1 Jephthah, ein Gileaditer, war ein streibarer Held, aber ein Hurenkind. Gilead aber hatte Jephthah gezeugt.
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2 Da aber das Weib Gileads ihm Kinder gebar und des Weibes Kinder groß wurden, stießen sie Jephthah aus und sprachen zu ihm: Du sollst nicht erben in unsers Vaters Haus; denn du bist eines andern Weibes Sohn.
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3 Da floh er vor seinen Brüdern und wohnte im Lande Tob. Und es sammelten sich zu ihm lose Leute und zogen aus mit ihm.
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4 Und über etliche Zeit hernach stritten die Kinder Ammon mit Israel.
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5 Da nun die Kinder Ammon also stritten mit Israel, gingen die Ältesten von Gilead hin, daß sie Jephthah holten aus dem Lande Tob,
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6 und sprachen zu ihm: Komm und sei unser Hauptmann, daß wir streiten wider die Kinder Ammon.
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7 Aber Jephthah sprach zu den Ältesten von Gilead: Seid ihr es nicht, die mich hassen und aus meines Vaters Haus gestoßen haben? Und nun kommt ihr zu mir, weil ihr in Trübsal seid?
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8 Die Ältesten von Gilead sprachen zu Jephthah: Darum kommen wir nun wieder zu dir, daß du mit uns ziehst und hilfst uns streiten wider die Kinder Ammon und seist unser Haupt über alle, die in Gilead wohnen.
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9 Jephthah sprach zu den Ältesten von Gilead: So ihr mich wieder holet, zu streiten wider die Kinder Ammon, und der HERR sie vor mir dahingeben wird, soll ich dann euer Haupt sein?
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10 Die Ältesten von Gilead sprachen zu Jephthah: Der HERR sei Zuhörer zwischen uns, wo wir nicht tun, wie du gesagt hast.
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11 Also ging Jephthah mit den Ältesten von Gilead; und das Volk setzte ihn zum Haupt und Obersten über sich. Und Jephthah redete solches alles vor dem HERRN zu Mizpa.
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12 Da sandte Jephthah Botschaft zum König der Kinder Ammon und ließ ihm sagen: Was hast du mit mir zu schaffen, daß du kommst zu mir, wider mein Land zu streiten?
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13 Der König der Kinder Ammon antwortete den Boten Jephthahs: Darum daß Israel mein Land genommen hat, da sie aus Ägypten zogen, vom Arnon an bis an den Jabbok und wieder bis zum Jordan; so gib mir's nun wieder mit Frieden.
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14 Jephthah aber sandte noch mehr Boten zum König der Kinder Ammon,
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15 die sprachen zu ihm: So spricht Jephthah: Israel hat kein Land genommen, weder den Moabitern noch den Kindern Ammon.
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16 Denn da sie aus Ägypten zogen, wandelte Israel durch die Wüste bis ans Schilfmeer und kam gen Kades
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17 und sandte Boten zum König der Edomiter und sprach: Laß mich durch dein Land ziehen. Aber der Edomiter König erhörte sie nicht. Auch sandten sie zum König der Moabiter; der wollte auch nicht. Also blieb Israel in Kades
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18 und wandelte in der Wüste. Und sie umzogen das Land der Edomiter und Moabiter und kamen von der Sonne Aufgang an der Moabiter Land und lagerten sich jenseit des Arnon und kamen nicht in die Grenze der Moabiter; denn der Arnon ist der Moabiter Grenze.
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19 Und Israel sandte Boten zu Sihon, dem König der Amoriter zu Hesbon, und ließ ihm sagen: Laß uns durch dein Land ziehen bis an meinen Ort.
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20 Aber Sihon vertraute Israel nicht, durch sein Gebiet zu ziehen, sondern versammelte all sein Volk und lagerte sich zu Jahza und stritt mit Israel.
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21 Der HERR aber, der Gott Israels, gab den Sihon mit all seinem Volk in die Hände Israels, daß sie sie schlugen. Also nahm Israel ein alles Land der Amoriter, die in demselben Lande wohnten.
