Samson Judges Israel Twenty Years

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 15:1) But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid, and he said, "I will go into my wife into the chamber." But her father would not allow him to go in.

In the last chapter and post, Samson, feeling betrayed by his new wife, left after the marriage feast, and his wife was given in marriage to his best man.  His anger now subsided, Samson thought he would return to his wife, and he brought a kid goat to eat as a meal with her.  He sought to go into her chamber, but her father stopped him and would not allow him to go in to her.

(2) And her father said, "I verily thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Isn't her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray you, instead of her."

The woman's father told Samson that he figured Samson was totally disgusted with his new wife and hated her, so he had given her in marriage to his best man, which we now see Samsom did not know.  The woman's father asked him to behold her younger sister, that she was fairer than his wife and encouraged him to take her instead.

(3) And Samson said concerning them, "Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure?"

Samson became angry and signified to her father and his people, the Philistines, that if he were to do an ill thing to them, he should be considered blameless, or at least more so than the Philistines, because of what they had done to him, by giving his wife to another man.

(4) And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes and took firebrands and turned tail to tail and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. (5) And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

Samson went and caught three hundred foxes.  He took a torch of some kind and tied it to the tails of two foxes tied end to end and did so with all three hundred foxes.  Then he set the torches on fire and let the foxes go.  One can imagine the chaos of three hundred foxes tied together by their tails trying to run from the fire.  Samson released them into the cornfields of the Philistines, as well as in their vineyards and olive groves.  Fire destroyed the standing stalks in their fields, as well as shocks or sheaves that had already been gathered and piled, as it was the time of harvest.

(6) Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" And they answered, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to his companion." And the Philistines came up and burnt her and her father with fire.

The Philistines asked among themselves who had done that to their fields.  Those who knew told that it had been Samson, the son-in-law of the man from Timnath, and that he had done it because the man had given Samson's wife to another man.  The Philistines then took revenge on the man and his daughter who had been Samson's wife and burned them with fire.  It is ironic that they suffered the same fate as the wife was trying to avoid when she betrayed Samson's secret and told the answer to his riddle (Judges 14:15).  God's plan to use Samson to begin to destroy the Philistines (Judges 14:4) would not be thwarted.

(7) And Samson said to them, "Though you have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that, I will cease."

The Philistines probably thought they might appease Samson's anger by burning his wife and her father for what they had done to him, but Samson said he wouldn't cease until he had taken his revenge on the Philistines.  Samson may have insisted on revenge because of what they had done to his wife, but it was part of God's plan that he should avenge the injuries done to Israel.

(8) And he struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

Samson struck the Philistines "hip and thigh," either meaning literally he struck them with his great strength in the hips and thighs, making them incapacitated and fatally injured, or he struck them here and there and everywhere in a great slaughter.  Then he went and dwelt in the cleft of the strong rock Etam, a natural fortress.

(9) Then the Philistines went up and pitched in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi.

Then an army of Philistines went and pitched camp in Judah and spread their forces to a place called Lehi, from a word meaning "jaw bone" which was named that later by what would take place there.

(10) And the men of Judah said, "Why have you come up against us?" And they answered, "To bind Samson have we come up, to do to him as he has done to us."

The men of Judah asked the Philistines why they had come up against them.  The Philistines answered that they had come just to capture Samson, indicating they had no plan to make war against Judah if they would deliver Samson to them.

(11) Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that you have done to us?" And he said to them, "As they did to me, so have I done to them."

Three thousand men of Judah then went to Samson at the top of the rock Etam, demanding to know what he had done to them by provoking the Philistines who were at that time rulers over the Israelites.  Samson said he had only exacted revenge on them for what they had done to him.  Once again, what Samson may have thought was personal revenge, was part of God's plan to exact revenge for Israel.

(12) And they said to him, "We have come down to bind you that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines." And Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves."

The men of Judah told Samson that they had come to bind him and deliver him to the Philistines.  Samson seemed to consent to that as long as they did not try to attack him themselves.

(13) And they spoke to him, saying, "No, but we will bind you fast and deliver you into their hand, but surely we will not kill you." And they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock.

The men of Judah assured Samson they would not try to kill him, but they would bind him securely and deliver him to the Philistines.  They indeed bound him with two new cords and brought him out from the rock.

(14) When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

When Samson was brought down to Lehi where the Philistines had spread their army (verse 9), the Philistines shouted at him.  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson with great strength, and the cords that bound him became as weak as burnt flax, and his hands were loosed from his bonds.

(15) And he found a new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it. (16) And Samson said, "With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass I have slain a thousand men."

Samson found a fresh jawbone of a donkey and took it and killed a thousand men with it.  Then Samson in a sort of triumphant song, said he had killed heaps upon heaps of men with the jawbone of a donkey.

(17) And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand and called that place Ramath Lehi.

