Jephthah’s Vow

Question: Judges 11:30-31 records that “Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, ‘If you will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.'” So, what did Jephthah intend by his vow? And more importantly, how was the vow fulfilled?

Answer: Judges goes on to tell how the Lord gave Jephthah power over the Ammonites (vs. 32- 33). Then, he came home to keep his promise. Quite likely animals were kept in the house at night, or in the enclosed courtyard of the house–a frequent practice in ancient times. Jephthah expected he would see a goat or some other animal on his return. He must have had good reason to believe his daughter was elsewhere at this time. But he was wrong. When his daughter (his only child) came out to meet him, joyfully celebrating his victory, Jephthah was horrified. But he felt he could not go back on his vow (vs. 34-35). He believed there was no alternative to sacrificing his daughter!

So, what happened next? Did he offer up his own daughter as a burnt offering? Debate over this has continued since earliest times. Some say Jephthah merely committed his daughter to perpetual virginity, and perhaps to lifelong service at the tabernacle (cf. Lk. 2:37). However, this seems weak in view of his reaction (vs. 35-40), and in view of the annual four days of mourning by the women of Israel for his daughter! Martin Luther’s opinion was, “The text is too clear to admit of this interpretation.” (Cf. similar wording in Gen. 22:2.) Here are some points to keep in mind:

The Law did forbid human sacrifice (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5). And Jephthah seems to have had some knowledge of the Pentateuch (Jud. 11:12-28). However, these were certainly not days characterized by consistent Law-keeping (Jud. 17:6; 21:25). This also weakens the argument that no priest would officiate at a human sacrifice. There was an option in the Law of the monetary redemption of people dedicated to God by a vow. But Jephthah may not have known that, or may have realized it did not apply in this case. (Nor is there any law or precedent commuting an execution to temple service.) The father grieved that he must do as he said (vs. 35)–which was clearly to offer “a burnt offering” (vs. 31).

Some suggest God would not have given the victory on the basis of such a vow. But there was nothing wrong with the vow per se, at least in terms of Jephthah’s intention. Others object that Israel would not have annually commemorated such a sin (vs. 40). But the custom was to remember the fate of Jephthah’s daughter, not the act itself. And this annual remembrance is rather an extreme measure for one who had simply gone to serve the Lord at the tabernacle. The focus on the girl’s virginity (vs. 37, 38, 39) is not conclusive either. Her early death would mean she died childless, and Jephthah’s family line would come to an end. That was a further tragedy.

Jephthah had a measure of faith in God (Heb. 11:32), and the Spirit of God worked through him (Jud. 11:29). But the same can be said for carnal Samson. These men lived in a crude and violent time, when the nation was in spiritual decline, and they often reflected that. Child sacrifice is wicked and repugnant. But it was practiced by the surrounding nations, and happened many times in Israel (II Kgs. 3:27; 16:3; 17:17; II Chron. 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35). Jephthah, the son of a harlot (vs. 1), lived as a renegade, with a band of “worthless men” (vs. 3, literally, sons of Belial, meaning Satan). He lived in a semi-pagan environment, in a time of lawlessness in Israel. This cruel adherence to a pledge suits the kind of “honour code” we might expect from bold and violent men.