49152847 judges-11-commentary

TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
I quote many authors both old and modern, and if any I have quoted do not wish
their wisdom to be shared in this way, they can let me know, and I will remove it.
My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com At the end of this chapter there is a great deal
of controversy, and so I have included whole messages that deal with both sides of
the issue. The reader will have to judge for themselves which side has the strongest
arguments. On other verses, if I found a sermon that was excellent as a whole, I
included the entire message. This makes for a long commentary, but it makes it a
greater tool for teaching and preaching.
1. Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His
father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.
1. I am sure there are many in the world who have called some judge a bastard, but
what we have here is God calling a man to be the judge of Israel who is a literal
bastard. The simple definition of a bastard is one born our of wedlock, and that was
the case with Jephthah, for it is stated clearly that his mother was a prostitute. First
impressions matter, and our first impression of Jephthah is not positive. His own
family did not accept him, but basically told him to get lost. He became a runaway
who fell in with a gang of other misfits. So far it is hard to see anything that qualifies
him to be God's man for anything. His resume would hit the circular file before the
first paragraph was finished. What search committee would recommend that he
take over as the leader of God's people? Actually verse five says the elders went
searching for him to make him the commander of Israel's troops to fight the
Ammonites.
So what we have here is that the first part of the opening sentence of his life story
outweighs the second sentence. He was a mighty warrior, and that is all that matters
when you are going to war. The fact that he is a bastard and had a terrible family
background and was rejected by his own brothers and was a part of an unsavory
gang is all irrelevant.

one of that mattered, for he was good at killing people and
that put him at the top of the list of candidates for being the leader of Israel.

ow
you have to admit that it is funny when the best man's qualifications for leading
God's people would also be the best for hiring a hit man for the Mafia. This makes it

obvious just how radically different life was in this period of history. It is also funny
that the Ammonites who are coming to destroy them are the descendants of a
bastard child by the daughter of Lot. See Gen. 19:36-38.
2. Jephthah knew little but rejection in his early life, but lets be honest and admit
that we would probably have rejected him too had we needed anything but a mighty
warrior. That was the only thing about him that made him an asset in his day. Even
though he gained a great victory on the battlefield he carried his warrior gifts too
far and ended up killing more Israelites than any leader ever. He made some
terribly stupid decisions that led to the slaughter of his own people and the loss of
his only child and thereby ending his bloodline before it got stated. His life is not a
happy story at all, but the wonder of it is that God used this man for his purpose
and in doing so made it clear for all of history that nobody is excluded from being a
potential servant of God. If he can use Jephthah he can use anyone, no matter how
terrible their family history or how awful their life story and associations.

o one is
automatically rejected for God does not throw any resume into the circular file. He
keeps them all and will use all at the proper time. Everyone qualifies to be used by
God, and that is funny, for all the rejects of society can still get a job with God.
3. Your mom is a prostitute, and your family has kicked you out, and rebels are the
only ones who will tolerate you, so what! God uses people all the time who come
from dysfunctional families and broken homes. So your family rejected you and you
have horror stories galore of abuse. Stop whining about the past and look for ways
to get in on the plan of God for the future, for your past does not in any way
disqualify you to be his servant. Your future is always full of potential in fulfilling
the purpose of God in spite of a past that has been anything but fulfilling or
purposeful.

ow it is not as if God goes around looking for bastards to be used for his purpose,
for most of the people in the history of faith are not illegitimate children. It is just a
fact of history that many have been bastards. It is a harsh sounding word and so we
prefer illegitimate child or born out of wedlock to describe them, but God is not
sensitive to this word so that he hides it and refuses to use it. The fact is, he made it
a public word that would be a part of his revelation to all of history. Modern
translations have used words less offensive to our ears, but for 400 years the King
James Version spoke of bastards twice in the Old Testament and once in the

ew
Testament.
Deut. 23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his
tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
Zech. 9:6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the
Philistines.
Heb. 12:5-8 5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when

thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as
with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
The point of the Hebrews passage is that we are not legitimate sons of God if we do
not have a Father who cares enough to scold and punish us when we go astray. We
are not going to study the significance of these texts, but simply point out that the
term was very negative in Biblical times, and then point out that nevertheless God
used a bastard to save his people. And as we study history we discover that God
went on to never discriminate against those who are born out of wedlock, for many
famous people had the misfortune of having no choice in being born to people who
were not married. It is senseless to blame an innocent child for the mistakes of his
biological parents, and though man often does, God does not. I want to share a long
quote from a man who knows what it is like to be a bastard, who in turn has been
used of God.
4. Rev. Thomas F. Brosnan is an acknoledged bastard who writes, " A word of
anger must be raised against what might be called the mark of illegitimacy. Society
labels those born illegitimate, bastards. You may think it strange that I, as an
illegitimately-born individual, am ambiguous about this designation. On the one
hand I disdain the state and the church for creating such a designation because of its
repercussions. In order for me to be ordained a priest I had to request special
dispensation because bastards could not receive Holy Orders. That has recently
changed but the psychological effects of such a designation always remain. On the
other hand, it is argued that the closed adoption system was created to protect the
child from the mark of illegitimacy. If that is true (though I am not convinced it is
the real reason for sealed records) then I would prefer to be labeled a bastard and
be able to see my birth certificate, than continue to be denied that fundamental
right. In any event my parents were not married, and so I am born in different
status. But I am in good company, and feel a certain kindred spirit with other
bastards of history. And there are many: Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Pope
Clement VII, to name a few.
"I'll tell you something," a famous American once wrote a friend in strictest
confidence, "I'll tell you something, but keep it a secret while I live. My mother was
a bastard, was the daughter of a nobleman so called of Virginia. My mother's
mother was poor and credulous, and she was shamefully taken advantage of by the
man. My mother inherited his qualities and I hers. All that I am or hope ever to be I
got from my mother, God bless her. Did you never notice that bastards are generally
smarter, shrewder, and more intellectual than others? Is it because it is stolen?"
"So wrote Abraham Lincoln of his mother

ancy Hanks. But there's still more to
the story. Lincoln always feared that his mother never properly married Thomas
Lincoln. President Lincoln died before the marriage certificate he had requested
years before had been found. It was discovered some years later, but some now

think that document a forgery. And still, a further twist to Lincoln's story. Many
people, and according to his closest friend, even Lincoln himself, believed not only
that

ancy Hanks never really married Thomas Lincoln, but that Thomas Lincoln
was not his actual father.
"I can't fail to mention Jesus himself in this regard, because I believe Jesus knew the
mark of illegitimacy. I think there is ample proof in the gospel texts to suggest that
many believed Jesus to be a bastard, as is asserted in later Jewish apologetic works
written to refute Christianity. For those of you who are Christian and have a hard
time accepting the Virginal Conception, that is, the belief that Jesus' father was God
Himself, and so settle for accepting Joseph as Jesus' real father, I would submit you
are on shaky ground, because the gospels suggest, for some unmentioned reason,
that it was obvious Joseph could not have been Jesus' father. This poses a dilemma
for the struggling believer: either Jesus was Son of God, or he was the bastard son
of a Roman soldier as the later Jewish texts assert. In any event Jesus would have
known what it felt like to bear the mark of illegitimacy."
5. The point of all this is to make the paradox clear that to God the illegitimate are
legitimate, and they are as free to be people of God and a part of his family as
anyone else. Bastards welcome is a valid sign to hang over the gate to the kingdom
of God.

o one is excluded from receiving Jesus as Savior and being filled with the
Spirit of God and endowed with gifts that God can use for his glory. As we go on to
study Jephthah we discover much that is not likable about him, but the fact remains
God chose him for an important task. God will use anyone who is available to be
used. The humor in it all is that God is not fussy and will use people that most would
reject. I think God gets a kick out of using the very people the majority would turn
down. It is part of God's sense of humor to use the reject and what others throw
away to be what he saves from the scrap heap to build with. Jesus said in Matt.
21:42, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone the builders rejected has
become the capstone; the Lord has done this,and it is marvelous in our eyes?" Jesus
is the greatest example in history of the rejected becoming the most useful, highly
esteemed and most valuable for all mankind.
You can see God smiling and even laughing at the folly of men who reject others for
one handicap or another, and even his own son, knowing that he will use these
rejects to change the world and even save the world.
'They cried for God to send a man to slay cruel Ammon's hand,
He made his boast and then swept down to claim Jehovah's land.
Their hero by design must know bold courage, virtue, truth,
Be of the proper heritage, twice blessed with strength and youth.
God made His choice, and shocked them all when He revealed His aim
To use a harlot's outcast son, one Jephthah was his name'.
6. Preceptaustin, “JEPHTHAH THE GILEADITE WAS A VALIA