When Samson ended his words of triumph, he cast away the jawbone, and he called that place Ramath Lehi, which meant literally "height of a jawbone."

(18) And he was very thirsty and called on the Lord, and said, "You have given this great deliverance into the hand of your servant, and now shall I die from thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?"

Samson was then very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord for water.  Some Biblical commentators, along with the historian Josephus, believed that the great thirst that suddenly came upon Samson might have been a rebuke for claiming victory in song to himself and not acknowledging God in it.  That may or may not be; I would think it would be natural for Samson to be very thirsty after what he had just been through.  However, we do see Samson now acknowledging that God had given him the victory, but wondering if he should then die from thirst and fall into the hands of the Philistines, after all.

(19) But God cleaved a hollow space in the jaw and there came water out of it, and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore he called the name of it En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.

The KJV translators wrote that God cleaved a hollow space in the jawbone where water sprang out for Samson to drink.  That could very well be, but other translations wrote that the word that meant "jawbone" that was the same as the place called Lehi, might mean the place Lehi was meant here instead.  God may have cleaved a rock there in Lehi and water sprang from that.  Samson drank the water and was revived, and he named that cleft rock in Lehi, En Hakkore, which meant "fountain of one calling," and that does perhaps make more sense than calling the jawbone by that name.  Whether it was a rock or the jawbone, it remained in Lehi to the time of the writing of this book.

(20) And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the oppression of the Philistines.  Israel was not totally delivered from the Philistines during the time of Samson, but as had been prophesied before his birth, he would begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5).

Samson's Marriage

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 14:1) And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

In the last chapter and post, Samson was born and was prophesied to be a Nazarite from birth, and he would begin to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines who had oppressed them for forty years.  Samson had now grown to adulthood and went to Timnath, a city within the tribe of Dan which was now in the hands of the Philistines.  He took special notice of a Philistine woman there.

(2) And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, "I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore get her for me to wife."

Samson told his parents about the woman he had seen and asked that they get her for him as a wife, which seems to have been the custom at that time.

(3) Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well."

Samson's mother and father asked him if he could not find a wife among the daughters of his brethren or of his father's people, that he had to go to the uncircumcised and pagan Philistines to find a wife.  Samson told his father that he wanted that particular Philistine woman as she was the one who pleased him.

(4) But his father and his mother did not know that it was of the Lord, that He sought an occasion against the Philistines, for at that time, the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

However, Samson's parents did not realize that his desire for a Philistine woman was being used by the Lord for an occasion against the Philistines, for as we have already learned, the Philistines had dominion over Israel at that time.

(5) Then Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath, and behold, a young lion roared against him.

Therefore, Samson and his parents went to Timnath.  They came into vineyards in Timnath where a young lion roared against Samson.

(6) And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and nothing in his hand, but he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson mightily and he tore apart the lion with his bare hands as easily as he might have torn apart a baby goat.  He must have been some distance away from his parents when he did this as they did not see him, and he did not tell them about it.

(7) And he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well. 

Samson then went down to the woman and talked with her.  After conversation, she indeed still pleased Samson well.

(8) And after a time, he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion.

After some time, Samson returned to take the woman with him, and he turned aside a bit to see the carcass of the lion he had killed the time before.  He did, in fact, find it, and inside the carcass, which was surely dry bones by then, was a swarm of bees and honey.  This would seem to be a symbol of God's abundance and sweetness.

(9) And he took of it in his hands and went on, eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

However, it appears that Samson disregarded the Nazarite vow that he should not touch any dead thing, when he took the honey out of the lion's carcass and ate it.  He gave of the honey to his parents, but he did not tell them where it had come from.

(10) So his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for young men used to do so.

Samson's father went on to the woman Samson desired as wife while Samson prepared a feast there.

(11) And it came to pass when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

When the woman's family and companions saw Samson, they brought thirty companions to him, probably to be as groomsmen, children of the bridechamber (Matthew 9:15).

(12) And Samson said to them, "I will now put forth a riddle to you; if you can certainly declare it to me within the seven days of the feast and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments, (13) But if you cannot declare it to me, then you shall give me thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments." And they said to him, "Put forth your riddle that we may hear it."

Samson put forth a proposal to his groomsmen, probably just meant to be a form of entertainment in the seven days that the marriage feast would last.  He told them he would put forth a riddle and if they could answer it within the seven feast days, he would give them thirty sheets, bed clothes or linens, and thirty changes of garments for the day.  However, if they could not correctly answer the riddle, then they were to give him thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments.  It appears they accepted the challenge when they asked him to tell them his riddle.

(14) And he said to them "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." And they could not in three days explain the riddle.

Samson told them his riddle, that out of the eater (the devouring lion) came forth meat (food, something to eat), and out of the strong (strong in body, but in this instance, might refer to strong ill smell of the dead carcass), came forth sweetness (of course, the honey).  The groomsmen could not figure out the riddle for three days.  How could they, really?  It was not a common occurrence; it was something they would have had to see for themselves.