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22 Und sie nahmen alles Gebiet der Amoriter ein vom Arnon an bis an den Jabbok und von der Wüste an bis an den Jordan.
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23 So hat nun der HERR, der Gott Israels, die Amoriter vertrieben vor seinem Volk Israel; und du willst ihr Land einnehmen?
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24 Du solltest deren Land einnehmen, die dein Gott Kamos vertriebe, und uns lassen einnehmen das Land aller, die der HERR, unser Gott, vor uns vertrieben hat.
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25 Meinst du, daß du besser recht habest denn Balak, der Sohn Zippors, der Moabiter König? Hat derselbe auch je gerechtet 518eeft oder gestritten wider Israel?
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26 Dieweil nun Israel dreihundert Jahre gewohnt hat in Hesbon und in Aroer und ihren Ortschaften und allen Städten, die am Arnon liegen, warum errettetet ihr's nicht in dieser Zeit?
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27 Ich habe nichts an dir gesündigt, und du tust so übel an mir, daß du wider mich streitest. Der HERR, der da Richter ist, richte heute zwischen Israel und den Kindern Ammon.
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28 Aber der König der Kinder Ammon erhörte die Rede Jephthahs nicht, die er zu ihm sandte.
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29 Da kam der Geist des HERRN auf Jephthah, und er zog durch Gilead und Manasse und durch Mizpe, das in Gilead liegt, und von Mizpe, das in Gilead liegt auf die Kinder Ammon.
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30 Und Jephthah gelobte dem HERRN ein Gelübde und sprach: Gibst du die Kinder Ammon in meine Hand:
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31 was zu meiner Haustür heraus mir entgegengeht, wenn ich mit Frieden wiederkomme von den Kindern Ammon, das soll des HERRN sein, und ich will's zum Brandopfer opfern.
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32 Also zog Jephthah auf die Kinder Ammon, wider sie zu streiten. Und der HERR gab sie in seine Hände.
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33 Und er schlug sie von Aroer an, bis wo man kommt gen Minnith, zwanzig Städte, und bis an den Plan der Weinberge, eine sehr große Schlacht. Und wurden also die Kinder Ammon gedemütigt vor den Kindern Israel.
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34 Da nun Jephthah kam gen Mizpa zu seinem Hause, siehe, da geht seine Tochter heraus ihm entgegen mit Pauken und Reigen; und sie war sein einziges Kind, und er hatte sonst keinen Sohn noch Tochter.
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35 Und da er sie sah, zerriß er seine Kleider und sprach: Ach, meine Tochter, wie beugst du mich und betrübst mich! Denn ich habe meinen Mund aufgetan gegen den HERRN und kann's nicht widerrufen.
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36 Sie aber sprach: Mein Vater, hast du deinen Mund aufgetan gegen den HERRN, so tue mir, wie es aus deinem Mund gegangen ist, nachdem der HERR dich gerächt hat an deinen Feinden, den Kindern Ammon.
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37 Und sie sprach zu ihrem Vater: Du wollest mir das tun, daß du mir lassest zwei Monate, daß ich von hinnen hinabgehe auf die Berge und meine Jungfrauschaft beweine mit meinen Gespielen.
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38 Er sprach: Gehe hin! und ließ sie zwei Monate gehen. Da ging sie hin mit ihren Gespielen und beweinte ihre Jungfrauschaft auf den Bergen.
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39 Und nach zwei Monaten kam sie wieder zu ihrem Vater. Und er tat ihr, wie er gelobt hatte; und sie war nie eines Mannes schuldig geworden. Und es ward eine Gewohnheit in Israel,
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40 daß die Töchter Israel jährlich hingehen, zu klagen um die Tochter Jephthahs, des Gileaditers, des Jahres vier Tage.
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11 The birth of Jephthah, rejected by his brethren, Jdg 11:1-3.
The Gileadites chuse him for their general, Jdg 11:4-11.
His treating with the king of Ammon, Jdg 11:12-28.
His war with, and victory over the Ammonites, Jdg 11:29-33.
His vow and the performance of it, Jdg 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, Deu 23:2.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, Num 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, Exo 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, Deu 2:9, Deu 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. Jdg 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. Jdg 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.