T WARRIOR
(a mighty man of valor): (See Jephthah) In a military situation, this means a strong,

adept warrior, such as Gideon (6:12). In response to their repentance, God raised up
Jephthah to lead the Israelites to freedom from the 18 years of oppression (v8).
Samuel uses him as an illustration of how God raised up a leader to deliver Israel
from trouble (1Sa12:11). He is included among the heroes of the faith in Heb11:32.
Interestingly although some of his theology is questionable he is the Judge who used
the personal name of God more than any other in the entire book of Judges!!! He
knew Jehovah, the covenant keeping God. Rejected by those closest to him, God had
become his closest friend and this is what made him the man of God that he was.”
7. Clarke, “

ow Jephthah - was the son of a harlot - I think the word זונה zonah,
which we here render harlot, should be translated, as is contended for on Jos_2:1
(note), viz. a hostess, keeper of an inn or tavern for the accommodation of travelers;
and thus it is understood by the Targum of Jonathan on this place: והוא בר אתתא
פונדקיתא vehu bar ittetha pundekitha, “and he was the son of a woman, a tavern
keeper.” She was very probably a Canaanite, as she is called, Jdg_11:2, a strange
woman, אשה אחרת ishshah achereth, a woman of another race; and on this account
his brethren drove him from the family, as he could not have a full right to the
inheritance, his mother not being an Israelite.
8. Gill, “

ow Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour,.... Jephthah had
his name of Gileadite either from his father, whose name was Gilead, or from the
city and country in which he was born, which is most likely, and so was of the same
country with the preceding judge; and he was a man of great strength and valour,
and which perhaps became known by his successful excursions on parties of the
enemies of Israel, the Ammonites, being at the head of a band of men, who lived by
the booty they got from them:
and he was the son of an harlot; the Targum says, an innkeeper; and, according to
Kimchi, she was a concubine, which some reckoned no better than an harlot, but
such are not usually called so; some Jewish writers will have her to be one of
another tribe his father ought not to have married; and others, that she was of
another nation, a Gentile, so Josephus (c): and, according to Patricides (d), he was
the son of a Saracen woman; but neither of these are sufficient to denominate her a
harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah; he was his son; this was a descendant of Gilead
the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, called after the name of his great ancestor.
9. Henry, “The princes and people of Gilead we left, in the close of the foregoing
chapter, consulting about the choice of a general, having come to this resolve, that
whoever would undertake to lead their forces against the children of Ammon should
by common consent be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. The enterprise was
difficult, and it was fit that so great an encouragement as this should be proposed to
him that would undertake it.

ow all agreed that Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a
mighty man of valour, and very fit for that purpose, none so fit as he, but he lay
under three disadvantages: - 1. He was the son of a harlot (Jdg_11:1), of a strange
woman (Jdg_11:2), one that was neither a wife nor a concubine; some think his
mother was a Gentile; so Josephus, who calls him a stranger by the mother's side. An

Ishmaelite, say the Jews. If his mother was a harlot, that was not his fault, however
it was his disgrace. Men ought not to be reproached with any of the infelicities of
their parentage or extraction, so long as they are endeavouring by their personal
merits to roll away the reproach. The son of a harlot, if born again, born from
above, shall be accepted of God, and be as welcome as any other to the glorious
liberties of his children. Jephthah could not read in the law the brand there put on
the Ammonites, the enemies he was to grapple with, that they should not enter into
the congregation of the Lord, but in the same paragraph he met with that which
looked black upon himself, that a bastard should be in like manner excluded,
Deu_23:2, Deu_23:3. But if that law means, as most probably it does, only those that
are born of incest, not of fornication, he was not within the reach of it.”
10. Guy Caley

ot the Guy I Would’ve Picked
Audie Murphy was an eighteen year old kid, weighing 112 pounds and the son of
dirt poor Texas sharecroppers, an unlikely hero to say the least. Yet he became the
most decorated soldier of WW II.
Proposition: The pages of Scripture are filled with stories of unlikely heroes.
Men and women who you could look at and say, "

ot the one I would’ve picked"
Yet God looked at them and said--that one--that’s the one I’ve chosen to do my
work, to fill with my spirit and send into battle with the enemy.
We read about two of them this morning: Peter a fisherman with a foul mouth, no
education and a pretty poor track record with Jesus, who God nevertheless chose to
preach the inaugural sermon for the Church of Jesus Christ and lead 3,000 to the
Lord on His first day in full time ministry,we also read about Jepthah, and Jepthah,
well I can think of lots of reasons not to pick Jepthah to lead the people of Israel. In
fact I’ve come up with a list which I’d be willing to share with you. The first reason
I wouldn’t have picked Jepthah is that he had an...
1. Improper Pedigree
v. 1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother
was a prostitute.
I would never have picked the child of a prostitute to lead God’s people. I mean
there’s our image to think about.

ot only that if the offspring of prostitutes start to
be chosen to lead Israel it might lend respectability to the oldest profession, the
stigma against not only doing that kind of work but soliciting it mught be lost and
then what would happen?
Secondly I wouldn’t have picked him because He had...
2. Insufficient Preparation
v. 2 Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove

Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said,
"because you are the son of another woman."
Gilead was shunned by his father’s proper family. He didn’t have the opportunity to
move in the social circles that might have helped to prepare him to be the leader of
the people.
He apparently didn’t have any genuine military experience either. Rather than a
formal military command he instead led a group of raiders. If you needed an
operation to steal chickens Jepthah would have been your guy, but to lead a military
campaign--and to lead a nation, he simply had insufficient preparation.
Which brings us to the next reason I wouldn’t have picked this Guy. That is because
of his
3. Inappropriate Pursuits
v. 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a
group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.
Jepthah and his men were basically land based pirates, traveling around stealing,
bullying people--that sort of thing, like Robin Hood and his merry men except
without the "give to the poor" part.
This is not the sort of person that you hire to be a janitor, let alone lead a nation. He
couldn’t have even gotten a security clearance, the investigators would’ve taken one
look at his checkered past and immediately put the nix on him.
And there’s one more reason Jepthah wouldn’t have been my choice. His...
4. Incomplete Persuasion
vv. 30-31 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into
my hands, 31whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return
in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’S, and I will sacrifice it as a
burnt offering."
Jepthah couldn’t just trust in God, he had to make a deal with God. Jepthah had
already been empowered by the spirit to do battle, but he wants one more good luck
charm and he makes a vow that ends up costing the life of his daughter.
This is not a giant of faith, folks. If I was picking a leader for God’s people I would
make flawless faith the number one priority. But God chose Jepthah, knowing that
he didn’t fully trust Him.
Conclusion

In spite of all these flaws with Jepthah, God looked at him and said that’s the guy I
pick, and in verse 29 it says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jepthah, and let
me tell you something when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon a person to equip
them for battle, it tends to overcome their personal inadequacies.
You might consider yourself an unlikely candidate to be a hero for the Lord’s army
too. You may feel that you have an...
Improper Pedigree- You’re not from a "ministry family" Maybe you don’t even
come from a Christian family at all, maybe you’re even a new Christian..surely the
Lord couldn’t or wouldn’t want to use you, not when there are so many more
obvious choices, but God chooses people like the Prophet Amos who said "I was
neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, 15But the LORD took
me from tending the flock and said to me, ’Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
Insufficient Preparation- I’ve got news, there’s a cure for this--get preparation. Paul
wrote to his young apprentice Timothy "Study to show yourself approved unto God,
a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth." and while you’re getting prepared you can be active serving the Lord at
whatever level you can now.
Inappropriate Pursuits Maybe you feel that your background disqualifies you from
the ministry--Can I remind you of a man named Saul who received his call to the
ministry while traveling between engagements as an agent of the enemy, killing and
imprisoning Christians, God delights in showing his ability to transform lives and
putting those transformed lives into the ministry.
Incomplete Persuasion- Maybe you just can’t see yourself as a mighty faith warrior.
You’re still struggling to trust God in all the areas of your life. How could you
possibly be a leader of others? Consider Gideon, another of the heroes of the book
of Judges, God found him in a hole in the ground hiding his wheat from the enemy,
and still the angel of the Lord
addressed him as "mighty warrior."
The bottom line is simply this, God uses who He will use for what he wishes, He is
not concerned about our inadequacies, because as the Scripture says His strength is
made complete in our weakness.
The only reason God couldn’t use you is if you wouldn’t let Him
So I want to say two things today--first to all of you: Even if you’ve never
considered the possibility before, consider it today that God might have something
bigger in mind for you than you’ve ever dreamed. Maybe in vocational ministry or
maybe right here at PHV chapel. God can use YOU!

from, no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done, God wants to use you.
Second to those of you who already know God has put his call upon you to devote
your life to his service as a vocation, either you’ve known it for awhile or you’ve felt
his clear tug on your heart as I’ve been speaking today: Today is the day to stop
saying why you can’t do it and to begin, with God’s help, to plan how you’re going
to do it. Set your face toward that goal and never look back.”
2. Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were
grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not
going to get any inheritance in our family," they said,
"because you are the son of another woman."
1. God did not discriminate, but the brothers did and they did not want this scum to
get a sheckel of their dad's money. His mother being a prostitute is revealed because
that was the reason he was so rejected by his family. He was an embarrassment and
they did not want him. He had to endure the worst kind of rejection in life-his own
family. He was marked from the beginning, and yet God uses this reject to be a hero
to save his people. He is in the great faith chapter of Heb. 11. You can be a bastard
and still be a hero in the kingdom of God. Some dad Gilead turned out to be. He did
have the decency to raise his illegitimate son, but he did not raise any objection
when his legitimate sons acted like total jerks and booted him out. Where is
stepmom's tears as he packs to leave? Talk about a dysfunctional family. There
must have been many fights in this home before this day came that was the final
straw, and Jephthah took off to live on his own. The problem we see quite clearly is
money. These hateful boys did not want to share a dime of dad's dough with this
product of dad's dallying with a prostitute. They let it slide when they were all
young, but dad is getting older now and could die, and so they had to get rid of this
deadbeat who would take a share of their inheritance. It is funny how money can
change otherwise normal human beings into the more modern meaning of the word
bastards. They drove their own brother whom they had lived with for years out of
their home.
2. In his sermons on Jephthah Pastor Zeisler wrote, "They threw him out, and he
became what amounted to the head of a band of Hell's Angels in a region to the
north called Tob. It says that others gathered around him---outcasts and misfits,
rejected by their communities. Jephthah led these men. We'll see that everywhere he
went he rose to leadership; he was effective, bright, aggressive, and talented, a
natural leader." Someone said he became the best at being the worst. He joined a
gang and soon was leading the gang. It is typical of so many who are not loved and
rejected at home. They do not get the love and attention they need and so they go off

