Judges 11:29

"And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead, he passed over unto the children of Ammon."

"And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah." Thus, Jephthah entered the lists of the great charismatic leaders of Israel. This made all the difference. With Jephthah led by God's Spirit, the victory of Israel was assured.

As Yates noted, "Jephthah here made a series of journeys,"[16] and the implication is clear enough that Jephthah did so under the direction of the Spirit of God. We are not told exactly what the purpose of those trips was, but, in all likelihood, it was to enlist as many as possible in the army with which Jephthah would meet the foe.