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Christian Standard Bible ®

Judges 11:39

At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Consecration;   Jephthah;   Rashness;   Virgin;   Vows;   Zeal, Religious;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jephthah;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ammonites;   Vow;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Chemosh;   Jephthah;   Molech;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Vow;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Vows;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Human Sacrifice;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Child, Children;   Family;   Gilead;   Jephthah;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Sacrifice and Offering;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jephtha;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jephthah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Custom (2);   Jephthah;   Judges, Period of;   Relationships, Family;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Daughter in Jewish Law;   Family and Family Life;   Jephthah;   Valuation;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Yisra'el,
King James Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
Lexham English Bible
At the end of the two months she returned to her father, and he did to her according to his vow; and she did not sleep with a man. And it became an annual custom in Israel
English Standard Version
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel
New Century Version
After two months she returned to her father, and Jephthah did to her what he had promised. Jephthah's daughter never had a husband. From this came a custom in Israel that
New English Translation
After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.
Amplified Bible
At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. It became a custom in Israel,
New American Standard Bible
And at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her what he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel,
Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the ende of two moneths, she turned againe vnto her father, who did with her according to his vowe which he had vowed, and she had knowen no man. and it was a custome in Israel:
Legacy Standard Bible
En aan die end van twee maande het sy na haar vader teruggekom, en hy het die gelofte wat deur hom gedoen is, aan haar voltrek; en sy het geen man beken nie. En dit het 'n gewoonte geword in Israel
Contemporary English Version
Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married. That's why
Complete Jewish Bible
After two months she returned to her father, and he did with her what he had vowed; she had remained a virgin. So it became a law in Isra'el
Darby Translation
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, and he performed on her the vow that he had vowed; and she had known no man. And it became a fixed custom in Israel,
Easy-to-Read Version
At the end of two months, Jephthah's daughter returned to her father, and Jephthah did what he had promised. His daughter never had sexual relations with anyone. So this became a custom in Israel.
George Lamsa Translation
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow; and she knew no man. And it became a custom among the children of Israel,
Good News Translation
After two months she came back to her father. He did what he had promised the Lord , and she died still a virgin. This was the origin of the custom in Israel
Literal Translation
And it happened at the end of two months, she returned to her father. And he did to her his vow which he had vowed. And she never knew a man. And it is a fixed custom in Israel,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And after two monethes she came agayne vnto hir father. And he dyd vnto her acordinge as he had vowed. And she had neuer bene in daunger of eny man. And it was a custome in Israel,
American Standard Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel,
Bible in Basic English
And at the end of two months she went back to her father, who did with her as he had said in his oath: and she had never been touched by a man. So it became a rule in Israel,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And after the ende of two monethes, she turned agayne vnto her father, whiche dyd with her according to his vowe whiche he had vowed, & she had knowne no man: And it grewe to a custome in Israel,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe at the ende of two moneths that shee returned vnto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man: & it was a custome in Israel,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man:
English Revised Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,
Berean Standard Bible
After two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she had never had relations with a man. So it has become a custom in Israel
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne twey monethis weren fillid, sche turnede ayen to hir fadir, and he dide to hir as he avowide; and sche knew not fleischli a man. Fro thennus a custom cam in Israel,
Young's Literal Translation
and it cometh to pass at the end of two months that she turneth back unto her father, and he doth to her his vow which he hath vowed, and she knew not a man; and it is a statute in Israel:
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had no sex with a man. And it was a custom in Israel,
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
World English Bible
It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Israel,
New King James Version
And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel
New Living Translation
When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel
New Life Bible
She returned to her father after two months. And he did what he promised the Lord and she died without having a man. So it became the way in Israel
New Revised Standard
At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to the vow he had made. She had never slept with a man. So there arose an Israelite custom that
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed, - she not having known man. And it became a statute, in Israel: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:
Revised Standard Version
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel
New American Standard Bible (1995)
At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

Contextual Overview

29The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead. 30Jephthah made this vow to the Lord: “If you in fact hand over the Ammonites to me, 31whoever comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I return safely from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer that person as a burnt offering.” 32Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 33He defeated twenty of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites. 34When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her. 35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the Lord and cannot take it back.” 36Then she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 38“Go,” he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity as she wandered through the mountains.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

did with: That Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter, but consecrated her to the service of God in the tabernacle, in a state of celibacy, will we imagine be evident from the following consideration -

1. Human sacrifices were ever an abomination to Jehovah, of which Jephthah could not be ignorant; and consequently he would neither have made such a vow, nor carried it into execution.

