Jephthah

Jephthah (Hebrew: יפתח‎‎ Yip̄tāḥ), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge over Israel for a period of six years (Judges 12:7). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead and, as his mother is described as a prostitute, this may mean that his father may have been any of the men of that area.

Jephthah led the Israelites in battle against Ammon and, in exchange for defeating the Ammonites, made a vow to sacrifice whatever would come out of the door of his house first. As his daughter exited the house, he immediately regretted the vow, which would mean sacrificing his daughter to God. Because of the ambiguity of the text, it is disputed whether or not this vow was carried out. Traditionally, Jephthah is listed among major judges on the ground of the length of the biblical narrative referring to him, but his story also shares commonalities with the minor judges, for instance only six years duration of his office as judge.…more