DID JEPHTHAH ACTUALLY OFFER HIS DAUGHTER AS A HUMAN SACRIFICE?

DID JEPHTHAH ACTUALLY OFFER HIS DAUGHTER AS A HUMAN SACRIFICE (JUDG. 11:29-40)?

In the book of Judges, we read the story of a great warrior named Jephthah. Asking God for victory, Jephthah made an impulsive vow. Many believe that this promise led to Jephthah sacrificing his only daughter as a burnt offering. This account is certainly troubling on many levels. But the most basic is that human sacrifice was explicitly forbidden under God’s Law: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering” (Deut. 18:10 ESV). How could a judge of Israel, commended for his valor (Judg. 11:1) and faith (Heb. 11:32), commit such a heinous sin? The answer is: he didn't. Keep reading.

JEPHTHAH’S STORY

Jephthah was the illegitimate son of a prostitute. This fact caused his half brothers, the sons of Gilead, to disown him. Nevertheless, he became a great warrior. Later on, after the Ammonites made war with Israel, the leaders of Gilead, the very ones who had cast him out, appealed to Jephthah to lead them in battle. If Jephthah led them to victory, they promised to make him their leader (Judg. 11:1-11). Therefore, Jephthah sought to negotiate with the Ammonites but they refused him. So Jephthah battled the Ammonites, and the Lord granted Jephthah a great victory (Judg. 11:12-28, 32-33). Thus, he became the eighth judge of Israel.

JEPHTHAH’S VOW

Despite his military success, Jephthah’s one major failure was the rash vow he made as he went to battle the Ammonites. He swore that if the Lord enabled him to defeat the Ammonites, “then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judg. 11:30-31).

Much to his sorrow, Jephthah’s daughter was the first to approach him when he returned home after his victory. As a result, many conclude that Jephthah, a man honored in Scripture for his faith, actually engaged in the forbidden practice of human sacrifice.

JEPHTHAH’S SACRIFICE

That Jephthah would have practiced human sacrifice is extremely unlikely. Another but superior view of this troubling issue is that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter by giving her to lifetime service in the tabernacle, not as a burnt offering. Several lines of evidence support this alternative view.

First, the Hebrew conjunction in the verse that contains Jephthah’s rash vow could be translated with the word “or” to reflect two alternatives. It would then read, “whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me... it shall be the Lord's or I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judg. 11:31).

This translation is legitimate. If this is correct, the vow would distinguish the resulting action between a human or an animal coming out to meet the victorious judge. If it were human, it would be offered up to serve God in the tabernacle. But if an animal came out, it would be given as a burnt offering.

Second, Jephthah’s statement that whatever met him “shall be the Lord’s" is similar to the phrase used of the Levites in the Pentateuch.  The Lord declared that the Levites would be separated out for God’s own service in the tabernacle, saying “the Levites shall be Mine” (Num. 3:12, 45; 8:14). Jephthah’s words use the same Hebrew verb and Hebrew particle as these phrases in Numbers. This is no accident. It demonstrates that Jephthah was saying that he would give someone over to belong to the Lord’s service, just as the Levites were given for God's service.

Third, the description of Jephthah’s daughter hints at her being offered to serve in the tabernacle. She came out to greet him “with tambourines and with dancing” (Judg. 11:34). This phrase was deliberately designed to remind readers of the virgins who were dedicated to serving God in the taber-nacle.

For example, Psalm 68:24-25 describes the procession of worshippers entering God’s sanctuary, the tabernacle. The depiction of the worshippers calls to mind the behavior of Jephthah’s daughter: “The singers went on, the musicians after  virginity, it appears that she believed she was going to become one of those virginal maidens serving in the tabernacle for life. Jephthah did not offer his daughter as a burnt offering, but rather gave her to the Lord by giving her to tabernacle service. In doing so, he gave up his only hope of having an heir.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The story of Jephthah’s foolish and unthinking vow is a great warning for followers of Jesus to be careful before making promises to the Lord. Solomon warned, “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Eccl. 5:4—-5). Believers need to take the vows we make to the Lord seriously because, like Jephthah, we are responsible to keep them, even if it brings us loss.

Although Jephthah did not carry out a human sacrifice, he did have to sacrifice his dream and desire for his posterity to continue through an heir. This was no small matter in that culture and it certainly broke his heart. Nevertheless, Jephthah paid his vow and in so doing, he taught us an important lesson: Be careful about the promises we make to the Lord.