Our recent comments on this difficult subject have aroused considerable interest, especially from readers who disagree with what we suggested was the most reasonable interpretation of the Scripture record. Here is a typical exposition of the opposing view of the fate of the girl:—
If Jephthah knew and revered the Law of Moses, his vow could not have involved a kherem, or “devoting,” of his daughter. Under the law of kherem, every human being “devoted” to the Lord had to be slain, but none could be offered in sacrifice, for God expressly forbade such offerings.
Since Jephthah could not have known beforehand the exact nature of whatever would “come forth from the doors of his house to meet him,” it seems reasonable to suppose that, even in his rashness, he would word his vow to embrace a gift, dedication, or a burnt offering. Certainly the word kherem (devoting) is not in the narrative.
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Author: P. H. Adams
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): Leviticus 27:29, Judges 11:30-31, Judges 11:39, Judges 11:34-40, Heb 11:32
Source: “Jephthah’s Daughter,” The Testimony, Vol. 13, No. 150, June 1943, pp. 163-5.
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