Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · Judges · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
HEre Jephthah a Gileadite is made Captain of the warre against the Ammonites; and after Messages sent twice or thrice between him and the Ammonites, hee fighteth against them, and overcommeth: But first it is shewed V. 1, 2, 3.what hee was, viz. a mighty man of valour, but the son of an harlot, begotten by Gilead, and when the sons that hee had by his wife were grown up, they thrust him out, and hee went and dwelt in the Land of Tob, and there were vaine men gathered unto him, and he went out with them. Jephthah was called a Gileadite, saith Lyra, from the Countrey wherein hee was born, from his Lyra.Father, and from the City in which hee lived, which was Gilead, Chap. 12. but in this last he was mistaken, because Mizpeh is said to bee the City where hee dwelt, v. 34. And whereas hee is said to be the son of an harlot, the Hebrews, saith hee, render it, the son of an Inne-keeper; and the word here used, as also Iosh. 2. signifieth either. But the circumstances doe plainly shew, that shee was an harlot, and so Jephthah was a bastard. And herein the great grace of God appeared, in that he chose one so infamous by his birth, to bee a deliverer of his people, and to bee head over them. The generall Law was, That a bastard should not enter into the Congregation to the tenth generation; so Deut. 23.infamous was hee that was thus born, and a bastard inheriteth not his Fathers Land; which is so ordained, that mariage might bee had in honour, and fornication detested. But God chose Jephthah, notwithstanding his base beginning, that hee might appeare to bee gracious towards all, of how wicked Parents soever they come, if they doe not follow them in sinning for the son shall Ezek. 18.not bear the iniquity of the father. This Jephthah was godly, and not like his father, as appeareth, Heb. 11. where hee is registred in the catalogue of the most famous for their faith. He is said to bee a Gileadite, but not of what tribe; yet Josh. 17. 1.because Gilead, from whom the Gileadites had their name, was of Manasseh; it is generally held that hee was of Manasseh. For his father Gilead, hee was not that Gilead the son of Machir the son of Manasseh, for his time doth not agree, but another man of that name. The sons of Gilead being grown up, thrust him out of his fathers house, because hee was the son of a strange woman, Hebr. of another woman, but hereby an harlot is meant. It is not said whether their father were living or dead when they did this, but it is most likely that hee was dead, otherwise hee would not have suffered it. And it seemes they did this by offering violence, because it is said, that he fled from them. Thus Ferus.proudly they that have preheminence in the flesh beare themselves towards others, Note. that are outwardly base and contemptible, but afterwards they were glad to seek to him, that wee may learne not to bee proud for outward priviledges, nor to contemn the vilest, for they that are vile before men, sometimes are great before God. And Jephthah dwelt in the land of Tob: where Tob was, is uncertaine, but Iosephus and Adrichomius say, that it was in those parts beyond Iordan. H. Bunting saith, it was in the half tribe of Manasseh, 104 miles from H. Bunting Patria. travailesIerusalem, and that it was a pleasant and fruitfull place, according to the name, Tob, good. And there were gathered vaine men to Jephthah. The Vulg. Latine hath it, Poore men and robbers. Whereupon Jephthah in that book of Questions upon the Old Testament, ascribed to Augustine, Qu. 43. is called a Captain of robbers, and a most wicked man, and void of all goodnesse. But as Lyra acknowledgeth, Lyrathe word [robbers] is not in the Hebrew; and if Jephthah were a Captain of such, hee did in those times of warre onelyonly lead them against the enemies to rob and to spoile them, as David afterwards did the like, 1 Sam. 27. Some say, that souldiers were of old called latrones, which wee english robbers, Vat…o.because they stood to their Captaines à latere, by his side; or did weare swords ad latera, by their sides. But to discourse no more about this, because it is neither in the Hebrew nor Septuagint. The word rendred vaine men, is the same before used, Chap. 9. 4. poore men, and void of meanes, and so happily they, with Jephthah their Captain, took spoiles from the enemy, and that not without some skirmishing, whereby Jephthah came to bee famous for his valour.
