Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 11 · Verses 34-40
34 Then Iiphtah commyng to Mizpa to hys houſe, beholde hys daughter came out to mete him with timbrels and daunces which was his onelyonly child, and of hym ſelfe he had neither other ſonne nor other daughter.
35 And when he ſawe her, he rent his garmentes and ſayd: Alas, Alas my daughter, thou haſt brought me lowe, and thou art amōg them that trouble me. For I hauehave opened my mouth vntounto the Lord and can not go backe.
36 And ſhe aunſwered hym: My father, if thou haſt opened thy mouth vntounto the Lord, do vntounto me as thou haſt promiſed, ſeyng that the Lord hath auenged thee of thine enemies the childrē of Ammon.
37 And ſhe ſayd more ouer vntounto her father. Do thus much for me: ſuffer me two monethes, that I may go downe to the mountaynes and bewayle my virginity, I and my friendes.
38 And he ſayd. Go: And he ſent her away two monethes. So ſhe went with her frendes, and lamented her virginity vponupon the mountaynes.
39 But after the ende of two monethes ſhe returned to her father, who did to her accordyng to the vowe, whiche he had vowed. Wherfore ſhe had knowē no man, and it was a cuſtome in Iſrael.
40 The daughters of Iſraell went frō tyme to tyme to lament the daughter of Iiphtah the Gileadite, fower dayes in a yeare.
When he had gotten the victory agaynſt his enemyes, he returned home to Mizpa: for there he dwelled. And therfore we heard before how he made the couenant with the Gileadites before the Lord in Mizpa. Here let vsus note with howe great a moderation godly princes in thoſe tymes made warres, they prolonged them no longer then neceſſity required, but as ſoone as their enemyes wer tamed, they ſtrayghtway returned home. So alſo the dictator among the Romaynes, his enemyes beyng vanquiſhed and all thinges accompliſhed accordyng to his minde, he ſtraight way forſooke his office of a Magiſtrate. Iiphtah is ſayd not to hauehave had other children of himſelfe: bycauſe peraduenture he had by his wyfe children in lawe. Yea and he might hauehave children whiche were adopted. Of him ſelfe he had begotten onelyonly this daughter. And this is put in, that we might vnderſtande howe hearde and bitter it was vntounto hym, to ſlaye hys onelyonly daughter.Things nobly done of princes wer publiquely ſonge. She went out to mete her father by the waye with timbrelles and daunces, to reioyſe for hys victory, and to ſinge a ſonge of victorye, for ſo were the thynges that were nobly done by prynces wonte to be celebrated with daunces and ſonges. The mayden alſo when Saul returned, came and met hym with reioyſing. And vndoubtedly ſuche reioyſinges were nothyng elles then publique geuyng of thankes.
In that it is ſayd, thou haſt brought me lowe, In Hebrew it is expreſſed by this verbe Caraa: as thoughe it ſhould hauehave ben ſayd, thou haſt thruſt me done or thou haſt humbled me: of late I was puffed vp with the victory whiche I obteyned agaynſt myne enemyes, but thou haſt thruſt me downe, yea rather thou haſt vtterly deſtroyed me and brought me to nothyng, for as muche as my poſterity is vndone, myne enemyes did grieuouſly vexe me: and now thou my daughter alſo art one of them whiche trouble and afflicte me.
I hauehave opened my mouth. This is a circumſcription or deſcription of the vowe. He tare hys garmentes, after the manner of the Hebrues, when they ſawe that they were ouerwhelmed with any greuous calamity vnlooked for,What the fearyng of garmē tes ſignifieth. they tare theyr garmentes, ſignifyeng that they were now ſubiect vntounto the anger of God, and not worthy to be couered with garmentes. I hauehave opened my mouth (ſayth he.) The lawe of God in the booke of Numbers, the .30. chapter intreatynge of Vowes, vſeth ſuch a forme of ſpeakyng, whereby myght be vnderſtande,What to open the mouth in vowyng ſignifieth. that the vowe was conceaued, not onelyonly in mynde and purpoſe, but alſo outwardly expreſſed by wordes. Wherefore they were called calfes of the lippes, whiche a man had promiſed to God, not onelyonly in mynde, but alſo in voyce. And I can not go backe (ſayeth he.) It is meruelous why he ſhould ſay ſo. For in the laſt chapter of Leuiticus are many thynges wrytten of the redeemyng of vowes, whiche I wyll thus gather into a fewe. If any had vowed a man, it was lawfull to redeme hym with a pryce, and there was an eſtimation ſet. And therefore it was called the vowe of eſtimation. For they vowed either themſelues, or theyr ſeruauntes, or theyr children, and it was lawfull for eueryevery manne to vowe them which he had in hys power. From twenty yeares vpwarde to ſixty, they payd for the male fifty ſicles, for the female .30. From fyue yeares vpwarde to twenty, for the male they payd twenty ſicles, and for the female tenne. If a manne had vowed a houſe vntounto GOD, and would redeme it, the houſe was eſtemed, and the redemer added the fifth parte beſides the pryce. If a manne had vowed a fielde, the eſtimation was taken of the ſeede thereof, an Homer of Barly was eſteemed at fifty ſicles of Siluer. And how much nearer the yeare of Iubile was, ſo muche the more was there abated of the pryce. A cleane beaſt beyng once vowed ought vtterly to be ſacrificed, neither mought it be redemed: but if it had ben vncleane, it might hauehave ben redemed.
