man, appears in the whole of his conduct; and that he was well acquainted with the law of Moses, which prohibited all such sacrifices, and stated what was to be offered in sacrifice, is evident enough from his expostulation with the king and people of Ammon, Jdg_11:14-27. Therefore it must be granted that he never made that rash vow which several suppose he did; nor was he capable, if he had, of executing it in that most shocking manner which some writers have contended for. He could not commit a crime which himself had just now been an executor of God’s justice to punish in others. From Jdg_11:39 it appears evident that Jephthah’s daughter was not Sacrificed to God, but consecrated to him in a state of perpetual virginity; for the text says, She knew no man, for this was a statute in Israel; that persons thus dedicated or consecrated to God, should live in a state of unchangeable celibacy. Thus this celebrated place is, without violence to any part of the text, or to any proper rule of construction, cleared of all difficulty, and caused to speak a language consistent with itself, and with the nature of God. Those who assert that Jephthah did sacrifice his daughter, attempt to justify the opinion from the barbarous usages of those times: but in answer to this it may be justly observed, that Jephthah was now under the influence of the Spirit of God, Jdg_11:29; and that Spirit could not permit him to imbrue his hands in the blood of his own child; and especially under the pretense of offering a pleasing sacrifice to that God who is the Father of mankind, and the Fountain of love, mercy, and compassion. The law says, Lev_27:1-5, where the Lord prescribes the price at which either males or females, who had been vowed to the Lord, might be redeemed. Lev_27:1-8 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When a man shall make a special vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by your evaluation. And your judgment shall be of the male from twenty years old even to sixty years old, even your judgment shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it is a female, then your judgment shall be thirty shekels. And if from five years old to twenty years old, then your judgment shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if from a month old to five years old, then your judgment shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female your judgment shall be three shekels of silver. And if from sixty years old and above, if it is a male then your judgment shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. But if he is poorer than your judgment, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him. The priest shall value him according to the ability of him who vowed. This also is an argument that the daughter of Jephthah was not sacrificed; as the father had it in his power, at a very moderate price, to have redeemed her: and surely the blood of his daughter must have been of more value in his sight than thirty shekels of silver.
shall surely be the Lord's - be devoted to him, and made use of, or the price of it, with which it is redeemed, in his service: and I will offer it for a burnt offering; that is, if it is what according to the law may be offered up, as an ox, sheep, ram, or lamb; some read the words disjunctively, "or I will offer it", &c. it shall either be devoted to the Lord in the manner that persons or things, according to the law, are directed to be; or it shall be offered up for a burnt offering, if fit and proper for the service;
Jdg 11:32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon - He met and engaged them at Aroer, a town in the tribe of Gad, upon the Arnon. A decisive victory crowned the arms of Israel , and the pursuit was continued to Abel (plain of the vineyards), from south to north, over an extent of about sixty miles.
Jdg 11:33 And 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.
Twenty cities - That is, he either took or destroyed twenty cities of the Ammonites, and completely routed their whole army.
And he smote them from Aroer - A city which lay near the river Arnon, on the borders of Moab, Deu_3:12 And this is the land which we possessed at that time, from Aroer by the river Arnon, and half of Mount Gilead, and its cities, I gave to the men of Reuben and of Gad.
even till thou come to Minnith - which seems to have been a place famous for wheat, Eze_27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants with wheat from Minnith and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm, they gave for your goods. A place not far from Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites.
Jdg 11:34 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; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
His daughter came out to meet him - The precise phrase of his vow Jdg_11:31 then it shall be that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, surely it shall belong to Jehovah, or I will offer it up instead of a burnt offering. She was his “only child,” a term of special endearment (see Jer_6:26; Zec_12:10). The same word is used of Isaac Gen_22:2 And He said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac, whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you. Gen_22:12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me. Gen_22:16 and said, I have sworn by Myself, says the LORD; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one.
With timbrels and with dances - From this instance we find it was an ancient custom for women to go out to meet returning conquerors with musical instruments, songs, and dances; and that it was continued afterwards is evident from the instance given 1Sa_18:6 And it happened as they came in, as David returned from striking the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music, where David was met, on his return from the defeat of Goliath and the Philistines, by women from all the cities of Israel, with singing and dancing, and various instruments of music.
his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances--The return of the victors was hailed, as usual, by the joyous acclaim of a female band (1Sa_18:6), the leader of whom was Jephthah's daughter. The vow was full in his mind, and it is evident that it had not been communicated to anyone, otherwise precautions would doubtless have been taken to place another object at his door.
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house - Where he had uttered his words before the Lord, which had passed between him and the elders of Gilead, and from whence he set out to fight the children of Ammon, and whither he returned after he had got the victory over them, Jdg_11:11 and where it seems he had a house, and his family dwelt;
and she was his only child - and so dear unto him, and upon whom all his hopes and expectations of a posterity from him depended:
Jdg 11:35 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.
