Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.
Jephthah - `opener.'
Son of an harlot - a concubine, or foreigner; implying an inferior sort of marriage prevalent in Eastern countries. It is conjectured that she was the Aramitess, the concubine of Gilead, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 7:14. Whatever dishonour might attach to his birth, his own high and energetic character rendered him early a person of note.
Gilead begat Jephthan. His father seems to have belonged to the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Chronicles 7:17).