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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: Judges 11

Chapter 11

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

Jephthah

Hebrews 11:32

called Jephthae

a mighty.

6:12 2 Kings 5:1

an harlot

Heb. a woman, an harlot. Probably zonah should be rendered as in Jos 2:1, a hostess, or inn-keeper: so Targum of Jonathan, wehoo bar ittetha pundekeetha, "and he was the son of a woman, a tavern-keeper." She was very probably a Canaanite, as she is called, ver. 2, a strange woman, ishah achereth, "a woman of another race;" and on this account his brethren drove him from the family, as not having a full right to the inheritance.

And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

thrust out

Genesis 12:10 Deuteronomy 23:2 Galatians 4:30

a strange

Proverbs 2:16 5:3,20 6:24-26

Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

from his brethren

Heb. from the face of. Tob. Probably the same as Ish-Tob; and appears to have been a part of Syria, near Zobah, Rehob, and Maachah, east of Jordan, and in the most northern part of the portion of Manasseh. If so, it could not be far from Gilead, the country of Jephthah. This country is called Tobie or Tubin, 1 Mac 5:13; and the Jews who inhabited this district Tubieni, 2 Mac 12:17. 2 Sa 10:6.

vain men

9:4 1 Samuel 22:2 27:2 30:22-24 Job 30:1-10 Acts 17:5

And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.

A. M. 2817. B.C. 1187. An. Ex. Is. 304. in process of time. Heb. after days

Verse 5

And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

made war

10:9,17,18

to fetch

1 Samuel 10:27 11:6,7,12 Psalms 118:22,23 Acts 7:35-39 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

Did not ye hate

Genesis 26:27 37:27 45:4,5 Proverbs 17:17 Isaiah 60:14 Acts 7:9-14 Revelation 3:9

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

the elders

Exodus 8:8,28 9:28 10:17 1 Kings 13:6 Luke 17:3,4

we turn

10:18

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

If ye bring

Numbers 32:20-29

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

The Lord

Genesis 21:23 31:50 1 Samuel 12:5 Jeremiah 29:23 42:5 Romans 1:9 2 Corinthians 11:31

be witness

be the hearer.

Genesis 16:5 31:53 Deuteronomy 1:16 1 Samuel 24:12

if we do

Exodus 20:7 Zechariah 5:4 Malachi 3:5

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

head

uttered

1 Samuel 23:9-12 1 Kings 3:7-9 2 Corinthians 3:5 James 1:5,17

Jephthah uttered

That is, upon his elevation, he immediately retired to his devotion, and in prayer spread the whole matter before God, both his choice to the office, and his execution of the office, as one that had his eye ever toward the Lord, and would do nothing without him; that leaned not to his own understanding or courage, but depended on the Almighty God, and his favour. This is an ensample worthy of universal imitation; in All Our Ways, whether great or apparently subordinate, let us acknowledge God and seek his direction. So shall we make our way prosperous, and obtain that peace which passeth all understanding. Jephthah opened his campaign with prayer.

before

10:17 20:1 1 Samuel 10:17 11:15

Mizpeh

This Mizpeh was east of Jordan in the mountains of Gilead (Ge 31:49); and hence called Mizpeh of Gilead (ver. 29), to distinguish it from another place of the same name, west of Jordan, in the tribe of Judah.

Joshua 15:38

And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?

sent messengers

In this Jephthah acted in accordance with the law of Moses; and hence the justice of his cause would appear more forcibly to the people.

Numbers 20:14 21:21 Deuteronomy 2:26 20:10,11 Proverbs 25:8,9 Matthew 18:15,16

What hast

2 Kings 14:8-12

And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

Because Israel

Numbers 21:24-26 Proverbs 19:5,9

from Arnon

That is, all the land which had belonged to the Amorites and Moabites.

Jabbok

Genesis 32:22 Deuteronomy 2:37 3:16

And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

again unto

Psalms 120:7 Romans 12:18 Hebrews 12:14 1 Peter 3:11

And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

Israel took

Numbers 21:13-15,27-30 Deuteronomy 2:9,19 2 Chronicles 20:10 Acts 24:12,13

But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;

But when

The whole of these messages shew, Jephthah had well studied the book of Moses. His arguments also are very clear and cogent, and his demands reasonable; for he only required that the Ammonites should cease to harass a people who had neither injured them, nor intended to do so.

walked

Numbers 14:25 Deuteronomy 1:40 Joshua 5:6

came

Genesis 14:7 Numbers 13:26 20:1 Deuteronomy 1:46

Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

sent messengers

Numbers 20:14-21 Deuteronomy 2:4-8,29

the king

Deuteronomy 2:9

abode

Numbers 20:1,16

Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

went

Numbers 20:22 21:10-13 33:37-44 Deuteronomy 2:1-8

compassed

Numbers 21:4-9

came by

Numbers 21:11

pitched

Numbers 21:13 22:36

And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

Numbers 21:21-35 Deuteronomy 2:26-34 3:1-17 Joshua 13:8-12

But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

Numbers 21:23 Deuteronomy 2:32

Lord God

Nehemiah 9:22 Psalms 135:10-12 136:17-21

they smote

Numbers 21:24,25 Deuteronomy 2:33,34

so Israel

Joshua 13:15-32

And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

And they

Deuteronomy 2:36

from the wilderness

From Arabia Deserta on the east, to Jordan on the west.

Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

Wilt not thou possess

This is simply an argumentum ad hominem; in which Jephthah argues on this principles recognized by the king of Ammon. As if he had said, "You suppose that the land which you possess was given you by your god Chemosh; and therefore will not relinquish what you believe you hold by a divine right. Now we know that Jehovah, our God, has given us the land of the Israelites; and therefore we will not give it up."

Chemosh

Numbers 21:29 1 Kings 11:7 Jeremiah 48:7,46

whomsoever

Deuteronomy 9:4,5 18:12 Joshua 3:10 Psalms 44:2 78:55 Micah 4:5

And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

Balak

Numbers 22:2-21 Deuteronomy 23:3,4 Joshua 24:9,10 Micah 6:5

While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

Heshbon

Numbers 21:25-30 Deuteronomy 2:24 3:2,6 Joshua 12:2,5 13:10

Aroer

Deuteronomy 2:36

three hundred

3:11,30 5:31 8:28 9:22 10:2,3,8 Joshua 11:18 23:1

Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

the Judge

Genesis 18:25 1 Samuel 2:10 Job 9:15 23:7 Psalms 7:11 50:6 75:7 82:8 Psalms 94:2 98:9 Ecclesiastes 11:9 12:14 John 5:22,23 Romans 14:10-12 2 Corinthians 5:10 2 Timothy 4:8 Hebrews 12:23

be judge

Genesis 16:5 31:53 1 Samuel 24:12,15 Psalms 7:8,9 2 Corinthians 11:11

Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

2 Kings 14:11 Proverbs 16:18

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

the spirit

3:10 6:34 13:25 Numbers 11:25 1 Samuel 10:10 16:13-15 1 Chronicles 12:18

Jephthah

"Jephthah seems to have been judge only of north-east Israel."

over Mizpeh

10:17

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

Genesis 28:20 Numbers 30:2-16 1 Samuel 1:11 Ecclesiastes 5:1,2,4,5

Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

whatsoever, etc

Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth. shall surely.

Leviticus 27:2,3,28,29 1 Samuel 1:11,28 2:18 14:24,44 Psalms 66:13,14

and I will

or, or I will, etc. Weh‰‚leetheehoo Ùlah, rather, as Dr. Randolph and others contend, "and I will offer Him (or to Him, i.e., Jehovah) a burnt offering;" for hoo may with much more propriety be referred to the person to whom the sacrifice was to be made, than to the thing to be sacrificed. Unless understood in this way, or as the marginal reading, it must have been the vow of a heathen or a madman. If a dog, or other uncleaned animal had met him, he could not have made it a burnt offering; or if his neighbour's wife, sons, etc., his vow gave him no right over them.

Leviticus 27:11,12 Deuteronomy 23:18 Psalms 66:13 Isaiah 66:3

So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

the Lord

1:4 2:18 3:10

And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Aroer

Deuteronomy 2:36

Minnith

Situated, according to Eusebius, four miles from Heshbon, towards Philadelphia or Rabbath.

Ezekiel 27:17

the plain

or, Abel.

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

Mizpeh

11 10:17

his daughter

5:1-31 Exodus 15:20 1 Samuel 18:6,7 Psalms 68:25 148:11,12 150:4 Jeremiah 31:4,13

beside her

or, he had not of his own either son or daughter. Heb. of himself. neither.

Zechariah 12:10 Luke 7:12 8:42 9:38

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

rent his clothes

Genesis 37:29,30,34,35 42:36-38 2 Samuel 13:30,31 18:33 Job 1:20

have opened

Leviticus 27:28,29 Numbers 30:2-5 Psalms 15:4 Ecclesiastes 5:2-6

I cannot

21:1-7 1 Samuel 14:44,45 Matthew 14:7-9 Acts 23:14

And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

forasmuch

16:28-30 2 Samuel 18:19,31 19:30 Acts 20:24 21:13 Romans 16:4 Philippians 2:30

And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

go up and down

Heb. go and go down. bewail.

1 Samuel 1:6 Luke 1:25

And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

did with

That Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter, but consecrated her to the service of God in the tabernacle, in a state of celibacy, will we imagine be evident from the following consideration:--1. Human sacrifices were ever an abomination to Jehovah, of which Jephthah could not be ignorant; and consequently he would neither have made such a vow, nor carried it into execution. 2. We are expressly told (ver. 29) that Jephthah was under the influence of the Spirit of God, which would effectually prevent him from embruing his hands in the blood of his own child. 3. He had it in his power to redeem his daughter, (Le 27:4;) and surely his only child must have been of more value than thirty shekles. 4. Besides, who was to perform the horrid rite? Not Jephthah himself, who was no priest, and in whom it would have been most unnatural and inhuman; and the priests would certainly have dissuaded him from it. 5. The sacred historian informs us, that she bewailed her virginity, that she knew no man, and that the Israelitish women went yearly to comfort or lament with her.

31 Leviticus 27:28,29 Deuteronomy 12:31 Isaiah 66:3

to his vow

1 Samuel 1:11,22,24,28 2:18

custom

or, ordinance.

That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

yearly

Heb. from year to year. lament. or, to talk with.

5:11

four days

1 Kings 9:25