and get it in a gang, and the gang gets attention by being antisocial and disruptive to
the society that has rejected them. Many teens from dysfunctional families follow
this same pattern, but they are not all born leaders like Jephthah. He could go
anywhere and be a leader and do it well. He could join the Salvation Army or the
Mafia and be good at what he had to do.
3. People joke about being the black sheep of the family, but they are usually only
grey in comparison to Jephthah. He was black as coal to his family and they could
not wait to get rid of him. They may have pretended that it was because of his being
illegitimate, but that was likely just scapegoating. People like to find someone to
blame for their own failures and misfortunes. They heap abuse on them and send
them away thinking this will set them free with this problem individual out of their
lives. But they soon learn that they are inadequate even with their scapegoat out of
the way. That is what we see here, for it was not long before the people of his home
town were coming to Jephthah begging for him to return and help them survive the
threat of the Ammonites. They are begging the black sheep to come home and be the
shepherd. In this we see again God's sense of humor. The Pharisees were the main
enemies of Jesus and they could not wait to get rid of him, and then in the book of
Acts we see many of them coming into the church and becoming followers of Jesus
as Lord. He whom they rejected as a worthless nuisance became the most valued
person in their lives. Such is the humor of history and we see it being played out
here in the book of Judges.
4. CRISWELL, “I went to the Southern Baptist Convention a few years ago way off
away from here, and I sat there in the auditorium and I listened to the pastor of one
of the great, great, great churches of America; the pastor of one of the great, great
churches of our Southern Baptist Convention. He delivered the annual convention
sermon that year. He did it magnificently. He paid a marvelous, marvelous, loving
devotion and tribute to Christ in the message. It was a God-honoring, Christ-honoring
sermon, and I was thrilled to hear him preach.
On the way back from the convention, on the airplane returning to Dallas, the plane
being filled, a man boarded and sat down by my side. He was very talkative, which
was fine if you were in the humor to listen, and I was that day. So, he began to talk
to me about this, that, and the other, and everything and nothing. And he found out
I was a preacher. And he said, as we continued our conversation, "So you are a
minister. Well," he said, "you know, I knew of a boy in our little town. He grew up
with us in that little town and he turned out to be a Baptist minister just like you.
You say you are a Baptist preacher." He said, "I have often wondered what has
become of that little boy who turned out to be a Baptist preacher. Well, he said, his
mother gave birth to the little boy out of wedlock and in our little town, I knew
exactly what he was talking about. In a big city, you hide these things, but in a little
rural community and little country town...
I knew every syllable of what he said. That girl who gave birth to this little boy
without a father, he was ostracized. She was shunned. And, he said, "she took a

little house on the edge of town, on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. And, he
said. that little woman took in washing and she sewed and she worked and she
provided for herself and that little boy. We all admired the devotion and the love of
that little girl that gave birth to that boy. She was true to her assignment. She
worked for him. She educated him and did you know, he said, that boy became a
Baptist minister." He called him by his first name while he was talking to me.
And so I said, "What is his name?" I would tell you his first name but I am afraid
some of you would get back in the lists of these preachers that preach the annual
convention and seek him out. I said, "What is his name?" And he told me the boy's
name, and I put my hand on his knee and I said, "Listen, fellow. I wish you could
have been with me, this week. I wish you could have sat down by my side and listen
to that illegitimate boy who grew up with you, stand before a vast audience of 12,000
people and preach the annual convention of our Southern Baptist Committee." I
said, "Man, you would have thrilled to the depths of your soul. Well, that boy, that
boy is the pastor of one of the great, great churches in America. And that boy is one
of the great, great preachers of our generation."
6. Rev. George R. Dillahunty has one of the best sermons on this text. “Jephthah,
the hero of this story, before he ever stood up to the plate for the Gileadites, had
three (3) strikes against him: (1) He was born out of wedlock - an illegitimate son;
(2) He was the son of a barmaid and a brute; and, (3) He was raised in an
environment of hatred and hostility!

urtured in an overcrowded house of half-brothers,
he was the constant target of "put-downs" and violent profanity. To put it
mildly, Jephthah simply was not wanted! He compensated for this fact by being the
"meanest kid on the block" - the town bully!
Kicked out of the house before he reached young manhood, Jephthah took up the
lifestyle of a rebel among a tough bunch of thugs in a place called Tob! He soon
earned a reputation as the "hardest tough-guy" - ultimately becoming the elevated
leader of a gang! This group of "wild, out-of-control youths" tore and pillaged their
way through village after village, terrorizing the neighborhoods, one step ahead of
the law! Had they been riding Harley-Davidson choppers (or, motorcycles), their
colors (or, black-leather jackets) would have had the words "The Tob Mob"
blazoned across their backs - visible to everyone as they raced over hill and dale!
A societal reject, Jephthah was the notorious cult leader, Charles Manson (Born:
1934), the late "Boston Strangler, "Albert Desalvo (Died: 1973), and the late
notorious outlaw of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame, Clyde Barrow (1909 - 1934), all
wrapped into one explosive body. Having him and his "hoodlum friends" all drop
into the Tob Pharmacy for Saturday

ight floats was about as comfortable as
taking a swim with the "Loch

ess Monster!"
The people of Israel suddenly experienced a barrage of hostilities from their "not-so-
friendly" neighbors to the east - the Ammonites! The longer the battle raged

against the hateful enemy, the more obvious it became that Israel was not up to the
task - her back was "up against the ropes!" Defeat was inevitable and the Jewish
people needed a leader with the courage to stand up against this formidable, fiery
foe - the Ammonites! Guess who the Israelites thought of? You guessed it - the bully
from Tob! They figured if anybody had a chance against the Ammonites, Jephthah
was the one - his record spoke for itself - he was the only person qualified for the job
- so, they called on the man from Tob!
What a deal! Asking Jephthah if he could fight was like asking the late great
trumpeteer Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (1922 - 1999), if he could blow some jazz, or
the great race-car driver, Anthony Joseph "A.J." Foyt (Born: 1935), if he could
drive around the block! That was Jephthah’s day in court! After a brief "cat-and-mouse"
interchange, the "mobster" signed on the dotted line! Predictably, in short
order, he annihilated the Ammonites and the "Tob Evening

ews" rolled off the
presses with the headline: "HOODLUM BECOMES HERO - EX-CO

ELECTED
JUDGE!"
Can you imagine it? Jephthah, the judge! Fellow gangsters had to call him "Your
Honor." What a switch! Jephthah fit the position about as appropriately as the
famous Cuban revolutionary and prime minister, Fidel Castro (Born: 1926), would
fit in the "White House!" Jephthah had no rightful claim to such a high calling!
That would have been a true statement - except for one thing: Almighty God’s
Grace! Keep in mind that Almighty God is the One who builds trophies from the
scrap pile - draws His clay from under the bridge - and, makes clean instruments of
beauty from the filthy failures of yesteryear! To underscore this Truth, consider the
Apostle Paul’s stunning remark made to a group of unsophisticated Corinthian
Christians, found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (

LT): "Don’t you know that those who
do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those
who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes,
homosexuals, (v. 10) thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers -
none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. (v. 11) There was a time
when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away,
and you have been set apart for God - you have been made right with God because
of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you."
Did you see it? Were you listening? There was a time when some of us were just like
them! Oh, yes, that’s right, we weren’t always saved! But for the Grace of God,
there we would be still today! Don’t rush over those Words - Our Father, in great
Grace, loved us when we were Jephthah - a rebel or a drunk or a gossip or a crook
or a hypocrite or a "do-gooder" or a "drop-out" or a drug addict. Looking for
sinners, He found us in our desperate straits. Lifting us to the level of His only-begotten
and much-loved Son, he brought us into His household, washed our
wounds, and changed our direction in life! All of our church-going and hymn-singing
and long-praying and committee-sitting and religious-talking actions will
never change the fact that each and every one of us were dug from a deep, dark,

deadly pit - the classic "misfits" - and transformed into victorious Saints of God - all
because of His "Inseparable Twins" - Grace and Mercy!
As I take my seat, this morning, there is one major difference between Jephthah and
us! Do you know what it is? Almighty God chose to reveal Jephthah’s past for
everyone to read, while He chose to hide our past so that no one would ever know
what colossal "misfits" we really are! Talk about Grace and Mercy!
From Misfit To Head-Man-In-Charge!
May Almighty God richly and abundantly bless each and every one of you!
This sermon leans heavily on a devotional writng by Rev. Dr. Charles R. "Chuck"
Swindoll, entitled "A Message For Misfits," found in his book entitled, "Come
Before Winter," c1985: Charles R. Swindoll, Inc., LCC

