Judg 11 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Judg 11:1-3: 11:1-3 In Jephthah , inspired leadership took a new turn. He had humble origins, attracted followers, was eloquent in debate, and had Spirit-filled military prowess, but all of these were overshadowed by the fatal flaws of his untimely vow (11:30-31 , 34-35 ) and his petulant civil war with Ephraim (12:1-6 ). Even his victory was short-lived (“six years,” 12:7 ). The period of decline was underway, which increased the demand for kingship. Summary for Judg 11:1-2: 11:1-2 great warrior: Jephthah had military prowess and possibly social prominence (see study note on 6:12, where great warrior is translated “mighty hero”). Gilead was a descendant of Manasseh (Num 26:29-33 ; 32:39-40 ; 1 Chr 7:14-17 ). Jephthah’s social standing raised his visibility despite the ignominy of his prostitute mother. His half brothers had no obligation to accept Jephthah’s status or leadership.

Summary for Judg 11:1-3: 11:1-3 ^a In Jephthah, inspired leadership took a new turn. He had humble origins, attracted followers, was eloquent in debate, and had Spirit-filled military prowess, but all of these were overshadowed by the fatal flaws of his untimely vow (11:30-31 ^b, 34-35 ^c) and his petulant civil war with Ephraim (12:1-6 ^d). Even his victory was short-lived (“six years,” 12:7 ^e). The period of decline was underway, which increased the demand for kingship.
Summary for Judg 11:1-2: 11:1-2 ^f great warrior: Jephthah had military prowess and possibly social prominence (see study note on 6:12, where great warrior is translated “mighty hero”). Gilead was a descendant of Manasseh (Num 26:29-33 ^g; 32:39-40 ^h; 1 Chr 7:14-17 ⁱ). Jephthah’s social standing raised his visibility despite the ignominy of his prostitute mother. His half brothers had no obligation to accept Jephthah’s status or leadership.
11:3 ^j Jephthah’s worthless rebels are reminiscent of Abimelech’s “reckless troublemakers” (see 9:4 ^k), but Jephthah had no need to buy their loyalty.
11:4 ^l Ammonites ... war: See 10:17 ^m.
Summary for Judg 11:5-6: 11:5-6 ⁿ These elders were apparently distinct from Jephthah’s brothers, although Jephthah’s initial response (11:7 ^o) appears to equate the two groups. They had promised (10:18 ^p) that whoever took the military initiative and attacked the Ammonites would become the ruler. Here, in typical Middle Eastern bargaining style, they only offered the status of commander, trying to diminish their initial promise.
Summary for Judg 11:7-8: 11:7-8 ^q When Jephthah challenged the offer, the elders returned to the stronger word, ruler.
Summary for Judg 11:9-10: 11:9-10 ^r Jephthah made sure that the elders really were offering him the position of ruler, not just “commander.”
11:11 ^s At the end of the negotiations, Jephthah was sworn in as both ruler and commander.

• This Mizpah (“watchtower”) was a shrine east of the Jordan in Gilead, which was Jephthah’s home (10:17 ^t; 11:29 ^u, 34 ^v); it should not be confused with Mizpah in Benjamin, the place near Bethel where the tribes later assembled and swore oaths for the final battle of Judges (20:1 ^w; 21:1 ^x).

• The ceremony at Mizpah in the presence of the Lord appears to have been the making of a suzerain-vassal covenant, in which a ruler (the suzerain) promises to protect and defend a vassal people in exchange for authority over them (see study note on Exod 20:1–23:33; see also Deuteronomy Book Introduction, “Literary Form”).
Summary for Judg 11:12-28: 11:12-28 ^y Jephthah initially tried to solve the problem by diplomatic rather than military means (cp. Deut 20:10-11 ^z).

• Unlike the nomadic, marauding Midianites of Gideon’s day, the Ammonites were a settled tribe whose territory lay to the east of Israel’s holdings in Transjordan (east of the Jordan); Rabbah was the Ammonite capital. The Ammonites, like the Moabites (both descendants of Lot) and the Edomites (Esau’s descendants), were to be left alone, as their territories were assigned to them by the Lord (Deut 2:16-23 ^aa).

• Contrary to the Ammonite king’s contention, the Amorites, not Ammon or Moab, lived between the Arnon and Jabbok rivers at the time of the conquest. In response to Sihon’s refusal to let Israel pass, the Lord had given the land of the Amorite kings Sihon and Og to Israel. The Ammonite king had no legitimate quarrel with Israel.
11:17 ^ab Kadesh had been Israel’s base for spying out the land (Num 32:8 ^ac; Deut 1:19 ^ad; 2:14 ^ae). The name comes from the Hebrew root qadesh (“holy”) and presumably is named for a shrine.
11:24 ^af Chemosh was the god of the related tribe of Moabites. If the land occupied by Israel east of the Jordan originally belonged to Moab (see study note on 11:25), the Ammonite king would still have regarded Chemosh as the god of that land. Whether Jephthah regarded Chemosh as a god or was accommodating himself to the king’s belief system is not clear.
11:25 ^ag Moab and Ammon were related (descendants of Lot). Moab, as opposed to Ammon, may have had a legitimate claim to the land that Israel occupied north of the Arnon, which was taken from them earlier by Sihon, king of the Amorites (Num 21:24 ^ah). The Israelites had conquered Sihon and annexed the disputed territory, but Moab had not attempted to claim it. Neither should Ammon, because the land in question had never belonged to them.
11:26 ^ai Whether the conquest and settlement took place in the 1400s BC or the 1200s BC (see Judges Book Introduction, “Chronology of the Judges Era”), Jephthah’s 300 years is probably a round figure.
11:27 ^aj Jephthah appealed to the Lord, the great judge, to decide between Israel and Ammon. The Lord’s response (11:29-33 ^ak) was his answer.
Summary for Judg 11:29-31: 11:29-31 ^al The Spirit of the Lord, a consistent sign of inspired authority, came upon Jephthah, and he journeyed through the tribal lands of Gilead and Manasseh, including his hometown of Mizpah in Gilead, gathering troops. During this time leading up to battle, he made his infamous vow.
11:31 ^am Nowhere does the Lord demand such bargaining for his favor. Vows were made under a variety of circumstances and usually involved some gift (offering) dedicated to the Lord in response to his aid (cp. Gen 28:20-22 ^an). The more common preparation for battle was priestly sacrifice (1 Sam 13:8-12 ^ao). Jephthah’s vow created the possibility that some person in his household would become a human sacrifice, an act strictly forbidden in Israelite law (Deut 18:10 ^ap).
11:32 ^aq No connection is drawn between the victory, which was the Lord’s gift, and Jephthah’s vow.
11:35 ^ar Having made an impulsive vow, Jephthah now compounded his folly by blaming the result on his daughter and by failing to respond in light of Scripture. Vows taken were usually inviolable (Num 30:2 ^as), though the Old Testament recognizes a few circumstances under which an unwise vow could be set aside (Num 30:6-8 ^at). Since human sacrifice was forbidden in the law, a substitute could have been made (see Lev 27:1-8 ^au). Jephthah was apparently unaware of these principles in God’s law, perhaps because of his upbringing in an area far from Israel’s major centers.
11:39 ^av Jephthah kept the vow by sacrificing his daughter—there is no evidence that he merely kept her permanently celibate (cp. 11:37 ^aw). Jephthah’s folly demonstrates just how far Israel’s society had descended into lawlessness and apostasy.