Jephthah Did Not Sacrifice Daughter

Notes on keeping straight the Ammonites, Amorites and Moabites in Judges 11:

Ammonites and Moabites are descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:36-38) and often confederate together.

Amorites had invaded into Ammonite and Moabite land and conquered it before the Exodus of Israel. Israel then conquered the Amorites when their kings fought against them after the Exodus (Numbers chapter 21). So the Ammonite king is wrong in Judges 11:13 and Jephthah corrects his history in Judges 11:14-23.

Judges 11:26 - Clue as to the timing of this chapter, about 300 years after the conquering of Canaan by Joshua.

Jephthah did NOT sacrifice his daughter's life:

Jephthah's vow, Judges 11:31 - "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, [or] I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

Notice KJV translator margin, "OR I will offer it up" instead of "AND I will offer it up." Whatever or whoever first came forth would be the LORD's. If an animal lawful to sacrifice, then it would be sacrificed. If a person, he or she would be consecrated to the LORD.

Jephthah's daughter was therefore consecrated to the LORD, that she would not marry. So she bewailed her virginity, not her impending death, Judges 11:37-38. Not being able to bear children was a major source of disappointment for a Jewish girl, in a society where children were so prized and every woman wanted to be the one through whom the Messiah came forth. And this a disappointment to Jephthah, for his line would end with her, his only child, so his grief in Judges 11:35.

This fact of the vow confirmed - not that he offered her up, but explained that "she knew no man", Judges 11:39. She was probably set apart from society to live alone under her father's care. And the daughters of Israel went yearly to visit with her, Judges 11:39-40 (note KJV marginal translation, "to talk with her" a more clear translation).

Jepthah is named in the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11:32. This man would not be a hero of faith if he had actually bargained with God with the life of his daughter. His vow is more like the vow of faith of Hannah, I Samuel 1:11, which God honored.

VM