Bible Dictionary
Jephthah’s vow
Jephthah’s vow was the promise he made before battle that he would offer to the Lord whatever first came from his house to greet him. Its fulfillment, especially whether his daughter was sacrificed or devoted to lifelong virginity, has been debated; the vow itself was rash and tragic.
Definition
Jephthah’s vow was his promise, made before battle with the Ammonites, to offer to the Lord whatever first came from his house to meet him if he returned victorious. His daughter was the first to greet him, making the vow a source of grief and tragedy.
Biblical Usage
The narrative records Jephthah’s anguish, his daughter’s acceptance, and her request for two months to bewail her maidenhood. The supplied interpretations differ: some understand an actual burnt offering, while another concludes that she was devoted to lifelong celibacy.
Historical Background
The vow is presented as the mistaken act of a rugged chieftain rather than something pleasing to God. The material emphasizes that such sacrifices were contrary to the Mosaic law.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Judg. 11:30, 31). After a crushing defeat of the Ammonites, Jephthah returned to his own house, and the first to welcome him was his own daughter. This was a terrible blow to the victor, and in his despair he cried out, “Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low...I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and cannot go back.” With singular nobleness of spirit she answered, “Do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth.” She only asked two months to bewail her maidenhood with her companions upon the mountains. She utters no reproach against her father’s rashness, and is content to yield her life since her father has returned a conqueror. But was it so? Did Jephthah offer up his daughter as a “burnt-offering”? This question has been much debated, and there are many able commentators who argue that such a sacrifice was actually offered. We are constrained, however, by a consideration of Jephthah’s known piety as a true worshipper of Jehovah, his evident acquaintance with the law of Moses, to which such sacrifices were abhorrent (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31), and the place he holds in the roll of the heroes of the faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:32), to conclude that she was only doomed to a life of perpetual celibacy.