0-88070-2,
pp. 233-234.
7. DU

ROSS, “The ruling council of the region of Gilead is feeling the hot
breath of the Ammonites on their necks so they are deciding who will be the military
leader they hope can deliver them and the other tribes from these pagan invaders.
This is a totally God-less process. Yahweh is not even mentioned in passing in this
meeting. The selection process here that ultimately results in the selection of
Jephthah radically differs from the other judges who delivered Israel. In chapter
3:9 it says of the first judge Othniel, “But when they cried out to the LORD, he
[God] raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel, son of Kenaz.” Later when Ehud
began his ministry, it says, “Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and HE
gave them a deliverer—Ehud…” In both of those cases, it is God who takes the
initiative to raise up a deliverer. In chapter four there is never any doubt that
Deborah was raised up by God because she was primarily a prophet of God who
clearly spoke as God’s representative. In chapter six when we meet Gideon, you’ll
recall the angel of the Lord appeared to him and gave him a special call to deliver
the Jews and also gave him many personal reassurances of God’s power to do what
he had promised him. Later on in chapter 13 when we meet Samson, we see the
angel of the Lord appear to Samson’s parents announcing to them that they will
parent the one who will deliver the Jews from the Philistines.
Don’t miss how different those accounts are from this one chronicling Jephthah’s
rise to power. He is the only true deliverer of whom it is explicitly said comes to
power as the result of a decision of men. This tells us that the spiritual decline in
Israel had degenerated to a point that although they had earlier called on Yahweh
to deliver them, they did not see fit to wait for him to raise up a deliverer for them.
The people screamed at Him for help and then took matters into their own hands.
Again, we see a dismal lack of faith in God here. We see this in the next verse
because Jephthah’s introduction is done by the author, independent of any
reference to God. 11:1Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was

Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Here’s a second mark of the godlessness of the
times. Jephthah is a valiant warrior but he is the son of a prostitute. That means
there is gross sin somewhere. His father’s name is Gilead and because he comes
from the region of Gilead that would generally mean that his father was part of the
nobility or ruling class of the Gileadites. This name was reserved for people of
position. Yet, this well placed person in society is visiting prostitutes. This is a
direct violation of the law of God whether the prostitute was a Jew or a Canaanite
and we are not informed of her nationality.
What this tells us is this was a debauched time in Israel when you have a Hebrew
nobleman fathering children by prostitutes. Another mark of godlessness is found
in the next verse. 2Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up,
they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our
family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." Even though
Jephthah is the son of a prostitute, there was no legal justification for him being
treated this way. This goes totally against the law of God because the laws of
inheritance ran from the father, not the mother. Gilead was just as much
Jephthah’s father as he was the other males. Jephthah as a son of Gilead is just as
much entitled to the father’s inheritance as the others but because they wanted it for
themselves, they toss Jephthah out. This is wicked and this sin doesn’t even include
their gross violation of the law by failing to treat their neighbor (in this case their
half-brother) as they would be treated themselves according to the law of Leviticus
19. Greed and lawlessness motivates Jephthah’s expulsion from his home and
family.
Verse three gives us another indication or mark of the godlessness of Israel at this
time. We read, “ 3So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob,
where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.” Jephthah
was a warrior—that’s what he was good at so he goes to a place called Tob and
works as some sort of soldier for hire. We have no idea where Tob was; it was
probably in a nearby region. The people Jephthah surrounds himself with speaks
volumes something about his character. The

IV there translates the Hebrew
phrase as “adventurers” but that misses the strongly negative meaning conveyed in
the original. This is the same word used for those men Abimelech surrounds himself
with in 9:4. There the

IV translates the words “reckless adventurers.” It means
“worthless men.” Jephthah surrounds himself with worthless men. These were
rouges--fighting men, mercenaries who fought for pay from anyone who needed a
bit of muscle. They were like cheap hit men. If you had someone you wanted to
take out or in some way intimidate, Jephthah and his band of worthless men would
be the ones to call in this region of Israel. If there had been any law enforcement in
those days, they would have surely ended up in prison. These were losers, outcasts
who managed to survive in a lawless, chaotic time by the power of intimidation and
raw force. Jephthah’s unsavory activities and companions are another mark of the
godlessness of this time.
Another mark of the godlessness of this day is seen in the last section of this

entrance of Jephthah. Beginning in verse four, “4Some time later, when the
Ammonites made war on Israel, 5the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the
land of Tob. 6"Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the
Ammonites." 7Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my
father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?" 8The elders
of Gilead said to him, "

evertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to
fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead."
9Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the
Lord gives them to me--will I really be your head?" 10The elders of Gilead replied,
"The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." 11So Jephthah went with
the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And
he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.
8. Gill, “And Gilead's wife bare him sons,.... It seems that, after the birth of
Jephthah, Gilead took him a lawful wife, who bore him sons: and his wife's sons
grew up; to the estate of men: and they thrust out Jephthah: out of his father's
house, his father in all likelihood being dead, or he would not have suffered it, and
what follows confirms it that he was dead: and said unto him, thou shalt not inherit
in our father's house: as he might not, if the son of an harlot, or of a woman of
another tribe, or of a concubine; though as Kimchi, from their Rabbins, observes,
the son of such an one might, provided his mother was not an handmaid nor a
stranger. And it looks as if this was not rightly done, but that Jephthah was
injuriously dealt with by his brethren, of which he complains: for thou art the son of
a strange woman: or of another "woman" (e), that was not their father's lawful
wife; or of a woman of another tribe, as the Targum; or of another nation, as others,
prostitutes being used to go into foreign countries to get a livelihood, and hide the
shame of their families; hence a strange woman, and a harlot, signified the same (f),
see Jdg_11:1.
9. Henry, “He had been driven from his country by his brethren. His father's
legitimate children, insisting upon the rigour of the law, thrust him out from having
any inheritance with them, without any consideration of his extraordinary
qualifications, which merited a dispensation, and would have made him a mighty
strength and ornament of their family, if they had overlooked his being illegitimate
and admitted him to a child's part, Jdg_11:2. One would not have thought this
abandoned youth was intended to be Israel's deliverer and judge, but God often
humbles those whom he designs to exalt, and makes that stone the head of the corner
which the builders refused; so Joseph, Moses, and David, the three most eminent of
the shepherds of Israel, were all thrust out by men, before they were called of God
to their great offices.”
3. So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the
land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered

around him and followed him.
1. It is funny when the

IV calls this gang he hooked up with "adventurers." It
sounds like a group who went off on walks through the woods and climbing
mountains and seeking to explore all the wonders of the world of nature and man.
The Hebrew word means "to make empty" and refers to people who are idle and
looking for something to do. It is the same word used in Judges 9:4 where we read,
"They gave him seventy silver shekels from the temple of Baal-Berith, and
Abimelech used them to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers."
They went off and murdered all but one of the 70 sons of Gideon. This word is not
referring to nature lovers and explorers, but to riff raff who will do anything,
including murder, for an adventure and a thrill. When the text says they followed
Jephthah it does not mean on nature walks in the forest. There is a good chance that
he led them on raids into Ammonite territory, and that is how he got a reputation
for being a successful warrior. He had already proven that he was good at fighting
this enemy who now threatens all out war on Israel. It is also not unlikely that he
and his gang protected the land of Tob from the Ammonites and was already a hero
among them. Jephthah was the best at being bad and so he was soon the leader. He
was not the man you would call to be your tour guide in seeing the sites of Israel. He
was the guy you call when you want your local gang to be reduced in size. He was a
downsizer on the highest level. Unfortunately, he not only downsized the enemy but
downsized the troops of Israel dramatically, as we shall see. It is funny that such a
man would be used of God, but the fact is history is filled with Mafia types who
become men used to build the kingdom of God. Men who are gifted in such a way
that they are successful at being bad can be also very successful with those same
gifts in being good. Jephthah may have been a bad man all his life had he not been
chosen to be a judge in Israel.
2. Preceptaustin, “Unlike Abimelech, Jephthah did not have the protection of his
mother's family; so he was forced to leave his father’s territory and head north to
the land of Tob, near Syria (

of Ammon and E of Manasseh). In Tob Jephthah
apparently gained notoriety as captain of a band of “adventurers” (

IV). The
Hebrew word means “to make empty” and refers to idle people looking for
something to do. (same word in Jdg9:4) Are you allowing the pain in your life to
build you or break you? God does not waste even our failures. God was using his
very pain to make him into a man of God, a valiant warrior.
WORTHLESS (req) means empty, worthless, vain and indicates something that has
nothing in it. It pictures one whose moral character is worthless. Jephthah's "band
of brigands” may have protected Israelite villages from marauding tribes, perhaps
including the Ammonites. Thus when the Israelites in Transjordan were threatened
by a full-scale invasion of the Ammonites, the elders of Gilead invited Jephthah to
be their commander. He consented only when they promised he would continue as
their head (i.e. judge) after fighting ceased, a pact confirmed with oaths taken at
Mizpeh (cp Gn31:48,49).

