Jephthah (pronounced /ˈdʒɛfθə/; Hebrew: יפתח Yip̄tāḥ), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge over Israel for a period of six years (Judges 12:7). Among biblical scholars, there is disagreement as to whether any part of the Jephthah stories is historical. According to Judges, he lived in Gilead and was a member either of the tribe of Manasseh or of the tribe of Gad. His father’s name is also given as Gilead and, as his mother is described as a prostitute, this may mean that his father may have been any of the men of that area. Jephthah led the Israelites in battle against Ammon and, after defeating the Ammonites, fulfilled a rash vow of his, by sacrificing his daughter. Traditionally, Jephthah is listed among major judges on the ground of the length of the biblical narrative referring to him, but his story also shares commonalities with the minor judges, for instance only six years duration of his office as judge.
The story of Jephthah is found in the Old Testament Book of Judges, chapters 11–12. The Israelites “again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ... they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites ...” (Judges 10:6–7).
Jephthah, having been born illegitimately, is driven out by his half-brothers and takes up his dwelling in Tob, east of Gilead. “There gathered around him some worthless [“empty”] men, and they went out with him.” (Judges 11:3) The elders of Gilead ask him to be their leader in the campaign against the Ammonites, but he holds out for a more permanent and a broader position, and the elders agree that, provided Jephthah succeeds in defeating Ammon, he will be their permanent chieftain. On behalf of Israel as a whole and in reliance on the might of God the Judge, Jephthah challenges the Ammonites. Jephthah swears an oath:
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: Jephthah, Jephthah's Daughter, Human sacrifice, Jephthah kills his daughter, Jephthah sacrifice his daughter, Virginity, rash vow, vow, Jephthah's vow, daughter of Jephthah, Jephthah killed his daughter, Jephthae
Bible reference(s): Judges 11, Heb 11:32
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Jephthah,” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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