And it came to passe in processe of time, that the children of Ammon made warre V. 4.with the children of Israel, &c. The Vulg. Latine, In those dayes the children of Ammon, &c. the Septuagint, after dayes; Junius, after those dayes or yeares; that Junius.is, saith hee, the 18 yeares of their oppression before spoken of: the Hebrew word is foreign after dayes, that is, after the time before-mentioned, that Iephthah was cast out, the Ammonites were gathered together, as Chap. 10. 17. not content to spoile the children of Israel in all places, as they had before done; but thinking now at once to destroy and bring the Country under, which they pretended had been taken from them, as v. 13. But there was a secret Providence, whereby they were thus gathered together to their owne greater destruction, now that the Lord inclined to shew mercy to his people after their serious humiliation. Wherefore a great battail being now to bee fought, they seek to Jephthah to bee their Captain, of whose valour they had heard; this motion comming doubtlesse of the Lord, as appeareth by his Spirit given unto him, v. 29. But Jephthah at the first upbraideth them by their former hatred V. 7, 8, 9, 10.of him, saying, Yee expelled mee out of my fathers house, and doe yee now seek unto mee in your distresse? wherein they confesse themselves guilty; and now to make him amends, offer him to bee their Head; upon which condition hee goeth with them. It is said before onelyonly, that his fathers sonnes drave him out; but here, that this was objected to the Elders of Gilead, as if done by them. To this Lyra answereth, that it is likely his brethren were some of these LyraElders that came unto him; and that he was not expelled without the consent of the Elders of the City, giving judgement against him.
They promise to make him head of all the Gileadites, and so they did v. 11. that is, of all on the other side of Iordan, of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. For the other tribes, they could promise nothing, but it appeareth, that after his victory, and the Ephraimites chastised for their insolency, hee was Judge over all Israel, Chap. 12. 7. and therefore he is reckoned with other Judges, 1 Sam. 12. 11. whom God sent them. And Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh. These words were the words of Covenant betwixt Jephthah and the men of Gilead, that hee should be their Head from thence forward, and fight for them, and that they should bee obedient unto him and his command. They had sworn before to him, v. 10. and now he sweareth to them when what in Mizpeh, the place of their assembling, hee was constituted their Head; and because an oath is a calling of God to witnesse, he is said to have uttered the words of his Oath before the Lord, and not for that the Tabernacle Iosh. 18. Benfrerius.was there, for that was in Sbiloh. Some think that these words were words of Prayer uttered by Jephthah, before he attempted this war: and some, words of inquiring of the Lord by the High Priest arrayed in his Priestly habit and pectorall, touching the successe of this battail: but because Jephthah was not yet upon the point of going to battail against the Ammonites, but sent first to expostulate with the King of Ammon, these are but improbable conjectures.
Jephthah being made Head of the Gileadites, now sendeth to the King of Ammon, V. 12, 13.to know the reason of this invasion; who answereth, that Israel had taken his Land from him, from Arnon to the river Iabbock and to Iordan. But V. 14, 15.Jephthah replyeth, that they tooke nothing from Edom, Moab, or Ammon, whose V. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.Countreys lay one by another, but passed peaceably by them, and then comming to Sihons Countrey, who was King of the Amorites, hee resisting them in their passage, they fought against him, and tooke and possessed his Country from Arnon to Jabbock, God giving it unto them. Of this, see Numb. 21. 24. and that the land of Sihon then taken by Israel had been the land of Moab, Ammons brother in times past, but long before conquered by the Amorites. And of their kind dealing with the Ammonites, Deut. 2. But why doth the King of Ammon challenge Israel for taking away his land? when as we do not read, Numb. 21. that it was the land of the Ammonites, but of the Moabites, before that Sihon tooke it. But that part of it had been the Ammonites, it appeareth, Iosh. 13. 25. where the coast of Gad is said to bee half the Land of the children of Ammon; and it may bee that the King that now reigned over Ammon, was King of Moab also; and this is intimated, v. 24. where Kemesh, which was the God of the Moabites, is said to bee his God, for Melchom was the God of the Ammonites, as hath been shewed, Chap. 10. 6. and therefore hee challengeth this Numb. 21. 29. 1 Sam. 11. 7. Lyra. Cajetan. Carthus. Ferus. Serrarius.Land to be all his, both by the right of Moab and Ammon; thus Lyra, Cajetan, and Carthusianus. But some thinke that the King of Ammon spake untruly, and pretended a right to this Countrey onelyonly for a colour of justice to his warre now undertaken. But if so, Jephthah would have answered him accordingly; but because hee doth not, it is plaine that hee and the people under him had sometime a right unto it, and therefore I preferre the former resolution. We may see here in Jephthah a great deale of wisdome and moderation, in that before Note. hee entreth upon this warre, hee sendeth to treat peaceably of the cause; so it is commanded, Deut. 20. and love requireth, that warre should not bee made, but upon meere necessity, nor subjects lives hereby put in danger, as Augustus Caesar said, I had rather save one subject, then kill a thousand enemies.
