Search for commentaries – Judges 11

Jephthah’s Call to Leadership
The eighth judge of Israel was a man of great character, by the name of Jephthah. In his early life he was despised by his half-brothers as an illegitimate son of their father, and he became an outcast, exiled to the land of Tob (vv. 1-5). It was a normal practice to send away illegitimate children in ...

Jephthah’s History Lesson
Last time, Jephthah defended the actions of his Israelite ancestors. They had taken the highroad, choosing not to attack the Edomites nor the Moabites but instead to seek a different travel route (vv. 14-17). They went the long way around, specifically avoiding the boundaries of Moab (v. 18). Upon ...

Jephthah’s Vow to the Lord
Jephthah wanted victory over the Ammonites so badly that he made a foolish vow to God (vv. 29-31). If God would permit him to triumph over Ammon, he would offer up as a sacrifice the first thing that walked through the door of his house to meet him after the battle. The Spirit of the Lord ...