1 Ora Iefte, il Galaadita, era uomo forte e valoroso, figlio di una prostituta; lo aveva generato Gà
laad. |
2 Poi la moglie di Gà
laad gli partorì
figli e, quando i figli della moglie furono adulti, cacciarono Iefte e gli dissero: «Tu non avrai eredità
nella casa di nostro padre, perché
sei figlio di un'altra donna». |
3 Iefte fuggì
lontano dai suoi fratelli e si stabilì
nel paese di Tob. Attorno a Iefte si raccolsero alcuni sfaccendati e facevano scorrerie con lui. |
4 Qualche tempo dopo gli Ammoniti mossero guerra a Israele. |
5 Quando gli Ammoniti iniziarono la guerra contro Israele, gli anziani di Gà
laad andarono a prendere Iefte nel paese di Tob. |
6 Dissero a Iefte: «Vieni, sii nostro condottiero e combatteremo contro gli Ammoniti». |
7 Ma Iefte rispose agli anziani di Gà
laad: «Non siete forse voi quelli che mi avete odiato e scacciato dalla casa di mio padre? Perché
venite da me ora che siete in difficoltà
?». |
8 Gli anziani di Gà
laad dissero a Iefte: «Proprio per questo ora ci rivolgiamo a te: verrai con noi, combatterai contro gli Ammoniti e sarai il capo di noi tutti abitanti di Gà
laad». |
9 Iefte rispose agli anziani di Gà
laad: «Se mi riconducete per combattere contro gli Ammoniti e il Signore li mette in mio potere, io sarò
vostro capo». |
10 Gli anziani di Gà
laad dissero a Iefte: «Il Signore sia testimone tra di noi, se non faremo come hai detto». |
11 Iefte dunque andò
con gli anziani di Gà
laad; il popolo lo costituì
suo capo e condottiero e Iefte ripetè
le sue parole davanti al Signore in Mizpa. |
12 Poi Iefte inviò
messaggeri al re degli Ammoniti per dirgli: «Che c'è
tra me e te, perché
tu venga contro di me a muover guerra al mio paese?». |
13 Il re degli Ammoniti rispose ai messaggeri di Iefte: «Perché
, quando Israele uscì
dall'Egitto, si impadronì
del mio territorio, dall'Arnon fino allo Iabbok e al Giordano; restituiscilo spontaneamente». |
14 Iefte inviò
di nuovo messaggeri al re degli Ammoniti per dirgli: |
15 «Dice Iefte: Israele non si impadronì
del paese di Moab, né
del paese degli Ammoniti; |
16 ma, quando Israele uscì
dall'Egitto e attraversò
il deserto fino al Mare Rosso e giunse a Kades, |
17 mandò
messaggeri al re di Edom per dirgli: Lasciami passare per il tuo paese, ma il re di Edom non acconsentì
. Mandò
anche al re di Moab, nemmeno lui volle e Israele rimase a Kades. |
18 Poi camminò
per il deserto, fece il giro del paese di Edom e del paese di Moab, giunse a oriente del paese di Moab e si accampò
oltre l'Arnon senza entrare nei territori di Moab; perché
l'Arnon segna il confine di Moab. |
19 Allora Israele mandò
messaggeri a Sicon, re degli Amorrei, re di Chesbon, e gli disse: Lasciaci passare dal tuo paese, per arrivare al nostro. |
20 Ma Sicon non si fidò
che Israele passasse per i suoi confini; anzi radunò
tutta la sua gente, si accampò
a Iaaz e combattè
contro Israele. |
21 Il Signore, Dio d'Israele, mise Sicon e tutta la sua gente nelle mani d'Israele, che li sconfisse; così
Israele conquistò
tutto il paese degli Amorrei che abitavano quel territoro; |
22 conquistò
tutti i territori degli Amorrei, dall'Arnon allo Iabbok e dal deserto al Giordano. |
23 Ora il Signore, Dio d'Israele, ha scacciato gli Amorrei davanti a Israele suo popolo e tu vorresti possedere il loro paese? |
24 Non possiedi tu quello che Camos tuo dio ti ha fatto possedere? Così
anche noi possiederemo il paese di quelli che il Signore ha scacciati davanti a noi. |
25 Sei tu forse più
di Balak, figlio di Zippor, re di Moab? Mosse forse querela ad Israele o gli fece guerra? |
26 Da trecento anni Israele abita a Chesbon e nelle sue dipendenze, ad Aroer e nelle sue dipendenze e in tutte le città
lungo l'Arnon; perché
non gliele avete tolte durante questo tempo? |
27 Io non ti ho fatto torto e tu agisci male verso di me, muovendomi guerra; il Signore giudice giudichi oggi tra gli Israeliti e gli Ammoniti!». |
28 Ma il re degli Ammoniti non ascoltò
le parole che Iefte gli aveva mandato a dire. |
29 Allora lo spirito del Signore venne su Iefte ed egli attraversò
Gà
laad e Manà
sse, passò
a Mizpa di Gà
laad e da Mizpa di Gà
laad raggiunse gli Ammoniti. |
30 Iefte fece voto al Signore e disse: «Se tu mi metti nelle mani gli Ammoniti, |
31 la persona che uscirà
per prima dalle porte di casa mia per venirmi incontro, quando tornerò
vittorioso dagli Ammoniti, sarà
per il Signore e io l'offrirò
in olocausto». |
32 Quindi Iefte raggiunse gli Ammoniti per combatterli e il Signore glieli mise nelle mani. |
33 Egli li sconfisse da Aroer fin verso Minnit, prendendo loro venti città
, e fino ad Abel-Cheramin. Così
gli Ammoniti furono umiliati davanti agli Israeliti. |
34 Poi Iefte tornò
