Did Jephthah Really Sacrifice His Daughter?

Be careful what you promise. The story of Jephthah in the Bible conveys this lesson in what may be one of the most disturbing ways …. depending on what actually happened to his daughter (more on what Scripture outright tells us later.)

As a judge over the land of Israel, Jephthah makes a bold request from God. He willingly puts everything he loves on the line and may have to pay the ultimate price for his dangerous prayers. Today’s article will look at Jephthah, what he did to save Israel, and what happened in the aftermath.

What Did Jephthah Do in the Bible?

To understand what Jephthah did, we must know about the backdrop—what people were doing in Israel when his story occurred. Before the time of the kings like Saul and David, Israel had rulers known as judges. These judges (sometimes with prophetic gifts, sometimes not) would rescue sinful Israel from an enemy. Israel would then repent, and a period of peace would take place. Until that judge died, and Israel fell into sin again.

In Jephthah’s time, his people had returned to worshipping Baal (and other pagan deities). So, God allows enemies of Israel (initially, the Philistines and the Ammonites) to oppress his people for a time.

When the Ammonites pose a particular threat, Jephthah, a man from the tribe of Manasseh, steps in to save Israel. Scripture makes an interesting point about his personality and heritage.

First, He’s a strong warrior. We can wonder if David took after the likes of someone like him, a warrior ruler.

Second, his family heritage isn’t the most respectable: his father was a man from Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute. God has grace for everyone, and some prostitutes (like Rahab) served him in incredible ways in the Bible. Still, Jephthah’s heritage serves as a reminder that the judges’ behavior and backgrounds depreciated in morality over time. The story goes from a very good judge in the beginning (Othniel) to a very broken judge (Samson) by the end.

Perhaps because of his mother, his half-brothers drive him out of his home. However, when they are in need, the Israelites reach out to Jephthah for his help. At first, Jephthah hesitates, but they convince him with the enticing prospect of power he’ll experience once he rescues his people.

Jephthah tries to reason with the king of Amon with a letter explaining how Israel has kept the people with its people. But the king ignores this. So, Jephthah decides to advance against them. But he makes a dangerous promise.

What Was the Problem with Jephthah?

The first problem with Jephthah is that he’s after the judge’s position for power. He allows it to cloud his vision and acts hastily.

It’s easy to look at the Judges 11 passage and say, “Well, God’s Spirit came upon Jephthah. Surely, God approved of his prayer.” We must remember that sometimes God answers selfish prayers to teach us a lesson.

Yes, Jephthah had initially reached out to the King of Amon, but perhaps God intended for him to wait. Perhaps God intended for someone else to judge Israel, and he’d ascended into the role without divine guidance.

We see no record of him seeking God’s advice for the next step after the Ammonite king didn’t answer his letter. Jephthah decides to take matters into his own hands.

Given his warrior prowess, we imagine he had no problem laying waste to his enemies. He probably figured all the judges before him had military success against Israel’s enemies, so he tried to make his success by force.

Jephthah promises God that if he gives the Ammonites into his hands, “whatever comes through my door to meet me,” he will sacrifice to God. He probably thought a cow or sheep would exit a barnyard door.

God hears Jephthah’s vow and allows him to massacre twenty Ammonite towns.

What happens next?

When Jephthah returns home, someone approaches him, dancing and smiling…his daughter. Jephthah realizes he made too hasty a vow without thinking about the consequences.

His daughter hears what he did and says he can’t return on his promise to God. She asks if she can mourn for two months since she’ll never marry.

What Happened to the Daughter of Jephthah?

So, did he kill his daughter? The text never explicitly says so. We know that God wouldn’t condone such an act. After all, he punished the Israelites when they sacrificed their children to Moloch. He also rescued Isaac from being sacrificed in Genesis. If, for some reason, Jephthah did sacrifice her, God would not have approved of that action.

Some theologians have wondered if he dedicated her to the temple of the Lord—not killing her. The text places such a heavy emphasis on her virginity. Similar to how abbeys and monasteries worked, in ancient times, certain religious roles didn’t allow a person to marry. They would give themselves, instead, to a divine service.

We can hope that he dedicated her to the temple—symbolically sacrificing her to God like Hannah “sacrificed” her son Samuel by giving him to temple service.

Whatever happened, we can imagine the pain Jephthah’s daughter felt. Even if she survived without getting sacrificed, she could never know the joys of marriage—a big loss in a culture that treasured having a family.

What Can We Learn from the Life of Jephthah?

Let’s uncover some lessons we can learn from Jephthah’s life.

Never go into God’s service for the power.

We are all tempted to treat religious jobs as an opportunity for prestige. This was true in Jephthah’s time and today. To give a personal example, I found when I attended a Christian college, a certain prestige came with being a discipling assistant (a spiritual counselor for each dormitory floor). Many entered the role with pure hearts, and many did so for prestige. Jephthah’s eyes got a little too big when he heard all the benefits of being a judge. He didn’t lead Israel’s army for the right reasons. He later learned the consequences of being impulsive and selfish. Instead of being like this impulsive judge, we should remember Jesus’ advice: don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Do God’s service behind the scenes so you can reap benefits in heaven.

Never act without consulting God first.

Jephthah never says, “Let thy will be done.” Instead, he says, “Give me the enemy, and I’ll give you whatever comes to greet me.” We can often act without consulting God first. Sometimes, he presents obstacles in our paths, and sometimes, he allows us to proceed—so we can learn the consequences. For all we know, maybe the King of Amon intended to respond in another week or so. Or perhaps God wanted to call another warrior to save Israel. We shall never know.

Never make a promise without knowing the repercussions.

Jephthah made a vague, hasty promise. And if we’re honest, we’ve probably done the same things. I know I’ve said, “If you do XYZ, I’ll do anything. Anything.” God takes promises seriously. Old Testament promises involved slicing animals in half—essentially telling the other party, “If I fail to uphold my end of the deal, you can do this same thing to me.” Yikes.

Jephthah serves as a cautionary tale. He teaches us to walk in step with the Spirit and not make hasty decisions or promises. When making those decisions, we must ensure we do them for the right reasons.

Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Kirschner

Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.

This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.

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