Judges 11:11

11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement ¹  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Judges 11:29

A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter

11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered ²  Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went ³  to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. ⁴ 

Genesis 31:49

31:49 It was also called Mizpah ⁵  because he said, “May the Lord watch ⁶  between us ⁷  when we are out of sight of one another. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.

² tn Heb “was on.”

³ tn Heb “passed through.”

⁴ tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”

⁵ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

⁶ sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

⁷ tn Heb “between me and you.”

⁸ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”