a Mizpa, verso casa sua; ed ecco uscirgli incontro la figlia, con timpani e danze. Era l'unica figlia: non aveva altri figli, né
altre figlie. |
35 Appena la vide, si stracciò
le vesti e disse: «Figlia mia, tu mi hai rovinato! Anche tu sei con quelli che mi hanno reso infelice! Io ho dato la mia parola al Signore e non posso ritirarmi». |
36 Essa gli disse: «Padre mio, se hai dato parola al Signore, fà
di me secondo quanto è
uscito dalla tua bocca, perché
il Signore ti ha concesso vendetta sugli Ammoniti, tuoi nemici». |
37 Poi disse al padre: «Mi sia concesso questo: lasciami libera per due mesi, perché
io vada errando per i monti a piangere la mia verginità
con le mie compagne». |
38 Egli le rispose: «Và
!», e la lasciò
andare per due mesi. Essa se ne andò
con le compagne e pianse sui monti la sua verginità
. |
39 Alla fine dei due mesi tornò
dal padre ed egli fece di lei quello che aveva promesso con voto. Essa non aveva conosciuto uomo; di qui venne in Israele questa usanza: |
40 ogni anno le fanciulle d'Israele vanno a piangere la figlia di Iefte il Galaadita, per quattro giorni. |
11 The birth of Jephthah, rejected by his brethren, Giudici 11:1-3.
The Gileadites chuse him for their general, Giudici 11:4-11.
His treating with the king of Ammon, Giudici 11:12-28.
His war with, and victory over the Ammonites, Giudici 11:29-33.
His vow and the performance of it, Giudici 11:34-40.
11:1 Gileadite - So called, either from his father Gilead, or from the mountain, or city of Gilead, the place of his birth.Son of a harlot - That is, a bastard. And though such were not ordinarily to enter into the congregation of the Lord, Deuteronomio 23:3.Yet God can dispense with his own laws, and hath sometimes done honour to base - born persons, so far, that some of them were admitted to be the progenitors of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Gilead - One of the children of that ancient Gilead, Numeri 32:1.
11:3 Of Tob - The name either of the land, or of the man who was the owner or ruler of it. This place was in, or near Gilead, as appears by the speedy intercourse which here was between Jephthah and the Israelites. Vain men - Idle persons, who desired rather to get their living by spoil and rapine, than by honest labour. These evil persons Jephthah managed well, employing them against the enemies of God, and of Israel, that bordered upon them; and particularly upon parties of the Ammonites, which made the Israelites more forward to chuse him for their chieftain in this war. Went out - When he made excursions and attempts upon the enemy.
11:4 Made war - The Ammonites had vexed and oppressed them eighteen years, and now the Israelites begin to make opposition, they commence a war against them.
11:5 Went - By direction from God, who both qualified him for, and called him to the office of a judge, otherwise they might not have chosen a bastard.
11:7 Expel me - And deprive me of all share in my father's goods, which, though a bastard, was due to me. This expulsion of him was the act of his brethren; but he here ascribes it to the elders of Gilead; either because some of them were among these elders, as is very probable from the dignity of this family; or because this act, though desired by his brethren, was executed by the decree of the elders, to whom the determination of all controversies about inheritance belonged; and therefore it was their faults they did not protect him from the injuries of his brethren.
11:8 Therefore - Being sensible that we have done thee injury, we come now to make thee full reparation.
11:9 If, etc - If you recall me from this place where I am now settled, to the place whence I was expelled. Shall I, etc - Will you really make good this promise? Jephthah was so solicitous in this case, either from his zeal for the public good, which required that he should be so; or from the law of self - preservation, that he might secure himself from his brethren; whose ill - will he had experienced, and whose injuries he could not prevent, if, after he had served their ends, he had been reduced to his private capacity.
11:10 The Lord be witness - The Lord be an hearer: so the Hebrew word is. Whatever we speak it concerns us to remember, that God is an hearer!
11:11 All his words - Or, all his matters, the whole business.Before the Lord - That is, before the public congregation, wherewith God was usually, and then especially present.
11:12 Messengers - That is, ambassadors, to prevent blood - shed, that so the Israelites might be acquitted before God and men, from all the sad consequences of this war; herein he shewed great prudence, and no less piety. What hast thou, etc - What reasonable cause hast thou for this invasion? In my land - He speaks this in the name of all the people.