2. We are expressly told - Judges 11:29 that Jephthah was under the influence of the Spirit of God, which would effectually prevent him from embruing his hands in the blood of his own child.

3. He had it in his power to redeem his daughter - Leviticus 27:4, and surely his only child must have been of more value than thirty shekles.

4. Besides, who was to perform the horrid rite? Not Jephthah himself, who was no priest, and in whom it would have been most unnatural and inhuman; and the priests would certainly have dissuaded him from it.

5. The sacred historian informs us, that she bewailed her virginity, that she knew no man, and that the Israelitish women went yearly to comfort or lament with her. Judges 11:31, Leviticus 27:28, Leviticus 27:29, Deuteronomy 12:31, Isaiah 66:3

to his vow: 1 Samuel 1:11, 1 Samuel 1:22, 1 Samuel 1:24, 1 Samuel 1:28, 1 Samuel 2:18

custom: or, ordinance

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:2 - and offer Numbers 30:2 - vow a vow 2 Kings 3:27 - offered him Micah 6:7 - shall Matthew 14:9 - the oath's

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at the end of two months she returned to her father,.... For the request she made was not a pretence to make her escape out of his hands; but having done what she proposed to do, and the time fixed for it being come, she returned to her father's house, and delivered herself to him:

who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: but what he did is a question, and which is not easily resolved; some think he really sacrificed her, through a mistaken sense of Leviticus 27:29 and which his action are accounted for through his living a military life, and in a distant part of the country, and at a time when idolatry had greatly prevailed in Israel, and to such a degree as it had not before, and no doubt that branch of it, sacrificing children to Molech; and Jephthah might think that though that was sinful, yet such a sacrifice might be acceptable to the Lord; and especially since his vow, as he thought, bound him to it; and how far the instance of Abraham offering up his son Isaac might encourage him to it, cannot be said: of this mind were Josephus k, Jonathan Ben Uzziah the Targumist, and some other Jewish writers l; and many of the ancient Christian fathers, and many modern authors of every name among Christians; and it has been thought that the story of Iphigenia, who Capellus m thinks is the same with Jepthigenia, that is, the daughter of Jephthah, and was slain by her father Agamemnon, having several circumstances in it similar to this, is taken from hence: and there is much such a case as this related n of Idomeneus, a king of the Cretians, who upon his return after the destruction of Troy, being in a tempest, vowed, should he be saved, that he would sacrifice the first he met with to the gods; and as it was his son he first met with, he sacrificed him; or, as others say, would have done it, but was prevented by the citizens, and who on this account drove him from his kingdom. But others are of opinion that what Jephthah did according to his vow was, that he shut up his daughter, and separated her from the company of men, and obliged her to live unmarried all her days, and therefore she is said to bewail her virginity. Kimchi and Ben Melech say, he built a house for her without the city, where she dwelt alone, and knew no man; and where her father supported her, and obliged her to live all her days; and Abarbinel thinks, that the Romanists from hence learnt to build their cloisters to put their nuns in; and so Ben Gersom interprets this vow of her being separated from men, and devoted to the service of God; and which is the sense of many Christian interpreters. Now though Jephthah had no such power over his daughter, as to oblige her to perpetual virginity, nor did his vow bind him to it; for persons devoted to the Lord were not obliged to abstain from marriage, nor have we any instances of a monastic life in those times, nor among the Jews at any time; yet as he did something not right, which he thought his vow obliged him to, one would be rather tempted to think, in charity to him, that of the two evils he did the least; for if she was put to death, it must be done either by the magistrates, or by the priests, or by Jephthah himself; neither of which is probable:

and she knew no man; never married, but lived and died a virgin: "and it was a custom in Israel"; the Targum adds,

"that a man might not offer his son or his daughter for a burnt offering, as Jephthah the Gileadite did, and did not consult Phinehas the priest; for had he consulted Phinehas the priest, he would have redeemed her with a price;''

so Jarchi, according to Leviticus 27:4 but each stood upon their honour, as the Jews say o; Jephthah being a king would not go to Phinehas, and Phinehas being an high priest; and the son of an high priest, would not go to a plebeian; and so, between them both, the maiden was lost: but the custom refers to what follows.

k Antiqu l. 5. c. 7. sect. 10. l Bereshit Rabba, sect. 60, fol. 52. 3. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 37. fol. 176. 4. m De Voto Jephthae, sect. 12. n Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 22. Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 3. col. 693. in l. 11. col. 1634. o Bereshit Rabba Vajikra, ut supra. (l) Midrash Kohelet, fol. 81. 3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 11:39. And she knew no man — She continued a virgin all the days of her life.


 
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