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Texts -- Judges 11:34-40 (NET)

Context
11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah , there was his daughter hurrying out to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines . She was his only child ; except for her he had no son or daughter . 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said , “Oh no! My daughter ! You have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster ! I made an oath to the Lord , and I cannot break it.” 11:36 She said to him, “My father , since you made an oath to the Lord , do to me as you promised . After all, the Lord vindicated you before your enemies , the Ammonites .” 11:37 She then said to her father , “Please grant me this one wish . For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity .” 11:38 He said , “You may go .” He permitted her to leave for two months . She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills . 11:39 After two months she returned to her father , and he did to her as he had vowed . She died a virgin . Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel . 11:40 Every year Israelite women commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Vows

    [ebd] voluntary promises which, when once made, were to be kept if the thing vowed was right. They were made under a great variety of circumstances (Gen. 28: 18-22; Lev. 7:16; Num. 30:2-13; Deut. 23:18; Judg. 11:30, 39; 1 Sam. 1:1...
    [nave] VOWS Mosaic laws concerning, Lev. 23:37, 38; Num. 29:39. Must be voluntary, see below. Must be performed, see below. Estimation of the redemption price of things offered in vows, to be made by the priest, according to age a...

  • Jephthah

    [isbe] JEPHTHAH - jef'-tha (yiphtach, "opened," or "opener," probably signifying "Yahweh will open"; Iephthae; used as the name of a place, as in Josh 15:43; 19:14; of a man, Jdg 10:6 through 12:7): Ninth judge of the Israelites. H...
    [nave] JEPHTHAH A judge of Israel. Illegitimate, and therefore not entitled to inherit his father's property, Judg. 11:1, 2. Escapes the violence of his half-brothers, dwells in the land of Tob, Judg. 11:3. Recalled from the land...

  • Consecration

    [nave] CONSECRATION Of Aaron, See: Aaron. Of priests, See: Priests. Of the altar, See: Altar. Of the temple, See: Temple, Dedication of. See also Offerings. Personal Psa. 51:17; Matt. 13:44, 45; Rom. 6:13, 16, 19; Rom. 12:1; 2...

  • JUDGES, PERIOD OF

    [isbe] JUDGES, PERIOD OF - || I. SOURCES II. CHRONOLOGY III. GENERAL POLITICAL SITUATION 1. The Canaanites 2. Foes Without IV. MAIN EVENTS 1. Struggles of Individual Tribes 2. Civil Strife 3. The Six Invasions 4. Need of Central Go...

  • GOD, 2

    [isbe] GOD, 2 - II. The Idea of God in the Old Testament. 1. Course of Its Development: Any attempt to write the whole history of the idea of God in the Old Testament would require a preliminary study of the literary and historical...

  • Gilead

    [nave] GILEAD 1. A region E. of the Jordan allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half tribe of Manasseh, Num. 32:1-30; Deut. 3:13; 34:1; 2 Kin. 10:33. Reubenites expel the Hagarites from, 1 Chr. 5:9, 10, 18-22. Ammonites m...

  • ISRAEL, RELIGION OF, 2

    [isbe] ISRAEL, RELIGION OF, 2 - 3. The Religion of Israel before the 8th Century BC: (1) Decay of Religion in Canaan. Upon the intense religious feeling produced by the exodus from Egypt and the events at Mt. Sinai, there followed ...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2

    [isbe] ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 2 - III. Period of the Judges. 1. General Character of Period: In such a period of weakened national and religious life, it could easily happen that Israel would again lose the supremacy that it had won b...

  • Judge

    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Zeal

    [nave] ZEAL, Religious Josh. 24:15, 16; 2 Sam. 24:24, 25; 1 Kin. 9:4; 1 Kin. 15:14; 1 Chr. 29:17; 2 Chr. 15:15; 2 Chr. 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psa. 42:1, 2; Psa. 60:4; Psa. 96:2, 3, 10; Psa. 119:139; Prov. 11:30; Eccl. 9:10; ...

  • Rashness

    [nave] RASHNESS. Psa. 116:11; Prov. 14:29; Prov. 19:2; Prov. 21:5; Prov. 25:8; Prov. 29:20; Eccl. 5:2; Eccl. 7:9 Instances of Moses, in slaying the Egyptian, Ex. 2:11, 12; Acts 7:24, 25. When he struck the rock, Num. 20:10-12. ...