(15) And it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you called us to take what we have?"

On the seventh day, the men still had not figured out the riddle.  They went to Samson's new wife and told her to get Samson to tell the answer to the riddle, or else they would burn her and her father's house.  They had decided that she must have been a part of designing the riddle in a way to take from the groomsmen.

(16) And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, "You do but hate me and do not love me; you have put forth a riddle to the children of my people and have not told me." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and I shall tell you?"

Samson's wife cried before him, declaring that he must hate her and not love her, that he would put forth a secret riddle to her people and not tell her, his beloved, the answer.  However, he told her he had not revealed it to anyone, not his father or mother, so why should he feel compelled to tell her?  It wasn't personal.

(17) And she wept before him the seven days while their feast lasted, and it came to pass on the seventh day that he told her because she lay sore upon him, and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

Samson's wife wept before him for seven days, the whole seven days of the wedding feast.  The seventh day that the groomsmen had been trying to figure out the riddle (verse 15) must have been seven days before the actual wedding feast began.  But now, definitely feeling pressure as she had been threatened by the men, she therefore pressured Samson to tell her the answer to the riddle, which he eventually did tell her on the seventh day of the feast, and she told it to the groomsmen of her people.

(18) And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."

The men of the city, at least the thirty of them to whom Samson had proposed the riddle, came to him before the end of that seventh day and gave him the answer to his riddle, honey and a lion.  He said that if they had not plied the answer out of his wife (whom he called a heifer), they would have never known the answer to his riddle.

(19) And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments to them who explained the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. (20) But Samson's wife was given to his companion whom he had used as his friend.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, giving him the might and the strength, as it had been God's plan all along to use Samson to begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines (Judges 13:5).  He went to Ashkelon, one of the principal cities of the Philistines, and killed thirty men, and took their spoil, their linens and clothing, and gave them to the men who had answered the riddle, as he had promised.  Samson's anger against his wife and the thirty groomsmen had then subsided, and he went back to his father's house.  However, his wife was given to the companion closest to Samson, the best man at his wedding.

In this chapter, we begin to see a flawed individual in Samson.  He was a Nazarite, devoted to God, yet he chose a Philistine pagan to be his wife and ate from a dead carcass.  He felt betrayed by his wife, yet he himself had betrayed his secret by telling her.  Then, in a fit of anger, he killed thirty different men than the ones he felt had deceived him.  However, we were told in verse 4, that this was from the Lord.  The Lord would not have someone purposely disobey his Nazarite vows, but the Lord used such a man as He knew would act as Samson did in order to begin to begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines.  The Spirit of the Lord gave Samson strength, in verse 6, to tear a lion apart, and in verse 19, to kill thirty men.  The Lord gave Samson strength, but how he used and abused it, was all Samson.  God often used flawed individuals for His purposes.  Actually, He always used flawed individuals, as we are all flawed and sinful, but it should give us hope and encouragement that He can even use our own sinful selves.

The Birth of Samson

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 13:1) And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

In the last chapter and post, the Israelites had lived in relative peace under the successors of Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.  However, it seems they turned back to their evil ways, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines who oppressed them for forty years.

(2) And there was a certain man of Zorah of the family of the Danites whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and bore not.

There was a man from Zorah in the tribe of Dan whose name was Manoah.  His wife was barren and had borne him no children.

(3) And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and do not bear, but you shall conceive and bear a son."

An angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife and told her that although she was barren and had borne no children, she would, in fact, conceive and bear a son.

(4) "Now therefore, beware, I pray you, and do not drink wine or strong drink and do not eat any unclean thing."

The angel went on to tell the woman to be careful and not drink any intoxicating drink nor eat any unclean food.

(5) "For, lo, you shall conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."

The angel told her she would bear a special son dedicated to the Lord from her womb.  Nazarites were people who took a vow to be set apart from others for the service of God.  Chapter 6 of Numbers defined the life of a Nazarite.  They were to abstain from any wine or strong drink, never to cut their hair, and keep away from any unclean dead body even if a member of their family died.  Taking the vow of a Nazarite was usually a voluntary vow someone made, but in the case of Manoah's wife's child, he was to be a Nazarite from the womb, and he would begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

(6) Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came to me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very awesome, but I did not ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name."

Manoah's wife went to Manoah and told him about the man of God who seemed like an angel who came to her.  She described him as very awesome, but she had not asked him where he came from, nor did the man tell her his name.

(7) "But he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death."

The woman went on to tell her husband how the man of God had told her she would bear a son who would be a Nazarite all his life from the womb to his death, and she was to drink no wine or strong drink or eat any unclean thing while she carried him.

(8) Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, "O my Lord, let the man of God whom You sent come again to us and teach us what we shall do to the child that shall be born."

