Judges 11:1 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Bible Comments

Chapter 11 Jephthah the Gileadite.

This chapter gives an account of a further judge of Israel, Jephthah, of his descent and character, of the call the elders of Gilead gave him to be their general and lead out their forces against the Ammonites, and the agreement he made with them.

It tells of the message that he sent to the children of Ammon, which brought on a dispute between him and them, about the land Israel possessed on that side of Jordan, which the Ammonites claimed, stressing Israel's right to it. As he probably expected, the children of Ammon did not agree with what he said, so he prepared to give battle. But prior to it he made a vow, after which he set forward and fought them, and obtained victory over them. The chapter concludes with the difficulties Jephthah had on his return home because of his vow, and the performance of it.

Judges 11:1

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of a harlot, and Gilead begat Jephthah.'

The man the leaders of Gilead had their eye on was named Jephthah. His name means ‘opens' and was probably short for Yiptah-el - ‘God opens (the womb)'. He was a great warrior. But there were problems. His father Gilead had begotten him by either an ordinary prostitute or by a wanton woman, although it has to be said in Gilead's favour that he had then taken him into his home. But it was a different matter with his family. For when Jephthah grew up he was thrown out of his home as the son of ‘another woman', that is not a true wife or even a concubine. This was contrary to the teaching of the law which protected ‘the fatherless', for thereby they had made Jephthah fatherless (Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 14:29; Deuteronomy 16:11; Deuteronomy 24:17).

Judges 11:1

1 Now Jephthaha the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.