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E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 11:39

did with her according to his vow which he had vowed = He did not offer her as a burnt offering; for Jehovah could not accept th a t . Therefore Jephthah must have dedicated her to the LORD by a perpetual virginity. Such a vow was provided for in Leviticus 27:0 . See note on Judges 11:31 . and she knew no man. This is conclusive. It has nothing to do with a sacrificial death, but it has to do with a dedicated life to Jehovah. Thus was Jephthah's vow fulfilled. And it was = and it became. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Judges 11:39-40

Judges 11:39-40. It came to pass at the end of two months— When Jephthah returned victorious, he was met by his daughter, who accordingly became the object of his vow, and therefore, as we understand it, being in every respect improper for a burnt-offering, she was to be devoted to a single state in the service of the Lord: the greater calamity to Jephthah, as she was his only child, Judges 11:34.; a circumstance which the sacred historian dwells upon, besides her he had neither son nor... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Judges 11:34-40

The fate of Jephthah’s daughter 11:34-40Judges 11:1-33 record Jephthah’s success. The rest of his story (Judges 11:34 to Judges 12:7) relates his failure. The writer likewise recorded Gideon’s success first (Judges 6:1 to Judges 8:23) and then his failure (Judges 8:24 to Judges 9:57). We shall find a similar pattern when we come to Samson’s story. As with Gideon and Samson, Jephthah’s failure grew out of his success. In all three of these major judges’ cases, failure resulted from ignorance of... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 11:1-40

Jephthah’s Victory over the Ammonites. His Rash Vow1-11. The Choice of Jephthah.1. As the son of a harlot, Jephthah has no legal standing in the tribe. Gilead begat] Throughout the rest of the narrative Gilead is the name of a place, not a person (cp. Judges 12:7). Here Gilead’s ’sons’ represent the legitimate tribesmen. 3. Tob] must have been near Gilead, probably to the NE. (cp. 2 Samuel 10:6). Vain men] see on Judges 9:4. ’Broken men,’ such as came to David at the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Judges 11:37

(37) Let me alone two months.—There was nothing which forbade this postponement for a definite purpose and period of the fulfilment of the vow. For the phrase “let me alone,” see Deuteronomy 9:14; 1 Samuel 11:3.And bewail my virginity.—The thought which was so grievous to the Hebrew maiden was not death, but to die unwedded and childless. This is the bitterest wail of Antigone also, in the great play of Sophocles (Ant. 890); but to a Hebrew maid the pang would be more bitter, because the... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Judges 11:39

(39) Who did with her according to his vow.—In this significant euphemism the narrator drops the veil—as though with a shudder—over the terrible sacrifice. Of course, “did with her according to his vow” can only mean “offered her up for a burnt offering” (Judges 11:31). “Some,” says Luther, “affirm that he did not sacrifice her; but the text is clear enough.” The attempt, first started by Rabbi Kimchi, to make this mean “kept her unmarried until death”—i.e., shut her up in a sacred celibacy—is... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Judges 11:1-40

Judges 11:6 When a subject presented itself so large and shapeless, and dry and thorny, that few men's fortitude could face, and no one's patience could grapple with it; or an emergency occurred demanding, on a sudden, access to stores of learning, the collection of many long years, but arranged so as to be made available at the shortest notice then it was men asked where Lawrence was. Lord Brougham. Judges 11:10 In a sermon preached at Fenwick in 1663, William Guthrie told his congregation:... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Judges 11:12-40

THE TERRIBLE VOWJudges 11:12-40AT every stage of their history the Hebrews were capable of producing men of passionate religiousness. And this appears as a distinction of the group of nations to which they belong. The Arab of the present time has the same quality. He can be excited to a holy war in which thousands perish. With the battle cry of Allah and his Prophet he forgets fear. He presents a different mingling of character from the Saxon, -turbulence and reverence, sometimes apart, then... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Judges 11:1-40

CHAPTER 11 Jephthah and the Ammonites 1. Jephthah’s covenant (Judges 11:1-11 ) 2. The messages to Ammon (Judges 11:12-28 ) 3. Jephthah’s vow and victory (Judges 11:29-33 ) 4. Jephthah keeps his vow (Judges 11:34-40 ) Jephthah the judge who delivered Israel from the servitude of Ammon was the offspring of an unholy union “the son of an harlot.” Then he became an outcast and had to flee from his brethren. He dwelt in the land of Tob (goodness) and vain, or worthless, men gathered unto... read more

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