Wilt not thou possesse that which Chemosh thy God giveth thee, &c. Jephthah having cleared the Israelites from the imputation of wrong doing to the Ammonites, V. 24.by relating truly the order of their proceedings, now useth divers arguments to make the Ammonites to desist from this warre: 1. Because God, whose all Countreys are, had given Israel this Countrey; and if their God Chemosh being in their opinion a God, and so such an one as to whom they ascribed the giving of them such places as they obtained, should give them any Countrey, they would make no doubt but to hold that; so, and much more would Israel hold and possesse the Countreys given them by the true God. And thus Lyra Lyra.expoundeth it, which Chemosh thy God possesseth, or maketh thee to possesse, that is, in thy opinion. And herein Jephthah had reference to the conquests of the Ammonites and Moabites of old made in that Countrey, which now they held: for they attained it by expelling the former inhabitants, Deut. 2. 10, 20, 21. and this victory whereby they got that land into their possession, they impiously ascribed to an Idol, according to which Jephthah here speaketh, and seeing they held what they had gotten by the sword, there was as good reason that the Israelites should doe likewise. 2. Jephthah reasoneth from the long time that Israel had possessed this Countrey, even 300 yeares; neither did Balak the King V. 25, 26.of Moab ever strive with them about it, although hee had as good right, and was as great a King as he that now reigned; and he meaneth not onelyonly Balak, but the Kings succeeding him in all that time, but hee nameth him, because hee reigned at the time that the Israelites first possessed that Countrey; and therefore if hee had had any right, would doubtlesse at the beginning have stood for it. Touching the number of yeares here spoken of by Jephthah, they were not, saith Lyra, precisely 300, but 267: for onelyonly 480 yeares passed from the 1 King. 6.comming of the Israelites out of Egypt untill Tolam 4 yeare, and of these here 174 from Iephthah, and before the taking Sihons Country 39. being together 213. which deducted out of 480, there remaine but 267. Some to justifie Melchior CanusJephthah, say, that the times of their oppressions are also to bee reckoned; but so not 300, but 340 would bee found at the least, and the account can by no meanes agree with 1 King. 6. wherefore it is better to hold with others, that Iephthah made the most of the time of quiet possession, which hee pleaded for, and stood not precisely upon the just number of yeares, but they being almost 300 hee mentioned this number, as being most full and compleat; upon these premises. Iephthah concludeth, that hee sinned not against the King of Ammon, nor yet the children of Israel, but that hee did them V. 27.apparent wrong in invading their Countrey, which hee prayeth God to judge.
And the Spirit of God came upon Jephthah, and hee passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and Mizpeh, and from Mizpeh to the children of Ammon. Hee went V. 29. Hugo Ca…din. V. 30. V. 31.through all these places to gather an Army, and so came upon his enemies.