  • Women

    [smith] The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the usages of ancient as compar...
    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Virgin

    [nave] VIRGIN Proofs of, Deut. 22:13-21. Dowry of, Ex. 22:17. Character of, to be protected, Deut. 22:17-21, 23, 24. Betrothal of, a quasi marriage, Deut. 22:23, 24. Distinguishing apparel of, 2 Sam. 13:18. Priests might marry...

  • Music

    [isbe] MUSIC - mu'-zik: I. IMPORTANCE 1. The Sole Art Cultivated 2. A Wide Vocabulary of Musical Terms 3. Place in Social and Personal Life 4. Universal Language of Emotions 5. Use in Divine Service 6. Part at Religious Reformation...
    [smith] The most ancient music. --The inventor of musical instruments, like the first poet and the first forger of metals, was a Cainite. We learn from (Genesis 4:21) that Jubal the son of Lamech was "the father of all such as handl...
    [nave] MUSIC Teachers of, 1 Chr. 15:22; 25:7, 8; 2 Chr. 23:13. Physical effect of, on people, 1 Sam. 16:15, 16, 23. Discoursed during the offering of sacrifices, 2 Chr. 29:27, 28. Precentor, Neh. 12:42. Chief musician, Neh. 12:...

  • VIRGIN, VIRGINITY

    [isbe] VIRGIN, VIRGINITY - vur'-jin; vur-jin'-i-ti: (1) bethulah, from a root meaning "separated," is "a woman living apart," i.e. "in her father's house," and hence "a virgin." Bethulah seems to have been the technical term for "v...

  • Mourning

    [smith] One marked feature of Oriental mourning is what may be called its studies publicity and the careful observance of the prescribed ceremonies. (Genesis 23:2; Job 1:20; 2:12) Among the particular forms observed the following ma...
    [nave] MOURNING For the dead: Head uncovered, Lev. 10:6; 21:10; lying on ground, 2 Sam. 12:16; personal appearance neglected, 2 Sam. 14:2; cutting the flesh, Lev. 19:28; 21:1-5; Deut. 14:1; Jer. 16:6, 7; 41:5; lamentations, Gen. 50...

  • FELLOW

    [isbe] FELLOW - fel'-o (chabher, rea`; hetairos): Meant originally a "partner," from fe, "property," and lag, "to lay," then "a companion," "an equal," "a person or individual," "a worthless person." (1) As "companion" it is the tr...

  • Timbrel

    [ebd] (Heb. toph), a small drum or tambourine; a tabret (q.v.). The antiquity of this musical instrument appears from the scriptural allusions to it (Gen. 31:27; Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34, etc.) (See MUSIC.)
    [nave] TIMBREL, called also Tabret, an instrument of music something like a tambourine. Used by Miriam, Ex. 15:20; by Jephthah's daughter, Judg. 11:34. Used in religious service, 2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chr. 13:8; Psa. 68:25; 81:2; 149:3; 15...
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Arts

Questions

  • Both the Authorized and Revised Versions leave the question in doubt, and commentators have been divided in opinion as to whether she was sacrificed or doomed to live the life of a recluse. Human sacrifices are an abomination...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • Israel's JudgesJudgeScriptureIsrael's OppressorsLength in YearsNation(s)King(s)OppressionJudgeshipPeaceOthniel3:7-11MesopotamiaCushan-rishathaim8(ca. 1358-1350 B.C.)40(ca. 1350-1310 B.C.)Ehud3:12-30Moab (with Ammon & Amal...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • Verses 1-3 provide information about Jephthah's personal background. His name means "He [an unspecified deity] has opened [the womb]."Jephthah lived on the east side of the Jordan River. Unlike Gideon he was a courageous and ...
  • Verses 1-33 record Jephthah's success. The rest of his story (11:34-12:7) relates his failure. The writer likewise recorded Gideon's success first (6:1-8:23) and then his failure (8:24-9:57). We shall find a similar pattern w...
  • The writer's emphasis now shifts from Jephthah's foolishness to Ephraim's arrogance.The Ephraimites were the Gileadites' neighbors to the west. They resented the fact that Jephthah had not requested their assistance in the wa...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
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