And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering… When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter… he did to her as he had vowed. – Judges 11:30-31, 34, 39 (NIV)

It is one of the subtle proofs of the trustworthiness of the Bible that it includes such unfavorable pictures of ‘heroes’ like Jephthah (Judges 11:29-40).  The questionable actions of the rest of the Judges, not to mention the sins of King David, the denials of Peter, and many more instances, affirm the reliability and honesty of the Bible.  It shows real human beings living in a real world really needing God.

Having said that, the nature of Jephthah’s vow and subsequent sacrifice is very much debated.  Almost everyone agrees his vow was unnecessary.  God had already determined to deliver his people.  In fact, God filled Jephthah with his Spirit as the means to save his people (Judges 11:29).  Nothing else was needed but to trust God’s faithfulness and go forth in faith.

Jephthah did make and keep a vow, however.  But what did he do with his daughter?  The two main options are (1) he literally offered her up as a burnt offering to the Lord (she was killed) or (2) he figuratively offered her up to the Lord (perhaps as a perpetual virgin serving the temple).  To approach an answer we need to look at the context.

In the book of Judges, it is clear that God’s people are not moving closer to him.  Rather than take the Promised Land, the people turn away (Judges 1-2).  There’s a recurring cycle: the people turn away, God gives them over, they cry out, God saves them, they fall away again.  Repeat.

This cycle is what brought Jephthah to leadership (Judges 10:6-18).  This cycle informs not only our understanding of Jephthah, but also Samson (Judges 13-16), the horrible events of chapters 19-20, and the nearly hopeless ending of the whole book – “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 21:25, NIV; cf. Judges 2:11).

God brought both difficulties and deliverers because he wanted his people to see their need for a real deliverer.  God would provide a good king to rule and defend them, to restrain and conquer their enemies, and to subdue them to himself (WSC 26).  He would deliver them soundly through David and bless them further with Solomon.  Yet, the ultimate fulfillment of their need for a king would await King Jesus, the Messiah.  He alone would save them from all their difficulties including themselves.

In the broader context, God does not leave his people alone when they wander.  He often brings difficulties to expose our desperate need of him and hopelessness without him.  The curses upon Adam and Eve (painful work, painful birth) strike at the very nature of what we are to do on earth.  It is a severe mercy that God did not let us be at peace without him as we moved from the Garden to fill the earth and rule over it.  Instead God allows difficulties to expose our need for him.

Yet when he wounds, he also heals. In fact, he takes our wounds upon himself and gives us his life (Isaiah 53:4-6).  That is the essence of the cross of Christ (Galatians 3:10-14) and the incredible beauty of the love and grace of God.

What did Jephthah do with his daughter?  I’m not sure.  God lets people do all kinds of stupid, foolish, and even evil things that the Bible doesn’t make an explicit comment about.  This is one of them.

The plain reading of the text seems to indicate a sacrificial offering of the girl.  On the other hand, Jephthah is listed in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11).  Then again, Jephthah was the son of a prostitute driven from home to become the leader of a bunch of ‘worthless fellows’ (Judges 11:1-3, ESV).  However, it is highly unlikely that a Levitical priest would allow a human burnt offering (cf. Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10).  Though Jephthah knew the history of God’s people quite well (Judges 11:14-28), he seems to bargain with God in making the vow.

A decisive answer is unclear.  What is very clear is that the time of the Judges shows the need for a good king, even a God-king.  Jephthah’s actions show the insufficiency of human leaders despite the fact that God can use them in mighty ways.

Whether or not Jephthah killed his daughter, he couldn’t deliver God’s people ultimately and completely.  So, while I’m not certain what happened to Jephthah’s daughter, I am certain that no earthly leader can save the way King Jesus did, does, can, and will.  He alone laid down his life to gain eternal victory.