3. Preacher's Commentary observes that...Jephthah’s story is a powerful reminder
to us Christians today, with our highly developed personality inventories and
assessment packages, not to write anybody off from having a place to fulfill in the
work of God’s kingdom. Our danger is that we become too controlled by the
perceptions of the secular world around us, so that we apply its criteria unchanged
to the operations of God’s work. Without in any way condoning the mediocre or
losing sight of our quest for excellence in the work of God, we must nevertheless
ensure that we make room for a biblical balance...One further application is also
worthy of our consideration. We need to encourage those in our churches, who feel
they are nobodies, not to allow disadvantages in their backgrounds or setbacks in
life to discourage or disqualify them from serving the Lord. Let us affirm that God
has something for each of His dearly loved children to do, something that is precious
to Him and unique to us as individuals....So many Christians waste their time and
energy grieving over something they never had, and that is very
counterproductive....To be always looking back over one’s shoulder wishing that
father had been more demonstrative, mother less demanding, and that the family
circumstances had been different, is to be both ungrateful for God’s providence and
unrealistic about life in a fallen world. Some of us have had a raw deal out of life,
but we need to recognize that God’s providence means that He weaves the strands
together to make each of us the unique individual we all are, and that is for His
glory. There are no mistakes, no accidents with God; no pages to be torn up. It all
counts. The story of Jephthah provides us with a key example to encourage our “no
hopers” not to write themselves out of the script, but to make themselves freshly
available to their totally ingenious Lord. (Jackman, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. The
Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 7: Judges, Ruth. Page 173.

elson)
4. G. Campbell Morgan, “To those who are willing to see it, the story of Jephthah
affords a solemn warning as to the wrong of treating a child born out of wedlock
with contempt. It is constantly done, even by excellent people and it is wholly unjust.
Here we see God raising up such a man to be a judge of his people, and to deliver
them in time of grave difficulty. Jephthah was the son of a harlot, and had been
thrust out from his inheritance by the legitimate sons of his father. The iron had
entered into his soul, and he had gathered to himself a band of men, and had
become a kind of 'outlawed freebooter. He was a man of courage and heroic daring,
and it is impossible to read the story of the approach of the men of Gilead to him in
the time of distress without recognizing the excellencies of his character. He can
hardly be measured: by the standards of Israel, for he had lived outside the national
ideal. Yet it is evident that he was a man of clear religious convictions. All of which
should be remembered when the question of his vow is discussed. The picture of this
man, defrauded by his brethren of his rightful inheritance, fleeing from them with
the sense of wrong burning its way into his soul, is very natural and very sad. The
one thing which we emphasize is that God did not count the wrong for which he was
not responsible, a disqualification. He raised him up; He gave him His Spirit; He
employed him to deliver His people in the hour of their need. Let us ever refrain

from the sin of being unjust to men by holding them disqualified for service or
friendship by sins for which they are not to blame. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications
from Every Chapter of the Bible)
5. Gill, “Then Jephthah fled from his brethren,.... Being ill used by them, and a man
of spirit and courage, and could not bear to be treated with contempt, nor to live in
a dependence on others, and therefore sought to make himself another way:
and dwelt in the land of Tob; which Kimchi and Ben Gersom think was the name of
the lord and owner of the land; Abarbinel interprets it, a good land, as Tob signifies,
so the Targum; but others the name of a city or country, and conjecture it may be
the same with Ishtob, and which was not far from the children of Ammon, since
they sent thither for assistance, 2Sa_10:6. Jerom (g) takes it for a country, in which
Jephthah dwelt, but says no more of it. Junius says it was on the entrance of Arabia
Deserta, in the Apocypha:"Yea, all our brethren that were in the places of Tobie are
put to death: their wives and their children also they have carried away captives,
and borne away their stuff; and they have destroyed there about a thousand men.''
(1 Maccabees 5:13)"Then departed they from thence seven hundred and fifty
furlongs, and came to Characa unto the Jews that are called Tubieni.'' (2 Maccabees
12:17)where the inhabitants of it are called Tobienians or Tubienians:
and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah; not wicked men, but empty men,
whose pockets were empty; men without money, as Abarbinel interprets it, had
nothing to live upon, no more than Jephthah, and he being a valiant man, they
enlisted themselves under him:
and went out with him; not on any bad design, as to rob and plunder, but to get
their living by hunting; or rather by making excursions into the enemy's country,
and carrying off booty, on which they lived. Josephus (h) says he maintained them
at his own expense, and paid them wages.
6. Henry, “Being driven out by his brethren, his great soul would not suffer him
either to dig or beg, but by his sword he must live; and, being soon noted for his
bravery, those that were reduced to such straits, and animated by such a spirit,
enlisted themselves under him. Vain men they are here called, that is, men that had
run through their estates and had to seek for a livelihood. These went out with him,
not to rob or plunder, but to hunt wild beasts, and perhaps to make incursions upon
those countries which Israel was entitled to, but had not as yet come to the
possession of, or were some way or other injured by. This is the man that must save
Israel. That people had by their idolatry made themselves children of whoredoms,
and aliens from God and his covenant, and therefore, though God upon their
repentance will deliver them, yet, to mortify them and remind them of their sin, he
chooses to do it by a bastard and an exile.”

4. Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on
Israel,
1. Preceptaustin, “This verse now carries us back to where the writer left off at
(10:17,18), with the sons of Gilead in dire straits & in need for a militarily savvy
leader like Jephthah.”
2. Gill, “ And it came to pass in process of time,.... Some time after Jephthah had
been expelled from his father's house, and he was become famous for his martial genius,
and military exploits; or at the close of the eighteen years' oppression of the children of
Israel by the Ammonites, or some few days after the children of Israel were gathered
together at Mizpeh, that the people and princes of Gilead were preparing for war with
Ammon, and were thinking of a proper person to be their general:
that the children of Ammon made war against Israel; not only passed over
Jordan again, and encamped in Gilead, but began to attack them in some place or
another, at least threatened them with it, and made motions towards it.
3. Henry, “Here is, I. The distress which the children of Israel were in upon the
Ammonites' invasion of their country, Jdg_11:4. Probably this was the same invasion
with that mentioned, Jdg_10:17, when the children of Ammon were gathered together
and encamped in or against Gilead. And those words, in process of time, refer to what
goes immediately before of the expulsion of Jephthah; many days after he had been thus
thrust out in disgrace was he fetched back again with honor.”
4. Jamison, “the children of Ammon made war against Israel — Having
prepared the way by the introduction of Jephthah, the sacred historian here resumes the
thread of his narrative from Jdg_10:17. The Ammonites seem to have invaded the
country, and active hostilities were inevitable.”
5. the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the
land of Tob.
1. Preceptaustin, Jephthah did not go looking for this job. God had prepared him in
the land of Tob and he was capable of being the kind of leader the people needed. It
has happened in history before that a man who was cast aside was then sought by
those who did it. Winston Churchill was ostracized in Britain before Word War II
because of what they thought was his extreme views of the danger of

azism. But
then after the terrible ordeal of Dunkirk they came to him to make him the prime

minister.
2. It is a funny aspect of history that people do not know how much they need a
person until they are gone and nobody else can fill their shoes in dealing with a
crisis. If all was peace and quiet there was no need for Jephthah and he would be
forgotten. But when a large army is coming to wipe you out you realize you need a
man who can be a mighty warrior, and that is what Jephthah was. It was an urgent
matter and so they did not send a messenger to him to come to them for an
interview. They went as a group to him and had no interview at all. They just urged
him to come and be our commander.
3. Gill, “And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against
Israel,.... Were preparing for it, and had assembled their forces near them, and had
began to make some efforts against them: the elders of Gilead went to fetch
Jephthah out of the land of Tob; they did not send messengers to him, but went
themselves, partly to show greater respect to him, and partly in hopes of better success,
being aware of objections he would make, which they could better answer themselves
than a deputation.”
6. "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can
fight the Ammonites."
1. It is never wise to assume that God will always work his will the same way. People
tend to put God in a box and establish what is the way God always works. They like
things to be all tied up in a neatly organized package. This seldom works, for God is
a God of variety and not a machine that is programmed to do nothing but repeat the
commands over and over again. When he wanted Gideon to be the Judge he called
him in person, but now he lets the elders call Jephthah. Sometime God works
directly and other times he works through humans or organizations.
2. They don’t consult God in the matter of who their leader would be and there is
never any mention of God raising up Jephthah as a judge as we have seen with
other judges. The author labors to communicate that Jephthah, unlike other judges
is asked to be the deliverer of his people purely on the basis of fallen human reason.
Jephthah responds to the elders’ offer to be their deliverer with amazing
shrewdness. We discover he is one smooth operator as he plays these elders like a
cheap violin and manipulates his way not only into the position of deliverer--
commander of the army but also the president of the region. He brilliantly uses his
status as an outcast to his advantage and parlays that injustice into political leverage
that forces the elders to make him the chief executive officer in Gilead. The author
portrays Jephthah as a person who is good at political deal making—a born
wheeler-dealer. Jephthah, though thoroughly paganized in his religious faith (along