Manoah then prayed to the Lord that He send the man of God to them again to teach them how they were to raise their son.

(9) And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. (10) And the woman made haste and ran and showed her husband, and said to him, "Behold, the man has appeared to me who came to me the other day."

God answered Manoah's prayer and did indeed send the angel of God to his wife again while she sat in the field.  However, her husband was not with her.  But she hurried and ran to Manoah to tell him that the man of God who had come to her before had come to her again.

(11) And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man, and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" And he said, "I am." (12) And Manoah said, "Now let your words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do to him?"

Manoah immediately rose up and followed his wife to the man.  He asked him if he was indeed the man who had appeared to his wife before, and the man confirmed that he was.  Manoah had no problem believing that this man was indeed delivering a message from God, but he wanted to know what he and his wife were to do regarding the raising of their son, seeing he was to be entirely dedicated to the Lord.

(13) And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman, let her beware. (14) She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; all that I commanded her, let her observe."

The angel of the Lord told Manoah that his wife should be careful to do all that he had told her, and he repeated it to Manoah.  She was not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat the fruit of the vine, nor eat any unclean thing.  The things he had already told to her, she was to observe.  However, it is notable that the angel of God did not repeat that their son was to begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  I imagine that was purposely to be kept secret so as not to endanger the pregnant woman or her baby son.

(15) And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "I pray you, let us detain you until we shall have made ready a kid for you."

Manoah then asked the angel of the Lord to stay until he and his wife had prepared a meal for him, I'm sure just being gracious hosts and surely in gratitude that he had brought such a message to them.

(16) And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I will not eat of your bread, and if you will offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord." For Manoah did not know that he was an angel of the Lord.

The angel of the Lord told Manoah that even though he and his wife detained him, he would not eat their meal.  However, if they were preparing the kid for sacrifice, then they must offer it to the Lord God, and not to him or any false god as seems was probably the practice in Israel at that time (verse 1).  Manoah did not realize that the man was an angel of God.  He understood him to be a man of God delivering a prophesy to him but did not know he was an angel.

(17) And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, that when your sayings come to pass, we may do you honor."

Manoah then asked the angel what his name was so that when his prophesy came true, Manoah and his wife would know to whom they should give honor.

(18) And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is secret?"

The angel asked why Manoah should want to know his name, seeing that it was secret.  One definition of "secret" is "beyond ordinary human understanding," and I believe that is what is meant here.  The original word that was translated as "secret" was "paliy."  It also meant "wonderful" which is how the word was translated in Psalm 139:6.  Some scholars take that to mean that this angel was Jesus Himself, as one of His names is Wonderful (Isaiah 9:6).

(19) So Manoah took a kid with a grain offering and offered it upon a rock to the Lord, and he did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. (20) For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on and fell on their faces to the ground.

Manoah took a kid goat with a grain offering and offered it on a rock to the Lord.  And then the angel did a remarkable thing as Manoah and his wife looked on.  When the flame went up toward heaven from off the rock altar, the angel of the Lord ascended with it to heaven.  That does possibly suggest that it might have been Jesus who ascended to heaven.  When Manoah and his wife saw that, they fell on their faces to the ground.

(21) But the angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.

The angel did not return back to Manoah and his wife, and Manoah perceived that he was indeed an angel of the Lord and not a mere man.

(22) And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die because we have seen God!"

Then Manoah, believing they must have just seen God, told his wife that they would surely die, because no man could see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20).

(23) But his wife said to him, "If the Lord were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, neither would He have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such as these."

Manoah's wife correctly discerned that if God had planned to kill them, He would not have received their offering as He had done, nor would He have given them the message that He did.

(24) And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson, and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

Manoah's wife indeed bore a son as the angel had told her she would, and she called him Samson.  The child grew and the Lord blessed him.

(25) And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

As he grew, the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon Samson within the tribe of Dan between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.

In this chapter, we have the birth of Samson.  His was a miraculous birth, as his mother had been barren.  However, his mother received a divine message from the Lord that she would bear a son, and he was to be a Nazarite from the womb, to be set apart for God's purposes.

Jephthah and His Successors

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 12:1) And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and went northward and said to Jephthah, "Why did you pass over to fight against the children of Ammon and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house upon you with fire!"

In the last chapter and post, the Spirit of the Lord had led Jephthah to pass over Gilead to the Ammonites to fight them.  Now the men of Ephraim gathered together and went to Jephthah asking why he had passed over to fight the Ammonites and did not call them to go with him.  They had done this same thing with Gideon (Judges 8:1).  It is clear they said this not out of concern and a desire to help their brethren, but out of a selfish desire for the glory of the victory over their enemy.  Why else would they have threatened to burn Jephthah and his house because he went without them?

(2) And Jephthah said to them, "I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon, and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands."

Apparently when the Ammonites had been in Jephthah's country, he had called on Ephraim to help him, but they refused to help.  That is another proof that the tribe of Ephraim only cared about the glory of a victory and not about helping their brethren.

