Jephthah defeats Ammon; his rash vow
Jephthah, an outcast from Gilead, defeated the Ammonites, but his rash vow cost him his only daughter.
Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be, that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be Yahweh’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
Judges 11:30–31 (World English Bible)
Before fighting, Jephthah sent the Ammonite king a history lesson: Israel had held this land for 300 years (11:26). Then he made a vow to sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him if he returned victorious. His daughter came out dancing.
Interpreters disagree about what happened next. Many take it that he offered her as a burnt offering, a pagan act the Law forbade; others argue she was dedicated to lifelong service at the tabernacle, noting that she mourned her virginity rather than her death (11:37–39).
Places
JordanAmmonGileadHeshbonAroerArnonJabbokMizpahTobAroerMinnithZaphonAbel-keramim
Dating notes
Jephthah judged 6 years (Judges 12:7). His “300 years” (11:26) is often cited in dating the Exodus: Ussher counts 264 years from the conquest of Heshbon (1452 BC) to Jephthah (1188 BC) and treats 300 as a round number; supporters of a 1446 BC Exodus use it too.