Then Jephthah vowed a vow to the Lord and said, If thou wilt without faile deliver the children of Ammon into my hands: then it shall bee that whatsoever cometh to meet mee out of my house, when I returne in peace, shall bee the Lords, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering: Jephthah being now ready to goe to battaile seeketh helpe of God by vowing unto him a burnt-offering, but for so much as hee vowed not any thing certaine, but that, which should first come out of the doore of his house to meet him, it is questioned, whether hee did not rashly and indiscreetly in making this vow, and whether hee did indeed offer up his daughter for a burnt-offering, because shee came first out to meete him? The Fathers generally condemne Jephthah for making this vow, and performing it. Ambros. Ambros. lib. 1. officiorum capult. Tertull. Chrysost. Anastasius. Nakianzen. Theodoret. Procopius.saith, hee made it rashly, and the performance of it was paricide. Tertullian calleth him a mad man for vowing that to God, which hee abhorred. Chrysost. saith, that hee was moved by the suggestion of the Devil. Nazianzen saith, it was a rash vow. Anastasius Nicenus, that nothing was more wicked, then it. Theodoret, that it was a foolish promise. Procopius calleth it evill, unjust and impious, and ascribeth it to the Devills suggestion through pride and vaine-glory. For any living thing might not bee offered in sacrifice to God, for no uncleane beast might be offered, nor man-kinde; but at his returne, Deut. 12. 30, 31, 32who more likely to come out to meete him, and to congratulate his victory, then his wife or his daughter, he having no more children; or his dog, whose nature is to run and fawn upon his Master? touching any beast that was cleane and fit for sacrafice, hee could not expect the coming forth thereof out of his house, as being a thing unusuall. It was therefore a most rash vow, and unlawfull to be made, and therefore ought not to have bin performed. But some argue that Jephthah is said immediately before to have had the Spirit of Serrarius. Sallianus. Hieronym epist. ad Iulian. Iephtah obtulit filiam virginem, ideo{que} in enumeratione sanctorum ab apostolo pesitus est.God to come upon him, therefore what hee did herein was by the instinct of the spirit, as when Abraham was bidden to sacrifice his son Isaack, being otherwise unlawfull, but then to him lawfull. And as Samson by the like instinct pluckt the house downe upon his owne head together with the Philistims, thus voluntarily killing himselfe. Againe God heard his prayer, when hee made this vow, and shewed his approbation thereof by giving him victory; neither is he any where blamed for this fact, but commended as one of Gods worthyes, Heb. 11. Wherefore they hold both that his vow was lawful, and that in sacrificing his daughter he did lawfully. For that he did sacrifice her, is the common tenet of the ancient Fathers, as of Tertullian lib. 3. contra Marcion. Tertull. Origen, Nazianzen, Iustin Martyr. Sulpitius, Chrysostom, Rupertusc. 4. Origen, Nazianzen, in orat. de laude Maccabaeorum. Justin Martyr, qu. 99. Severus Sulpitius, Chrysostom, Rupertus, Hugo de Sancto victore, Isidor, Tostatus, Josephus, &c. But they generally taxe him therefore, as hath beene already shewed. But some contrariwise hold, that hee did not offer her up in sacrifice, but onelyonly gave her to God to serve him in fasting and prayer in perpetuall virginity, being separated from the common condition of others, after the manner of votaryes, as R. David, Lyranus, Arias Montanus, Vatablus, Estius, Pagninus, Junius, &c. And Junius saith, that R. David, Lyra, Arias Montanus, Vatablus, Iuniusshee was made a Nazarite for ever, but out of the ignorance of the law in those corrupt times, the Father holding, that his vow must necessarily be thus kept, and the daughter beleeving the father and therefore confirming it by her consent, and so shee was not redeemed, as shee ought to have beene, Levit. 27. 1, 2, 3, 4. &c. Their reasons are 1. because the vow was made by a disjunctive particle, it shall bee the Lords, or I will offer it, that is, if it bee fit for sacrifice, for thus foreign the particle expounded and may be rendred, as Gen 26. 11. Exod 1 10. 21. 15. 2. Because it is not said, that he offered her in sacrifice but did unto her according to his vow, that is, not being fit for sacrifice, heconsecrated her to God, to live a perpetuall Virgin. 3. Because shee desired to goe to the mountaines two moneths to bewaile her virginity, not her untimely death. 