Wherefore ſeyng GOD did ſo diligently prouide for the redeemyng of vowes, howe doth Iiphtah ſaye, that hys vowe can not be reuoked? This maye bee aunſwered two wayes. Firſte it myght bee, that Iiphtah as he was a man of warre, ſo was he ignoraunte of this manner of redeemyng of vowes.Note the two manner of vowes. An other waye it maye bee aunſwered, that he promiſed not the vowe of eſtimation, but Cherem, that is a curſe. And thys kynde of vowe neuer returned to hys owner, neither could it be conuerted to a prophane vſe.Two kynds of the vowe Cherem. A fielde after thys manner dedicated, was alwayes appoynted for the tabernacle: yea and aſſes and horſes ſerued the Lorde, neyther could they be redemed. So if a man had vowed to be a Nazarite all hys lyfe tyme, he was neuer redemed: althoughe that were not in vſe. And vntounto thys kynde of vowe pertayned, if a man had made himſelfe Cherem, bycauſe he neuer returned into libertye. With ſuche a vowe was the City of Iericho bounde, neyther was it lawfull for the Iewes to touche any of the thyngs that were without life, pertaynyng to the City whiche were vnderunder this vowe. Therefore Achan ſinned moſt grieuouſly, whiche tooke to hymſelfe ſome parte thereof. But there was an other kynde of Cherem, whiche was not vowed but vowed to the death vntounto the Lorde, and what ſoeuer was after this maner vowed vntounto the Lord, the ſame ought without redemption to be ſlayn: ſo were the Amalekites vowed, and Saul moſt bitterly reprehended, bycauſe he had ſpared Agag their kyng, and ſaued ſome of their oxen on lyue. Wherfore it may be that Iiphtah vowed, that whatſoeuer thing met hym firſte out of hys houſe when he returned, ſhould be ſlayne. But he was very much deceaued: for thys kynde of vowe had not place, but in wicked men, and ſuch as were declared to be the enemyes of God: therefore he was not bounde by this lawe of vowes to ſlaye hys daughter. Wherefore in that he ſayeth, I can not call backe, if we vnderſtande it generally of vowes, it is not true, bycauſe it was lawful to redeme them, but if we hauehave a reſpect vntounto Cherem, the perſon vowed ought to be ſlaine, if the vowe had ben of force: whiche thing could not hauehave place in this mayden, bycauſe ſhe was not declared to be the enemy of God.
My father, If thou haſt opened thy mouth. The godlynes and obedience of this doughter is very much commended: ſhe obeyeth her father, and confirmeth the vowe. Do (ſayth ſhe) as thou haſt promiſed. For this was a great obedience, and therefore ſhe is prayſed of the fathers,Auguſtine. Ambroſe. Auguſtine I ſaye and Ambroſe. She mought hauehave iuſtly not obeyed, ſeyng her father had vowed ſo raſhely, but it eaſely appeareth, what ſhe had a reſpect vntounto, for it is added: Seyng the Lord hath auenged thee of thine enemyes. She had a regard onelyonly to the glory of GOD, as thoughe ſhe ſhould hauehave ſayd: Seing the Lorde hath geuen thee the victory ouer thyne enemyes, it is not greuous to me to dye. And God, ſeyng he hath heard thee, ſeemeth to hauehave allowed the vowe.
But here aryſeth a doubt: Why God heard this vowe, when as it was vnaduiſedly vowed. I aunſwere. I doubt not but that God gaue the victory: but that it was geuen for the vowe, it is not founde by the wordes of the Hyſtory: otherwiſe we ſhould be compelled to allowe this vowe. The daughter doth in deede obey the father, but in the meane tyme ſhe requireth a litle ſpace, namely of two monethes, that ſhe might together with her fellow virgins comfort her ſelf, and bewayle her virginity. But how is it ſayd: That ſhe would diſcend to the mountaynes? For we go vp to mountaynes, & not go downe. Peraduenture Iiphtahs houſe was ſituate vponupon a mountayne, and the mayden deſired leaue to diſcende to the litle hilles vnderunder it: or peraduenture ſhe aſked leaue to go to an other moū tayne, vntounto whiche ſhe ſhould go by a valley, and ſo we muſt vnderſtande that ſhe firſt diſcended,What was the bewayling of virginity. and then afterward aſcended. She bewayled her virginity. Bycauſe that ſeemed a heuy and lamentable thing, that a virgin ſhould dye, leauing no children behynd her. For it was a certayne curſe, if any dyed without children. God had at the begynnyng commaūded men to multiply and fill the earth. Farther, the Hebrues endeuored to augment the holy publique wealth. They hoped alſo that Meſſias ſhould be borne of their ſtocke.
Ambroſe. Two frendes of Pithagoras ſchoole.She returned at the tyme appoynted. Ambroſe ſayth: That thoſe two Pithagorians were muche to be prayſed, of whiche the one gaue hym ſelfe for a pledge for hys fellowe, whiche was condemned to death: and the other for hys friendes ſake faythfully returned to death at the tyme appoynted: but muche more is thys mayde to be commended, whiche after two monthes returned to her father, to be ſlayne, bycauſe ſhe ſeemed to do that onelyonly of a zeale to godlynes, and the worſhippyng of God.
And it was a cuſtome in Iſraell. The Hebrewe woorde is Choke and it ſignifyeth a lawe not written, but a cuſtome vnwrytten.
From tyme to tyme. That is from yeare to yeare: for it was a certayne yearely aſſemblye. This Hebrewe woorde Littenoth ſignifieth to ſpeake, to mourne, and to comforte. The doughters of Iſraell went eueryevery yeare and bewayled, and ſeemed to lamente, bycauſe that mayden was ſlayne: for they would not hauehave ſo great a thing to be put in obliuion. And peraduenture they did it to admoniſh the parentes, not to binde themſelues hereafter with ſuch a vowe.