The son of Gilead, was a judge of Israel, and successor to Jair. His history is told in Judges 11:1-12:15 . A most affecting incident in it is his devoting his daughter to God as a sacrifice, in consequence of a rash vow.
The arguments on the question whether Jephthah's daughter was actually sacrificed or not, cannot here be cited. The natural repugnance we feel to such a vow and its fulfillment has led many interpreters to adopt the less obvious theory that she was only condemned to live and die unmarried. There is no intimation in Scripture that God approved of his vow, whatever it was. Paul numbers Jephthah among the saints of the Old Testament distinguished for their faith, Hebrews 11:32 .