(3) "And when I saw that you did not deliver me, I put my life in my hands and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand. Why then are you come up to me this day to fight against me?"

Jephthah went on to add that when he saw that the Ephraimites would not help him, he put his own life at risk to go into the enemy's country with only a few troops, but the Lord did indeed deliver his enemy into his hand.  Why would they now come to him to fight against him when they had once refused to help him, and he had now delivered them and all Israel from their enemy?

(4) Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim, and the men of Gilead struck Ephraim because they said, "You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites."

Then Jephthah gathered together the Gileadites, and they struck the Ephraimites because they had insulted the Gileadites, saying that they had deserted their brethren on the west side of the Jordan, the tribes of Ephraim and the western half tribe of Manasseh, to have their own tribe east of the Jordan River.

(5) And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites, and it was so that when those Ephraimites who had escaped said, "Let me over," that the men of Gilead said to him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he said, "No," (6) Then they said to him, "Say now Shibboleth," and he said, "Sibboleth," for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him and killed him at the passages of Jordan, and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites, forty-two thousand.

The Gileadites took control of the passages of the Jordan River so that the Ephraimites who had run away had to ask permission of the Gileadites to pass back over the Jordan.  The Gileadites would ask the person asking permission to cross if he was an Ephraimite, and if he answered, "No," they would test him by asking him to say, "Shibboleth."  Apparently, the Ephraimite dialect or accent was different from the Gileadites, and they could not pronounce it properly and would say rather, "Sibboleth."  The Gileadites would then know the Ephraimite was lying, and they would take and kill him at the passages of the Jordan River.  42,000 Ephraimites were killed!  It is really sad that Israelite brethren would kill so many of each other, but the most prideful of the Ephraimites had been cleansed out of the tribe, and perhaps another such mutiny was avoided.

(7) And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried among the cities of Gilead.

Jephthah continued to judge Israel for six years, and then he died and was buried in Gilead.

(8) And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. (9) And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

After Jephthah died, Ibzan of Bethlehem rose up to judge Israel.  He had sixty children, thirty sons and thirty daughters.  He sent his daughters abroad to marry and live with their husbands, and he took in thirty wives from abroad for his sons.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, wrote that his daughters were sent "to persons not of another nation, nor of another tribe, but of another family of the same tribe."  I suppose this is probably true as scripture does not indicate that Ibzan was wrong in sending his daughters away to marry outside their country.  Ibzan judged Israel for seven years.

(10) Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

After judging Israel for seven years, Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem where he was from.

(11) And after him, Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. (12) And Elon the Zebulonite died and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

After Ibzan, Elon rose up and judged Israel for ten years, and then he died and was buried in his country of Zebulun.

(13) And after him, Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. (14) And he had forty sons and thirty nephews who rode on seventy donkey colts, and he judged Israel eight years.

After Elon died, Abdon the son of Hillel, from Pirathon in Ephraim, judged Israel.  He had forty sons and thirty nephews who rode on seventy donkeys and acted as circuit judges throughout the land (Judges 5:10).  Abdon judged Israel for eight years.

(15) And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim in the mount of the Amalekites.

After judging Israel for eight years, Abdon died and was buried in Pirathon where he was from, in the land of Ephraim in the mountains of the Amalekites, so called because the Amalekites formerly dwelt there, or more likely, say some scholars, because of some remarkable exploit either done by them or done to them in that place.

It doesn't appear that anything of consequence occurred during the time of these successors of Jephthah.  It can be assumed that Israel dwelt in relative peace during those twenty-five years.

Jephthah the Ninth Judge

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 10:1) And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in Mount Ephraim.

In the last chapter and post, Abimelech, the son of Gideon's concubine, set himself up as a king in Israel, but after three years, he was killed.  After his death, God raised up Tola, son of Puah, grandson of Dodo, to defend and deliver Israel.  He was from the tribe of Issachar, but as judge, he dwelt in Shamir in Mount Ephraim.

(2) And he judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

Tola was judge of Israel for twenty-three years, and it can be assumed that the land was at rest during this time.  He eventually died and was buried in Shamir.

(3) And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

After Tola died, God raised up Jair from the land of Gilead on the east side of the Jordan River.  He judged Israel for twenty-two years.  It is reasonable to assume that the land was at rest during this time, as well.

(4) And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities which are called Havoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

Jair had thirty sons who probably rode on white donkeys (Judges 5:10), acting as circuit judges.  It appears that Jair gave each of his sons a city in the land of Gilead, and the thirty cities were called Havoth Jair, meaning the villages of Jair.

(5) And Jair died and was buried in Camon.

After twenty-two years as judge, Jair died and was buried in Camon, a city in Gilead.

(6) And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.

After Jair died, the children of Israel once again turned to evil ways and served a multitude of false gods, forsaking their Lord God and not serving Him.