with his countrymen,) is clearly a very gifted and ruthless person on and off the
battlefield.
3. Henry, “ The court which the elders made to Jephthah hereupon to come and
help them. They did not write or send a messenger to him, but went themselves to
fetch him, resolving to have no denial, and the exigence of the case was such as
would admit no delay. Their errand to him was, Come, and be our captain, Jdg_11:6.
They knew none among themselves that was able to undertake that great trust, but
in effect confessed themselves unfit for it; they know him to be a bold man, and
inured to the sword, and therefore he must be the man. See how God prepared men
for the service he designs them for, and makes their troubles work for their
advancement. If Jephthah had not been put to his shifts by his brethren's
unkindness, he would not have had such occasion as this gave him to exercise and
improve his martial genius, and so to signalize himself and become famous. Out of
the eater comes forth meat. The children of Israel were assembled and encamped,
Jdg_10:17. But an army without a general is like a body without a head; therefore
Come, say they, and be our captain, that we may fight. See the necessity of
government; though they were hearty enough in the cause, yet they owned they
could not fight without a captain to command them. So necessary is it to all societies
that there be a pars imperans and a pars subdita, some to rule and others to obey, that
any community would humbly beg the favour of being commanded rather than that
every man should be his own master. Blessed be God for government, for a good
government.”
7. Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive
me from my father's house? Why do you come to me
now, when you're in trouble?"
1. He can see they are in distress, for they come begging a man they threw out of
their community to be their military leader. His reputation was widespread as a
man who could get the job done when it came to fighting. He knew he was good and
knew they needed him, and so he played with them and negotiated himself into
becoming the head man. He throws their rejection of him back on them as a threat
that maybe he would return the favor and reject their plea. The funny thing here is
the implication that some of the brothers of Jephthah were in this delegation. He is
saying you hated me and drove me from my father's house. The text makes it clear
that only his brothers did this, and so now they are among this group who comes
crawling for his help. It makes sense that they would send some family to convince
him. We have no apology recorded here, but it makes sense that they would come
and do just that. What good is getting all of their inheritance if it is all going to be

taken by the Ammonites anyway. They needed the very man they cut out of their
inheritance to assure them of having anything to inherit.
2. Jamison 7-9, “Jephthah said, Did not ye hate me? — He gave them at first a
haughty and cold reception. It is probable that he saw some of his brothers among
the deputies. Jephthah was now in circumstances to make his own terms. With his
former experience, he would have shown little wisdom or prudence without binding
them to a clear and specific engagement to invest him with unlimited authority, the
more especially as he was about to imperil his life in their cause. Although ambition
might, to a certain degree, have stimulated his ready compliance, it is impossible to
overlook the piety of his language, which creates a favorable impression that his
roving life, in a state of social manners so different from ours, was not incompatible
with habits of personal religion.
3. Gill, “And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead,.... In answer to their request;
who though not backward to engage in the war with them, yet thought it proper to
take this opportunity to upbraid them with their former unkindness to him: did not
ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? for it seems some of these elders
at least were his brethren; for who else could be thought to hate him, and through
hatred to thrust him out of his father's house, but they? nor is it at all improbable
that they were among the elders of Gilead, considering what family they were of:
though indeed the magistrates of the city might be assisting to Jephthah's brethren
in the expulsion of him, or however connived at it, when they should, as he thought,
have protected him, and taken care that he had justice done him; for even though
illegitimate, a maintenance was due to him: and why are ye come unto me now,
when ye are in distress? intimating, that it was not love and respect to him, but
necessity, that brought them to him with this request; and that since they used him
so ill, they could not reasonably expect he should have any regard unto them.
4. Henry, “The objections Jephthah makes against accepting their offer: Did you not
hate me, and expel me? Jdg_11:7. It should seem that his brethren were some of
these elders, or these elders by suffering his brethren to abuse him, and not righting
him as they ought to have done (for their business is to defend the poor and
fatherless, Psa_82:3, Psa_82:4), had made themselves guilty of his expulsion, and he
might justly charge them with it. Magistrates, that have power to protect those that
are injured, if they neglect to redress their grievances are really guilty of inflicting
them. “You hated me and expelled me, and therefore how can I believe that you are
sincere in this proposal, and how can you expect that I should do you any service?”

ot but that Jephthah was very willing to serve his country, but he thought fit to
give them a hint of their former unkindness to him, that they might repent of their
sin in using him so ill, and might for the future be the more sensible of their
obligations. Thus Joseph humbled his brethren before he made himself known to
them. The particular case between the Gileadites and Jephthah was a resemblance
of the general state of the case between Israel and God at this time. They had thrust
God out by their idolatries, yet in their distress begged his help; he told them how
justly he might have rejected them, and yet graciously delivered them. So did

Jephthah. Many slight God and good men till they come to be in distress, and then
they are desirous of God's mercy and good men's prayers.”
8. The elders of Gilead said to him, "

evertheless, we
are turning to you now; come with us to fight the
Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live
in Gilead."
1. The elders pretty much just ignore his complaint and dismiss any foolishness of
the past. That is water under the dam and old news.

ow is what matters and we
are here now because we need you now. Let us not waste time rehashing the past
and focusing on old wounds. This will lead to us being rehashed by the Ammonites
and having deadly wounds. Forget the past and focus on the now and come with us
to fight and be our leader.
2. Clarke, “Therefore we turn again to thee now - We are convinced that we have
dealt unjustly by thee, and we wish now to repair our fault, and give thee this
sincere proof of our regret for having acted unjustly, and of our confidence in thee.
3. Gill, “And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah,.... In reply to his objection:
therefore we turn again unto thee now; being sensible of the injury they had done
him, and repenting of it, of which their return to him was an evidence; it being with
this view to remove the disgrace and dishonour that had been cast upon him, by
conferring such honour on him, as to be their chief ruler:
that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our
head over all the inhabitants of Gilead; the end of their coming to him was not only
to bring him back with them to his own country, and to fight against the
Ammonites, and the defence of it, but to be the sole governor of it; not of all Israel,
but of the tribes beyond Jordan, which inhabited the land of Gilead: more than this
they could not promise, though he afterwards was judge over all Israel,
notwithstanding there was a law in Israel, that no spurious person should enter into
the congregation, or bear any public office; so it was a law with the Athenians (i),
that unless a man was born of both parents citizens, he should be reckoned
spurious, and have no share in the government, see Jdg_11:2.
4. Henry, “ Their urgency with him to accept the government they offer him,
Jdg_11:8. “Therefore because we formerly did thee that wrong, and to show thee
that we repent of it and would gladly atone for it, we turn again to thee now, to put
such an honour upon thee as shall balance that indignity.” Let this instance be, 1. A

caution to us not to despise or trample upon any because they are mean, nor to be
injurious to any that we have advantage against, because, whatever we think of
them now, the time may come when we may have need of them, and may be glad to
be beholden to them. It is our wisdom to make no man our enemy, because we know
not how soon our distresses may be such as that we may be highly concerned to
make him our friend. 2. An encouragement to men of worth that are slighted or ill-treated.
Let them bear it with meekness and cheerfulness, and leave it to God to
make their light shine out of obscurity. Fuller's remark on this story, in his “Pisgah
Sight,” is this: “Virtue once in an age will work her own advancement, and, when
such as hate it chance to need it, they will be forced to prefer it,” and then the honor
will appear the brighter.
9. Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to
fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me--
will I really be your head?"
1. Jephthah recognizes the validity of their perspective and gets down to the
business of negotiating. He does not say he will come, but says, " Just suppose that I
do, are you serious about making me your head?" He was no sucker, for he had
been conned and rejected enough times to be Leary of mere talk and enticing words.
He had every reason to be skeptical. They could be just using him hoping he could
stop the Ammonites, and if he gets killed it is no big deal to lose this illegitimate
child of a prostitute. He did not know just how much he could trust people who have
rejected him in the past. He is thinking, "After I fight and win they will probably
kick me out of town again, for I am still the same illegitimate son of a prostitute and
not of royal blood." He wanted assurance that they were really going to give him the
role of head man. It was hard to believe that he who was always on the bottom of the
totem pole was going to be exalted to be the man at the top. He did not have a
crystal ball or a prophet who could reveal to him that this will happen a good many
times in God's plan for the future. Great leaders in the future of Israel will be men
like him who have been rejected first. Men like Moses, David, Elijah, Jeremiah,
Jesus and Paul all had to be on the bottom before the arrived at the top. So
Jephthah had to take it by faith that they would keep their word, and he ends up in
the great faith chapter of Hebrews 11 because he took this leap.
2. Preceptaustin, “IF...THE LORD GIVES THEM UP TO ME, WILL I BECOME
YOUR HEAD: his reply although acknowledging God's power in the battle still
appears to be motivated somewhat by self-interest.

evertheless, one cannot help
but appreciate the way Jephthah emphasized the Lord in all his negotiations with

the leaders of Israel. It was the Lord who would give the victory, not Jephthah; and
the agreement between him and the elders must be ratified before the Lord at
Mizpah. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that Jephthah was indeed a man of
faith, not simply an opportunist, placing him in the famous Hebrews 11 "Hall of
Faith". (Heb11:32).
3. Barnes, “Jephthah made his own aggrandisement the condition of his delivering;
his country. The circumstances of his birth and long residence in a pagan land were
little favorable to the formation of the highest type of character. Yet he has his
record among the faithful Heb_11:32.
4. Gill, “And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead,.... Considering the former
usage he had met with from them, and the character which he himself bore, and the
fickleness of men, when their turn is served, was willing to make a sure bargain with
them: if ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon; that is,
should he consent to go along with them, and fight their battle for them: and the
Lord deliver them before me; or into his hands, on whom he depended for success,
and not on his own courage and valour, and military skill: shall I be your head? not
only captain general of their forces during the war, but the chief ruler of them when
that was ended.”
5. Henry, “The bargain he makes with them. He had mentioned the injuries they
had formerly done him, but, perceiving their repentance, his spirit was too great
and generous to mention them any more. God had forgiven Israel the affronts they
had put upon him (Jdg_10:16), and therefore Jephthah will forgive. Only he thinks
it prudent to make his bargain wisely for the future, since he deals with men that he
had reason to distrust. 1. He puts to them a fair question, Jdg_11:9. He speaks not
with too much confidence of his success, knowing how justly God might suffer the
Ammonites to prevail for the further punishment of Israel; but puts an if upon it.

or does he speak with any confidence at all in himself; if he do succeed, it is the
Lord that delivers them into his hand, intending hereby to remind his countrymen to
look up to God, as arbitrator of the controversy and the giver of victory, for so he
did. “

ow if, by the blessing of God, I come home a conqueror, tell me plainly shall
I be your head? If I deliver you, under God, shall I, under him, reform you?” The
same question is put to those who desire salvation by Christ. “If he save you, will
you be willing that he shall rule you? for on no other terms will he save you. If he
make you happy, shall he make you holy? If he be your helper, shall he be your
head?”
10. The elders of Gilead replied, "The LORD is our
witness; we will certainly do as you say."