11:13 My land - That is, this land of Gilead, which was mine, but unjustly taken from me, by Sihon and Og, the kings of the Ammonites; and the injury perpetuated by Israel's detaining it from me. This land, before the conquests of Sihon and Og, belonged partly to the Ammonites, and partly to the Moabites.And indeed, Moab and Ammon did for the most part join their interests and their forces.
11:16 The Red - sea - Unto which they came three times; once, Esodo 13:18, again, a little after their passage over it, and a thirdtime, long after, when they came to Ezion Geber, which was upon the shore of the Red - Sea, from whence they went to Kadesh; of this time he speaks here.
11:17 Abode - Peaceably, and did not revenge their unkindness as they could have done.
11:19 My place - That is, unto the land of Canaan, which God hath given me.
11:20 Sihon fought - So Sihon was the aggressor, and the Israelites were forced to fight in their own defence.
11:22 The coasts - Or, borders; together with all the land included within those borders. Wilderness - Namely, the desert of Arabia.
11:23 So the Lord - God, the sovereign Lord of all lands, hath given us this land; this he adds, as a farther and convincing reason; because otherwise it might have been alledged against the former argument, that they could gain no more right to that land from Sihon, than Sihon himself had.
11:24 Wilt not thou - He speaks according to their absurd opinion: the Ammonites and Moabites got their land by conquest of the old inhabitants, whom they cast out; and this success, though given them by the true God, for Lot's sake, Deuteronomio 2:9, Deuteronomio 2:19, they impiously ascribe to their god Chemosh, whose gift they owned to be a sufficient title.
11:25 Than Balak - Art thou wiser than he? Or hast thou more right than he had? Balak, though he plotted against Israel, in defence of his own land, which he feared they would invade and conquer, yet never contended with them about the restitution of those lands which Sihon took from him or his predecessors.
11:26 Three hundred years - Not precisely, but about that time, either from their coming out of Egypt; or, from their first conquest of those lands. He urges prescription, which is by all men reckoned a just title, and it is fit it should be so for the good of the world, because otherwise the door would be opened both to kings, and to private persons, for infinite contentions and confusions.
11:27 I have not - I have done thee no wrong. Be judge - Let him determine this controversy by the success of this day and war.
11:29 Spirit came - Indued him with a more than ordinary courage and resolution. Manasseh - That is, Bashan, which the half tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan inhabited. Mizpeh of Gilead - So called to distinguish it from other cities of the same name, having gathered what forces he suddenly could, he came hither to the borders of the Ammonites.
11:33 Minnith - A place not far from Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites. Subdued before Israel - It does not appear, that he offered to take possession of the country. Tho' the attempt of others to wrong us, will justify us in the defence of our own right, yet it will not authorize us to do them wrong.
11:34 His daughter - In concert with other virgins, as the manner was.
11:35 Trouble me - Before this, I was troubled by my brethren; and since, by the Ammonites; and now most of all, tho' but occasionally, by thee. Opened my mouth - That is, I have vowed. Cannot go back - That is, not retract my vow; I am indispensably obliged to perform it.
11:36 Do to me - Do not for my sake make thyself a transgressor; I freely give my consent to thy vow.
11:37 Mountains - Which she chose as a solitary place, and therefore fittest for lamentation. Bewail - That I shall die childless, which was esteemed both a curse and a disgrace for the Israelites, because such were excluded from that great privilege of increasing the holy seed, and contributing to the birth of the Messiah.
11:39 Did with her - Jephthah's daughter was not sacrificed, but only devoted to perpetual virginity. This appears,
- From ver. Giudici 11:37-38, where we read, that she bewailed not her death, which had been the chief cause of lamentation, if that had been vowed, but her virginity:
- From this ver. Giudici 11:39, where, after he had said, that he did with her according to his vow; he adds, by way of declaration of the matter of that vow, and she knew no man.
It is probably conceived, that the Greeks, who used to steal sacredhistories, and turn them into fables, had from this history their relation of Iphigenia (which may be put for Jephtigenia) sacrificed by her father Agamemnon, which is described by many of the same circumstances wherewith this is accompanied.11:40 The daughter of Jephthah - It is really astonishing, that the general stream of commentators, should take it for granted, that Jephthah murdered his daughter! But, says Mr. Henry, "We do not find any law, usage or custom, in all the Old Testament, which doth in the least intimate, that a single life was any branch or article of religion." And do we find any law, usage or custom there, which doth in the least intimate, that cutting the throat of an only child, was any branch or article of religion?If only a dog had met Jephthah, would he have offered up that for a burnt - offering? No: because God had expressly forbidden this. And had he not expressly forbidden murder? But Mr. Poole thinks the story of Agamemnon's offering up Iphigenia took its rise from this. Probably it did. But then let it be observed, Iphigenia was not murdered.Tradition said, that Diana sent an hind in her stead, and took the maid to live in the woods with her.