(7) And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

The anger of the Lord grew hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites.

(8) And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel, eighteen years, all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

That year the Philistines and the Ammonites began oppressing the Israelites for the next eighteen years.  Or perhaps what is meant is that by that present time, the Philistines and the Ammonites had been oppressing the Israelites for eighteen years.  It appears that the Israelites who were oppressed were the ones living on the east side of the Jordan River, the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

(9) Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was sorely distressed.

The Ammonites also crossed over to the west side of the Jordan River to fight against the Israelites in the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.  All of Israel became severely distressed.

(10) And the children of Israel cried to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against You, both because we have forsaken our God and also served Baalim."

The Israelites then cried out to the Lord, acknowledging that they had sinned against Him, in forsaking the worship of Him and going to serve the Baals.

(11) And the Lord said to the children of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? (12) The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you, and you cried to Me, and I delivered you out of their hand."

The Lord reminded the children of Israel how many times He had delivered them from their enemies.  Every time they cried out to Him, He delivered them from the hands of their enemies.

(13) "Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more."

After all the many times the Lord had delivered them from their enemies, they still forsook Him and served multiple false gods.  Therefore, He determined not to deliver them from their enemies anymore.  What a scary thought!  To never again have salvation from the Lord God!

(14) "Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation."

God fittingly told them to go cry to the gods they had chosen.  Perhaps it would be a more well-remembered lesson if they saw that their feeble false gods could not deliver them from their tribulation.

(15) And the children of Israel said to the Lord, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to You; only deliver us, we pray, this day."

The Israelites acknowledged their sins before God and asked that He inflict on them whatever punishment He thought appropriate, but to please deliver them from their enemies.

(16) And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord, and His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

In addition, the Israelites immediately put away all their false gods and began serving only their Lord God.  The Lord, seeing their true repentance, looked upon His people with love and mercy.

(17) Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped in Mizpeh.

Then the Ammonites gathered together and camped in Gilead on the eastern side of the Jordan River.  The Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpeh, which appears to be a place on the eastern side of the Jordan.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that it was usually written as "The Mizpeh" and it meant "watch tower" or "lookout" and was located on Mount Gilead.

(18) And the people, princes of Gilead, said to one another, "What man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon, he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

The leaders of the Israelites in Gilead had assembled together but did not have a commander.  They decided among themselves that whatever man would set out to fight against the Ammonites, he would naturally become their head leader or commander.

(Judges 11:1) Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot, and Gilead begat Jephthah.

There was a man named Jephthah who was a Gileadite from the line of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.  It seems Jephthah's father was also named Gilead, and Jephthah was the son of that Gilead and a harlot.  He was apparently known as a mighty man of valor. 

(2) And Gilead's wife bore him sons, and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah and said to him, "You shall not inherit in our father's house for you are the son of a strange woman."

Gilead's wife had borne him sons and when they grew up, they kicked Jephthah out of their father's house and said that he would never inherit anything of their father's because he was the son of someone other than their mother, Gilead's wife.

(3) Then Jephthah fled from his brethren and dwelt in the land of Tob, and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah and went out with him.

Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in a place called Tob or perhaps it was a land belonging to a man called Tob.  There men gathered themselves to Jephthah and went around with him.  They are called vain men, the original word being "rake" meaning empty or worthless.  I don't know that they were worthless in the sense they were bad men, but they were probably poor men with no real purpose in life.

(4) And it came to pass in process of time that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.  

It was during this time that the Ammonites made war against the Israelites.

(5) And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob. (6) And they said to Jephthah, "Come and be our captain that we may fight with the children of Ammon."

When the Ammonites had made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah in the land of Tob and asked him to go back with them to be captain over them and fight against the Ammonites.

(7) And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Did you not hate me and expel me out of my father's house? And why are you come to me now when you are in distress?"

Jephthah asked the elders why they now wanted him back in their time of distress when they had once hated him and expelled him out of his father's house.

(8) And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "Therefore we turn again to you now that you may go with us and fight against the children of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

They were in agreement that they had acted that way against him, but they now came to him with full confidence and asked that he lead them against the Ammonites and actually be the head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

(9) And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them before me, shall I be your head?"

Jephthah asked the elders that if they brought him back home to fight against the Ammonites and the Lord indeed delivered them into his hand, would they make him head over them, meaning not just captain of their army, but chief ruler over them.

(10) And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord be witness between us if we do not so according to your words."

The elders of Gilead agreed that Jephthah would indeed be their ruler, and the Lord was their witness that they had agreed to do what he had said.

(11) Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them, and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.

Jephthah went back with the elders of Gilead where the people made him head and captain over them.  It appears that Jephthah confirmed his plans to the Lord in prayer to be sure he was acting within the will of the Lord.

(12) And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, "What have you to do with me that you are come against me to fight in my land?"

