Meaning of JEPHTHAH

"He will open, he will release."
This man was a Gileadite in two senses: his father's name was Gilead, and Jephthah spent his youth in Gilead. His brothers, born to his father's legitimate wife, threw Jephthah out of the house, because he was an illegitimate son (Judg. 11:1-3).

He deeply resented this behavior. Many years later, he accused the elders of Gilead, among whom perhaps were some of his brothers, of having hated him (Judg. 11:7).

Jephthah fled to the country of Tob, where he hunted for a living. His courage became proverbial, and he became the leader of a gang. It would be false to present him as an outlaw bandit, since Jephthah was not lacking in moral sense or unjustified expeditions. He had reverence toward God, and so he taught his daughter.

At the time of Jephthah's expulsion, the Ammonites invaded the territory of Israel east of the Jordan, and held there for 18 years. In their anguish, the elders of Gilead found themselves at the point of having to implore the return of the same man they had expelled, and also begging him to be their leader and liberator.

Taking his place at the head of the Gileadites, Jephthah informed the Ephraimites, his neighboring tribe, of Gilead's plight, and exhorted them to help his brothers, but to no avail. He also asked the king of the Ammonites for the reason for his hostility. His response showed that the Israelites had no choice but to resort to arms.

Victory was uncertain from a human point of view. Jephthah then made a reckless vow to offer a burnt offering to anyone who came out to meet him from his house, if the Lord delivered his enemies into his hands.

Upon returning from the defeat of the Ammonites, Jephthah was greeted with timbrels and dancing by his only daughter. He was deeply affected, but it did not change his vote. It is likely that she was sacrificed. However, the Law so firmly prohibited these sacrifices (Deut. 12:31; 18:10; cf. 2 Kings 3:27) that one can be sure that in this case Jephthah did not fulfill the will of God.

Let us add that, according to numerous exegetes, he could have redeemed her with silver (Lev. 27: 1-8; Deut. 18: 9-12) and consecrated herself to perpetual celibacy. The daughters of Israel adopted the custom of lamenting his sad fate four days a year.

Even if she had not been sacrificed, perpetual virginity would be an immense tragedy for an Israelite (cf. Gen. 30:1; 1 Sam. 1:5, 6, etc.).

A conflict then broke out between Jephthah and the Ephraimites who, with characteristic arrogance, complained of not having been summoned by Jephthah against Ammon (cf. Judges 8:1-3).

Jephthah refuted their accusations, and defeated them in battle, making a great slaughter of them (Judg. 12:4-6). Jephthah was judge of Israel for six years, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead (Judg. 12:7).

Samuel mentions it to demonstrate that the Lord had fulfilled His promise to raise up deliverers when Israel was oppressed (1 Sam. 12:11). In the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jephthah is among the heroes of faith (Heb. 11:32).