1. The elders are giving him a blank check and saying your word is our command.
You will not just be our military leader, but you will be our political leader as well.
We swear before God as our witness that you will be the final word and we will obey
it. You do not call on God to be a witness to such a promise and then back out. You
just as well go charging the Ammonites with a feather, for you are doomed to
judgment if you do not keep your word spoken like this. The importance of this is
that Jephthah was not just being made their general who could be dismissed after
the battle is won, but is being made their governor and judge who would go on
ruling in times of peace. It was not just a part time seasonal job, but a permanent
position of leadership to end only by death. Talk about a promotion! Just a short
while back he was disinherited and run out of town as a nobody, and now he is
being offered the key to the city and the highest office of the land. It is like a private
in our army being promoted to five star general and president all in the same day.
There is no long campaign and endless speeches involved. He is being offered on a
platter the highest prize for leaders seeking power.
2. He does not grasp at the reins of power. They are placed in his hands, not
without some measure of reluctance and even suspicion on his part. Jephthah was
not interested in any kind of office except one that was constitutionally ratified in a
proper manner with the Lord at the heart of it. The same statesmanship and God-centered
sensitivity emerges, in the exchange he initiated with the Ammonites;
3. Preceptaustin, “JEPHTHAH SPOKE ALL HIS WORDS BEFORE THE LORD
AT MIZPAH to solemnize the agreement between Jephthah and the elders of Gilead
that they would make him their ruler.
Something had happened to this man, rejected by those closest to him, trekking off
into the land of Tob, where he like others before him (Moses, Elijah, David, Paul)
found that the wilderness experience and times of affliction reduce a man to the
place where he can only look to God for His direction and deliverance. Jephthah
was a man molded in the furnace of rejection (by men but not by God).”
4. Gill, “And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah,.... Assenting to his proposal,
and not only giving their word for it, but their oath: the Lord be witness between us,
if we do not so according to thy words; that is, make him head over them; they
appealed to the omniscient God, and called on him to be a witness of their
agreement to it, and swore by him they would fulfil it; or if they did not, that the
Lord would take vengeance on them for it, and punish the breach of this covenant
and oath in some way or another; the Targum of Jonathan is,"the Word of the Lord
be a witness between us, &c.''
5. Henry, “They immediately give him a positive answer (Jdg_11:10): “We will do
according to thy words; command us in war, and thou shalt command us in peace.”
They do not take time to consider of it. The case was too plain to need a debate, and
the necessity too pressing to admit a delay. They knew they had power to conclude a
treaty for those whom they represented, and therefore bound it with an oath, The

Lord be witness between us. They appeal to God's omniscience as the judge of their
present sincerity, and to his justice as an avenger if afterwards they should prove
false. The Lord be a hearer, so the word is. Whatever we speak, it concerns us to
remember that God is a hearer, and to speak accordingly. Thus was the original
contract ratified between Jephthah and the Gileadites, which all Israel, it should
seem, agreed to afterwards, for it is said (Jdg_12:7), he judged Israel. He hereupon
went with them (Jdg_11:11) to the place where they were all assembled (Jdg_10:17),
and there by common consent they made him head and captain, and so ratified the
bargain their representatives had made with him, that he should be not only captain
now, but head for life. Jephthah, to obtain this little honour, was willing to expose
his life for them (Jdg_12:3), and shall we be discouraged in our Christian warfare
by any of the difficulties we may meet with in it, when Christ himself has promised
a crown of life to him that overcometh?”
6. Duncan Ross, “

otice the Jews treat Jephthah here the same way they treated
God in last week’s text. If you’ll remember when the Jews cry out to him, he
sarcastically tells the Jews to “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let
them save you when you are in trouble.” He is powerfully making the point that
these gods they had given themselves to were utterly incomparable to him and
totally unworthy of the worship. Similarly, these leaders of Gilead here, after they
initially turn their backs on Jephthah, find they have to swallow their pride and
come back to appeal to him to deliver them. Like Yahweh, Jephthah sarcastically
rejects their offer in verse four, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s
house? Why do you come to be now when you’re in trouble?” There is however a
big difference between Yahweh’s sarcasm and Jephthah’s. God was trying to help
the Jews see how foolish they have been to trust in their Canaanite gods.
Jephthah’s sarcasm is nothing more than a manipulative devise he uses to extract as
much from these Jews as he can. He plays “hard to get” to compel the Jews to offer
him more for his services. We know this because in verse six they ask Jephthah to
be their “commander.” That word is a military term and does not convey any
political power. They are simply asking him to command their army. This is
different than what they had said in 10:18. In their initial offer to the person who
would deliver them from the Ammonites they proposed a much bigger prize. They
said, “Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all
those living in Gilead.” The word used here translated “head” conveys a much
more powerful position than simply a military field general. This is a political term
and could also be translated “president.” What all that means is that when these
Gilead officials first come to Jephthah they offer him a lower level of compensation
for his services than they had originally offered to the one who would deliver them.
Jephthah plays hard to get to pressure them into upping the ante. This is a common
near eastern bartering tactic used even today. You go into a shop and you see a
trinket you really want so you pretend

OT to want it all that much. That is done
to cause the seller to sweeten his offer by lowering the price. That is all Jephthah is
doing here. We know that’s what’s going on here because after his sarcastic

comment, the leaders respond by saying, “

evertheless, we are turning to you now;
come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in
Gilead.” Jephthah got them to up the offer back to what it was originally and he
confirms the arrangement in the next verse when he says, “Suppose you take me
back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD give them to me—will I really be your
head?” Do you hear how he is just confirming the specifics of the deal here? The
elders respond by placing themselves under an oath in verse 10, “The Lord is our
witness [that is an oath formula among the Jews] we will certainly do as you say.”
This is the ancient near eastern equivalent to visiting a lawyer and drawing up a
legally binding contract. They put themselves under oath. This whole situation
screams godlessness to us. We see this in that they have taken into their own hands
the formerly God-ordained task of selecting a deliverer and have reduced it to
nothing more than a crass, commercial process.
Folks, this exchange in verses 6-10 is nothing more than a business deal. That’s all
it is. Pragmatism dictates everything that goes down here. “We are in trouble, we
need someone to deliver us, what will it take to acquire your services, Jephthah?
The military position is not enough? Alright, how about the presidency?

ame
your fee.” When these leaders refuse to consult God or trust in Him to raise up a
deliverer, they are left with nothing but the methods of the market place. They cut a
deal. Without God calling someone to deliver them they simply “buy” the best man
they can find using the currency that is most appealing to Jephthah, political power.
DO

’T MISS THIS. When God is taken out of a context, what we have left is fallen
human wisdom and an expression of that we see throughout this narrative is
pragmatism—doing what will work or solve a problem in the short term. We see
this in countless contexts today
7. Kenneth M. CRAIG, Jr. “They introduce a preposition in the dialogue, Yhwh is
listening "between" (

yb) us, and underscore the new unity. Their language moves
in the opposite direction of the narrator's and characters' earlier words (against,
take from, hated, expelled), and at the phonological level the preposition sounds in
the Hebrew much like the first part of the name of the Ammonites (ynb) which the
newly formed coalition opposes. In their final response the elders also affirm that
what Jephthah says they will certainly do, and the narrator confirms in v. 11 what
their words had hinted at all along: it is the people who make him their leader.
The narrator, who had opened the scene, closes it with a reference to the
consecration ceremony. With a deal struck, the newly appointed leader solemnizes
the pledges. The elders' second offer of governor exceeded their first offer of
general. They have paid, and, at first glance, at a price no greater than that forecast
by the commanders in 10,18. But while it is true that the negotiations cease without
any mention of reinstating Jephthah as heir, the people make Jephthah both
Governor (#)r) and General (

ycq). He had expressed interest only in the
Governorship, and the appointment was to be conditioned upon victory. But the
elders give him political office now, even as they appoint him military leader for the