Jephthah then sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites and speaking as Israel's ruler, asked why they were invading his land and making war against his people.

(13) And the king of the children of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt from Arnon even to Jabbok and to Jordan; now therefore restore those again peaceably."

The king of Ammon sent a message back that he sought to fight against Israel because they had taken his land from the River Arnon to the Jabbok River to the Jordan River from him when they came from Egypt.  This map borrowed from Bible History shows the rivers in Old Testament Israel, and the Ammonite king's land is clearly visible by the above description:

The king told Jephthah to restore his lands peaceably.

(14) And Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the children of Ammon, (15) And said to him, "Thus says Jephthah, 'Israel did not take away the land of Moab nor the land of the children of Ammon, (16) But when Israel came up from Egypt and walked through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh, (17) Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Let me, I pray you, pass through your land," but the king of Edom would not hearken. And in like manner, they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not, and Israel abode in Kadesh.'"

Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon telling him that Israel had not taken away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon.  He explained how Israel had come from Egypt and in order to get to the land of Canaan, they sent messengers to the king of Edom asking permission to cross through the land of Edom (Numbers 20:17), but the king had refused them passage.  Likewise, the king of Moab would not allow them passage (Deuteronomy 2:30).  Therefore the children of Israel abode in Kadesh and did not attempt to force their way through either country.

(18) "'Then they went along through the wilderness and compassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came by the east side of the land of Moab and pitched on the other side of Arnon but did not come within the border of Moab for Arnon was the border of Moab.'"

Jephthah's messengers continued with the words of Jephthah explaining how the Israelites then went around Edom and Moab and camped on the east side of Moab on the other side of their border at the Arnon River (Numbers 21:13).

(19) "'And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, "Let us pass, we pray you, through your land into our place." (20) But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his coast, but Sihon gathered all his people together and pitched in Jahaz and fought against Israel.'"

Israel had then sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, in Heshbon, the royal city, and asked that they be allowed to pass through his land to get to their land in Canaan.  However, Sihon refused, and then gathered his people to fight against Israel (Numbers 21:23).

(21) "'And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they killed him, so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.'"

It was Sihon who instigated war against Israel, and the Lord delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of the Israelites so that being victors in the war, they lawfully possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country at that time.

(22) "'And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok and from the wilderness even to Jordan.'"

Therefore the Israelites possessed all the land of the Amorites from the Jabbok to the Arnon River, north to south, and from the Arabian wilderness to the Jordan River, east to west.

(23) "'So now the Lord God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel, and should you possess it?'"

Jephthah summed up his words in his message to the king of Ammon, saying that since the Lord God of Israel had lawfully dispossessed the Amorites from their land and had given it to His people Israel, could he, the Ammonite king, really expect to possess it?

(24) "'Will you now possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them we will possess.'"

Jephthah's message went on to say that although the Ammonites believed that because they had been given that land by their false god Chemosh, and they had a divine right to the land and should never have to relinquish it, Jephthah's claim was that whomever their Lord God of Israel drove out from before them was Israel's to rightfully possess.

(25) "'And now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, (26) While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that are along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? Why therefore did you not recover them within that time?'"

Jephthah posed the question of whether this king of Ammon thought he was better and wiser than his predecessor Balak, the son of Zippor, who had been the king of Moab and the former possessor of the land that the Israelites took from Sihon.  Balak had never assumed claim or entered into any dispute or war over the land Israel had possessed and inhabited which they had now inhabited for almost 300 years.  Why had he not put in his claim sooner and tried to recover the land before this time?

(27) "'Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me; the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.'"

Having explained the history of the disputed land, Jephthah pointed out that he and Israel had not sinned against the king of Ammon and his people, but the king was wrong in commencing a war with Israel when he had no just cause.  Therefore he called on the Lord God of Israel, the righteous Judge of all the earth, to be judge between Israel and the Ammonites and give victory to the party which was right.

(28) However, the king of the children of Ammon did not heed the words of Jephthah which he sent them.

However, the king of Ammon was not moved by the words of Jephthah which had been sent by messenger to him, nor did he regard the appeal Jephthah had made to the Lord God of the universe.

(29) Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over to the children of Ammon.

The Spirit of the Lord came over Jephthah and led him to pass over Gilead and Manasseh, the countries that belonged to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.  He also passed over Mizpeh in Gilead where the Israelites had originally camped against the Ammonites in Gilead (Judges 10:17) and where Jephthah had been made head and captain over the Israelites (Judges 11:11).  From there Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord.

(30) And Jephthah vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, "If You shall without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, (31) Then it shall be that whatever comes 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, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."

Jephthah then vowed a vow to the Lord.  Although he had seemed assured of the justness of his cause, he appears to have had some doubt about his success, and he felt the need to make a tragic vow.  He vowed that if the Lord delivered the Ammonites into his hands, then he would offer up as a burnt offering to the Lord whatever came forth out of the door of his house to meet him when he returned from a victorious war with the Ammonites.  This seems to be a very rash, ill-considered vow, coming forth from a level of doubt or fear, as logically, what would come out of his house to meet him other than a loved one?  A dog, perhaps?  But unlikely.