Thou hast brought me very low - He was greatly distressed to think that his daughter, who was his only child, should be, in consequence of his vow, prevented from continuing his family in Israel; for it is evident that he had not any other child, for besides her, says the text, he had neither son nor daughter, Jdg_11:34. He might, therefore, well be grieved that thus his family was to become extinct in Israel .
thou hast brought me very low - damped his spirits, sunk him very low; he that was now returning in triumph, amidst the acclamations of the people, in the height of his glory, and extolled to the skies, and perhaps elated in his own mind; on a sudden, at the sight of his daughter, was so depressed in his spirits, that he could not bear up; but was ready to sink and die away, all his honor being as it were laid in the dust, and nothing to him:
that he rent his clothes - as was the usual manner, when anything calamitous and distressing happened; Gen_37:34 And Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
and thou art one of them that trouble me - or among his troublers, and the greatest he ever met with; he had been in trouble from his brethren, when they drove him from his father's house, and he had had trouble with the children of Ammon to subdue them; but this was the greatest trouble of all, that his daughter should be the first that should meet him; of whom, according to his vow, he was to be deprived, and so all his future comforts, hopes, and expectations from her gone; and therefore ranks her among, and at the head of, his troublers:
and I cannot go back - Jephthah was right in not being deterred from keeping his vow by the loss and sorrow to himself, just as Abraham was right in not withholding his son, his only son, from God, when commanded to offer him up as a burnt-offering. But Jephthah was wholly wrong in that conception of the character of God which led to his making the rash vow. And he would have done right not to slay his child, though the guilt of making and of breaking such a vow would have remained. Josephus well characterizes the sacrifice as “neither sanctioned by the Mosaic law, nor acceptable to God.”
and I cannot go back - he was not obliged to do it, since it was contrary to the law of God, and abominable in his sight; and besides, what was vowed to be the Lord's, or devoted to him, might be redeemed according to the law, a female for thirty pieces of silver, Lev_27:2 and if the vow was to separate his daughter from the company of men, and oblige her never to marry, such a power as this parents had not allowed them over their children, according to the laws of God or of men, in the Jewish nation; and therefore, be it which it will, what he had to do was to repent of this rash vow, and humble himself before God for making it, and not add sin to sin by performing it.
Jdg 11:36 And 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.
And she said unto him - What a pattern of filial piety and obedience! She was at once obedient, pious, and patriotic. A woman to have no offspring was considered to be in a state of the utmost degradation among the Hebrews; but she is regardless of all this, seeing her father is in safety, and her country delivered. The touching submission of Jephthah’s daughter to an inevitable fate shows how deeply-rooted at that time was the pagan notion of the propriety of human sacrifice.
Jdg 11:37 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.
Bewail my virginity - To become a wife and a mother was the end of existence to an Israelite maiden. The premature death (or isolation of being set aside) of Jephthah’s daughter was about to frustrate this end. That she shall die childless, which was esteemed both a curse and a disgrace for the Israelites, because such were excluded from that great privilege of increasing the holy seed, and contributing to the birth of the Messiah.
and bewail my virginity - this may be thought to be the thing contained in the vow, that as she was a virgin, so she should continue; by which means she would not be the happy instrument of increasing the number of the children of Israel, nor of being the progenitor of the Messiah; upon which accounts it was reckoned in those times to be very grievous and reproachful to live and die without issue, and so matter of lamentation and weeping.
I and my fellows - going up and down upon the mountains may signify no more than her paying each of her companions a visit at their own houses, previously to her being shut up at the tabernacle; and this visiting of each at their own home might require the space of two months.
let this thing be done for me - She had but one favor to ask of him, which she thought might be granted, without any breach of the vow:
Jdg 11:38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
Jdg 11:39 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,
who did with her according to his vow - It is hard to say what Jephthah did in performance of his vow; but it is thought that he did not offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. Such a sacrifice would have been an abomination to the Lord; it is supposed she was obliged to remain unmarried, and apart from her family.
who did with her according to his vow - but what he did is a question, and which is not easily resolved; some think he really sacrificed her, through a mistaken sense of Lev_27:29 Nothing devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death and which his action are accounted for through his living a military life, and in a distant part of the country, and at a time when idolatry had greatly prevailed in Israel, and to such a degree as it had not before, and no doubt that branch of it, sacrificing children to Molech; and Jephthah might think that though that was sinful, yet such a sacrifice might be acceptable to the Lord; and especially since his vow, as he thought, bound him to it; and how far the instance of Abraham offering up his son Isaac might encourage him to it, cannot be said. But others are of opinion that what Jephthah did according to his vow was, that he shut up his daughter, and separated her from the company of men, and obliged her to live unmarried all her days, and therefore she is said to bewail her virginity.
who did with her according to his vow - Jephthah's daughter was not sacrificed, but only devoted to perpetual virginity. This appears, From Jdg_11:37-38, where we read, that she bewailed not her death, which had been the chief cause of lamentation, if that had been vowed, but her virginity: From this Jdg_11:39, where, after he had said, that he did with her according to his vow; he adds, by way of declaration of the matter of that vow, and she knew no man.
Concerning this and some other such passages in the sacred history, about which learned men are divided and in doubt, we need not perplex ourselves; what is necessary to our salvation, thanks be to God, is plain enough. If the reader recollects the promise of Christ concerning the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and places himself under this heavenly Teacher, the Holy Ghost will guide to all truth in every passage, so far as it is needful to be understood.
And she knew no man - She continued a virgin all the days of her life.
Jdg 11:40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.
There is no allusion extant elsewhere to this annual lamentation of the untimely fate of Jephthah’s daughter. But the poetical turn of the narrative suggests that it may be taken from some ancient song. One scholar thinks the daughters of Israel went to comfort her four days a year and there was no custom for this later, after she might have died.