crisis at hand. Their haste is accentuated by the narrator's report of their actions.
They dispense with Jephthah's condition in v. 9 (if Yhwh gives them) as they confer
both titles even before the battle begins. The two titles had been introduced in vv. 6,
8 as General and Governor, but are reversed in the narrator's report of the
conferral in v. 11. The issue of perpetuity, so important to the one exiled by his
brothers (You shall not inherit anything in our father's house, they told him in v. 2),
is thus now foregrounded as the elders willingly bestow the title of perpetuity before
making him their leader for the battle at hand.
They have secured just the kind of rough rider they need, a man who has proven
himself in battle and who is also expendable. In the event that the Ammonites kill
Jephthah, the elders will suffer no great loss. Indeed, they might even find
consolation in being relieved of a permanent governor they would not have
otherwise sought. But their offer and counter-offer have been made without any
mention of loss at war as the what's-in-it-for-Jephthah possibilities have been
articulated.
The focus in the conclusion is on "words," from the point of view of the elders,
Jephthah, and the narrator. The elders pledge to follow Jephthah's word (rbd), and
Jephthah speaks (rbd) all his words (wyrbd) before Yhwh 12. Words can stand for
covenant stipulations as in the Deuteronomic formulations, found, for example, in
Deut 5,22 13, but a more explicit vowing word, found in an upcoming scene (11,30),
is not used here. These words spoken at the sanctuary appear to give the agreement
validity, but in this context attention to "words" – none spoken by Yhwh –
reinforces the ceremony's this-worldly cast, and, indeed, may once more leave the
reader with a sense of complications on the horizon.
The mention of Mizpah (Mizpeh in 11,29), the last word appearing in the scene,
harks back in narrative time to the assembling of troops in 10,17. The exact location
of this Mizpah has not been determined, but it may have been a central sanctuary
for worshipers south of the Jabbok and east of the Jordan 14. Our failure to locate
this site so central to the Jephthah narrative should not, however, distract us from
recognizing its literary function. Based on the root hpc "to look out, watch," the
place-name means "Place of Outlook" or "Watch Place," and the attention given it
serves to develop the plot ironically 15. Jephthah will soon fail to "look out" (i.e.,
"perceive") when he utters an absurd vow and then fulfills it. (

otice in 11,29 that
the spirit of Yhwh comes upon Jephthah, but is he aware of it? The vow that follows
in vv. 30-31 is capriciously made!) Mizpah will not be mentioned after he sacrifices
his daughter. The silence is profound.
In sum, the unique play of perspectives is manifested as voices, or, more to the point,
as mediated speech events framed by the narrator's own point of view in the telling.
The characters never speak autonomously, but instead are always part of the
narrator's constructed web. The harping on titles has made clear to the bargainers
the conditions of Jephthah's acceptance, but the repetition also deprives the
audience of other information. Such suppression and the stylistic features of verbal

ambiguity in dialogue ultimately shed light on Jephthah himself who emerges in
ambiguity. Son of an unnamed prostitute and of a father unidentified and perhaps
unidentifiable – he is the son of the personified district of Gilead(11,1) – his
enthronement abounds in the narrator's devised ambiguity 16.
Summary
This article explores the subject of speech as mediated discourse in the bargaining
scene between the elders of Gilead and Jephthah in the land of Tov (Judg 11,4-11).
The episode consists of the narrator's frame in vv. 4-5 and 11 and five insets wherein
the elders initiate and conclude the dialogue (elders- Jephthah-elders-Jephthah-elders).
The narrator informs us that the elders approach Jephthah with a plan of
taking (xql) him from the land of Tov. The taking is accomplished through speech
that the narrator quotes, and the perspectival shifts in narration and quotation
demonstrate the Bible's art of diplomacy. The speeches are tightly woven with the
narrator interrupting only to shift our attention from one side to the other in this
tit-for-tat interchange. But even here, the narrator is not completely effaced. The
reception acts are staged in a way that remind us of the presence of all sides in this
exchange. The bargaining thus proceeds through filtered words, and the resulting
insets call attention to the web of perspectives and competing interests, the offers
and counter offers in the world of give- and-take, and, from our side, the fun of it
all.”
11. So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the
people made him head and commander over them. And
he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.
1. Preceptaustin, “JEPHTHAH SPOKE ALL HIS WORDS BEFORE THE LORD
AT MIZPAH to solemnize the agreement between Jephthah and the elders of Gilead
that they would make him their ruler. Something had happened to this man,
rejected by those closest to him, trekking off into the land of Tob, where he like
others before him (Moses, Elijah, David, Paul) found that the wilderness experience
and times of affliction reduce a man to the place where he can only look to God for
His direction and deliverance. Jephthah was a man molded in the furnace of
rejection (by men but not by God).
2. Bryan Clarke, “Gary McIntosh in his book Overcoming the Dark Side of
Leadership identifies the same thing today. Many of the leaders that society would
hold up as being models of leadership are actually driven by a dark side that flows

out of their past in a desperate attempt to say, “Hey, by the way, I'm somebody. I'm
somebody. I'm going to prove it to you.” It ends up being a very destructive path,
because their motivation is not to serve others. Their motivation is not for the
greater good of others. It's purely selfish. To prove something, they consumed their
resources upon themselves. They ultimately destroy themselves and people around
them. That seems like it could very well be Jephthah's story, but it's not. We get just
a couple of hints of that in this passage. We're not really told when this happened,
but somewhere along the way Jephthah had a significant experience with God. God
began to take Jephthah and change his heart. He is very clear when the elders are
talking to him that if this battle is to be won, it will be the Lord who will bring the
victory. He knows that. He also says in verse 11 that all this was spoken before the
LORD. In other words, this wasn't about Jephthah's need to get even and make
somebody pay. This was about God's glory and God's reputation. Jephthah
understood that he was answering this call for God, and no other motive.”
3. Barnes, “Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh - This phrase
designates the presence of the tabernacle, or the ark, or of the high priest with Urim
and Thummim Jdg_20:26; Jdg_21:2; Jos_18:8; 1Sa_21:7. The high priest waited
upon Jephthah with the ephod, and possibly the ark, at his own house (see
Jdg_20:18 here). A trace of Jephthah’s claim to unite all Israel under his dominion
is found in Jdg_12:2, and breathes through his whole message to the king of the
Ammonites.
4. Clarke, “Jepthah went with the elders - The elders had chosen him for their head;
but, to be valid, this choice must be confirmed by the people; therefore, it is said, the
people made him head. But even this did not complete the business; God must be
brought in as a party to this transaction; and therefore Jephthah uttered all his
words before the Lord - the terms made with the elders and the people on which he
had accepted the command of the army; and, being sure of the Divine approbation,
he entered on the work with confidence.
5. Gill, “ Then Jephthah went with the elders of Israel,.... From the land of Tob into
the land of Gilead, his native country:
and the people made him head and captain over them; ratified and confirmed what
the elders had promised, and by a general unanimous vote appointed him both to be
the captain of their forces, and to be the chief ruler and governor of them. And this
they did, though he was the son of an harlot; and according to the law in Deu_23:2,
such an one was not to be a civil magistrate; but this was a case of necessity, and in
which, no doubt, they were directed by the Lord, who could dispense with his own
law: besides, they had come to such an agreement before they had pitched on any
particular person, that who should begin to fight with the children of Ammon
should be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead so that they were obliged to it by
their vote and decree, when they assembled at Mizpeh, where it is probable they
consulted the Lord, and acted under his direction, Jdg_10:17 and where this was
confirmed, as seems from the following clause:

and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh; where the
congregation of Israel were assembled, and in which the Shechinah, or divine
Majesty, dwelt, as is observed by Jarchi and Kimchi, and not Mizpeh in Jos_11:3, as
the latter says, but this was on the other side Jordan, in the land of Gilead; however,
as it was a solemn meeting, the Lord was there, and, as in his presence, Jephthah
rehearsed all that passed between him and the elders of Gilead; and, no doubt, in
prayer to God, desired he would signify his approbation and ratification of their
agreement, and would give him success in his undertakings against the children of
Ammon.
6. Jamison, “the elders of Israel said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between
us — Their offer being accompanied by the most solemn oath, Jephthah intimated
his acceptance of the mission, and his willingness to accompany them. But to make
“assurance doubly sure,” he took care that the pledge given by the deputies in Tob
should be ratified in a general assembly of the people at Mizpeh; and the language
of the historian, “Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord,” seems to imply
that his inauguration with the character and extraordinary office of judge was
solemnized by prayer for the divine blessing, or some religious ceremonial.
7. Henry, “ Jephthah's pious acknowledgment of God in this great affair
(Jdg_11:11): He uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, that is, upon his
elevation, he immediately retired to his devotions, 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 towards the Lord, and would do nothing without him, that
leaned not to his own understanding or courage, but depended on God and his
favour. He utters before God all his thoughts and cares in this matter; for God gives
us leave to be free with him. 1. “Lord, the people have made me their head; wilt
thou confirm the choice, and own me as thy people's head under thee and for thee?”
God justly complains of Israel (Hos_8:4), they have set up kings, but not by me.
“Lord,” said Jephthah, “I will be no head of their making without thee. I will not
accept the government unless thou give me leave.” Had Abimelech done this, he
might have prospered. 2. “Lord, they have made me their captain, to go before them
in this war with the Ammonites; shall I have thy presence? Wilt thou go before me?
If not, carry me not up hence. Lord, satisfy me in the justice of the cause. Assure me
of success in the enterprise.” This is a rare example, to be imitated by all,
particularly by great ones; in all our ways let us acknowledge God, seek his favour,
ask counsel at his mouth, and take him along with us; so shall we make our way
prosperous. Thus Jephthah opened the campaign with prayer. That was likely to
end gloriously which began thus piously.”
12. Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite
king with the question: "What do you have against us

that you have attacked our country?"
1. Before declaring war, Jephthah tried peaceful negotiations with the Ammonites,
but the negotiations failed.

49152847 judges-11-commentary

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