(32) So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands. (33) And he struck them from Aroer, even till you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and to the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Of course, the Lord delivered the Ammonites into Jephthah's hand!  He was the one who led Jephthah to the Ammonites (verse 29).  He and his army struck the Ammonites all across their country, twenty cities and the plain, in a great slaughter, and the Ammonites were fully subdued before the Israelites.

(34) And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances, and she his only child; besides her, he had neither son nor daughter.

Of course, Jephthah's daughter would run out to meet her father!  What had Jephthah been thinking when he vowed his vow?  Perhaps he expected a servant whom he was willing to sacrifice.  Apparently, it was a custom for women to go out to meet returning conquerors with musical instruments, songs, and dances.  There would have been a group of women, so any one of them could have come out first.  But it was his daughter who came out first to meet him, dancing with tambourines.  She was his only child.

(35) And it came to pass, when he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of them who troubles me, for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot go back!"

When Jephthah saw it was his only daughter who came out to meet him first, he tore his clothes in a sign of grief and anguish.  He told his daughter how much it grieved and troubled him to see her because he had opened his mouth in a rash vow concerning her, and he could not go back on his word to the Lord.  Actually, in truth, I believe he could have.  Child sacrifice was never acceptable to the Lord.  Even when the Lord tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, once Abraham had proved his faith in the Lord, the Lord provided another sacrifice.  It would have been a great sin for Jephthah to go back on his word to the Lord, but I believe it was equally great a sin for him to kill his daughter, a sacrifice God never wanted.  However, the Lord knows the heart of man, and I'm sure he judged Jephthah righteous because he put his Lord first.  But what a tragic loss of an innocent life!  I believe this incident was meant as a lesson for us about the consequences of impulsive vows.  Making a vow to the Lord is a very serious matter, and it should only be made after serious consideration.  Words carry great power and moral responsibility, most especially words to our Lord God.  Actually, Jesus said:

"...you have heard that it has been said by those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord your oaths,' but I say to you, 'Swear not at all neither by heaven for it is God's throne, nor by the earth for it is His footstool, neither by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King...But let your communication be 'Yes' for yes, and 'No' for no, for whatever is more than these comes of evil." (Matthew 5:33-35,37)

Jesus said not to swear a vow at all because any more than "yes" or "no" came from evil, or the evil one, the devil, as he would have one swear a vow as Jephthah did so that an innocent life be destroyed, because his purposes are only to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).

(36) And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, forasmuch as the Lord has taken vengeance for you of your enemies of the children of Ammon."

Jephthah's daughter, in remarkable submission and obedience to her father and great reverence for the Lord, agreed that her father must do as he had vowed to the Lord because the Lord had given him victory over the Ammonites as he had asked of Him.  She willingly consented to his vow.

(37) And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months that I may go up and down on the mountains and bewail my virginity, I and my companions."

She only asked that her father give her two months to mourn the fact that she would die unmarried and childless.  She wished for time to go up and down the mountains, probably first telling her friends she would pass on the way about her coming demise, and then perhaps they would accompany her as she bewailed her virginity.

(38) And he said, "Go." And he sent her away two months, and she went with her companions and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.

Jephthah granted his daughter's request and sent her away for two months.  She went with her companions and friends and bewailed on the mountains the fact that she would die a virgin, unmarried and childless.

(39) And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed, and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, (40) The daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

At the end of two months Jephthah's daughter returned to her father, and he did with her according to his vow, "and she knew no man."  Some Biblical scholars take this to mean Jephthah did not actually sacrifice his daughter, but gave her to the Lord or dedicated her to the Lord.  The verse did not state specifically that Jephthah offered her as a burnt sacrifice as was his vow (verse 31), but states that she was a virgin.  And Jephthah was listed as one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews (Hebrews 11:32).  However, because God did not approve of human sacrifice, I'm sure that act was not the object of his faith that made him one of the heroes of faith.  I believe he was listed for his faith because he did as the Lord directed him (verse 29) and delivered Israel, and it was despite his tragic vow.  The Lord would have delivered Israel, regardless.  However, as stated before, God knows the heart of man, and Jephthah's was purely toward his Lord and above his only daughter, if he did indeed sacrifice her.  Why wouldn't God have stopped Jephthah from sacrificing his daughter as he had stopped Abraham?  Well, the main reason is that God had told Abraham to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2).  He did no such thing in this case.  This was the sole doing of Jephthah.  If it seems cruel to allow an innocent young woman to be killed because of her father's rash vow, we must realize that if she was indeed innocent, then she was faithful in fulfilling her purpose in life, as providing an important everlasting lesson in the Bible, and she forever resides with Jesus.