4. Because the word rendred to lament, v. 40. signifyeth also to speake unto, or to talke with, the daughters of Israel went 4 dayes in a yeare foreign to sp…ake unto and to comfort the daughter of Jephthah, which they could not have done, if shee had beene killed and offered in sacrifice. Thus I have shewed the diversity of opinions touching this matter, but which to follow I can hardly resolve: for the intent of Iephtah in vowing seemeth plainly to have beene to offer an extraordinary sacrifice unto God of one most deare unto him, and therefore not of any beasts, which had beene too small a matter to vow in this case of so great moment, but of Wife, Daughter, or Servant, to whom it was proper to come out of the doores of his house to meete him, and it is said, that hee did according to his vow, wherefore it seemeth, that hee sacrificed her, and not separated her onelyonly as one devoted unto God. And on the other sid the Arguments brought seeme to bee strong, that hee did not sacrifice, but separate her, and if hee had intended or attempted to doe otherwise, there were men doubtlesse expert in the law, that in the two moneths respit would have advised him to the contrary, it being a thing, that the mercifull God doth so much detest, that humane blood, which the Devill delighteth in, should be shed to him in sacrifice. But because it is expresly said, that hee did unto her according to his vow, which must bee understood of his intention in vowing, this allegation to the contrary is vaine, and because wee never read of any woman under the Old Testament, that lived in perpetuall virginity, herein to serve God, no not of any Nazarite, such as shee is pretended to have beene made, that by reason hereof lived apart, man without woman, or woman without Numb. 6.a man, for this was none of the conditions required in a Nazarite; I rather assent to that most ancient tenet, that Iephthah did sacrifice his daughter, but herein I cannot be carryed with the current of most of the Fathers to hold, that hee was rash and foolish in making this vow and impious in performing it, because hee is said to have had the Spirit of God to guide him, had such successe hereupon, and is no where blamed, but highly commended, Heb. 11. Hee vowed thus then by the instinct of the Spirit, and out of a most pious resolution even against naturall affection hee performed it, the conscience of so sacred a tye urging him hereunto, as Abraham sometime Hieronym. in Jer. 7.prepared to doe the like upon Gods command to his sonne Isaac; wherefore Jerom saith, not the sacrifice of Iephthah, but the minde of the offerer is praised. As for the reasons alledged to prove, that hee did but devote his daughter to the Lord, they are easily answered. 1. That foreign here cannot be put for or, because hee meant not any thing usually offered in sacrifice, but mankind, as hath beene shewed, and so the second argument falleth also. 3. Shee bewailed her Virginiry, because it was a reproach in those dayes to dye childlesse. Lastly, the word foreign signifieth as well to lament, as to speake unto. If it bee demanded how it could bee that God should move to such a sacrifice, so contrary to his owne Law, or be so cruell to an innocent Virgin? I answer, seeing all men and women must dye, it was no cruelty in God, at whose liberty it is to take away this life, when and how hee pleaseth; as neither in suffering his holy Martyrs to bee cruelly butchered and slaine by the hands of persecuters, for hee both can, and doth make abundant recompence for such sufferings, in his heavenly Kingdome. If therefore hee would have this done in a mystery, and hereby try the love and obedience of Iephthah, who can or dare blame him therefore? Iephthah did mystically set forth Christ; as Iephthah, so hee was Hugo Cardin.cast out of his brethren the Jewes, as the sonne of an harlot, and a deceiver; as Iephthah signifieth apertion or opening, so hee openeth the understanding and the way of life; as hee fled into the land of Tob, and poore men gathered unto him, so Christ and his Gospel being rejected by the Jewes, hee went by his Apostles to the Gentiles, whose Land was a good Land, as Tob signifieth, because they brought forth fruit abundantly, and there the people that slocked unto him, were such as before time were vaine men, and poore, because wicked and empty of all goodnesse. The Gileadites that seek to him to bee their Head against the Ammonites, are Christians by repentance turning to him, both of the Jewes and Gentiles against Heretiques and other enemies: for many Jewes seeing the signes after his death, were converted, and there shall be a turning one day of that Nation, Hos. 3. 4, 5. 2 Cor. 3. Rom. 9. the sacrificing of his daughter, a Virgin, was Christs sacrificing of his humane nature, pure and spotlesse as a pure Virgin: the Virgins from yeare to yeare lamenting this, are Christians keeping the remembrance of Christs passion yearely with griefe and sorrow. Thus Hugo, and Isidor, and Augustine, who although hee inclineth Isidor.rather to blame Iephthah, yet he saith, that hee might happily be moved therein by the Spirit of God, and that for some great mystery, and then who dares blame him for errour? Ferus also acknowledgeth the same mystery, but condemneth Ferus.the vow and fact of Iephthah, and yet hee saith, no man ever durst determine whether Iephthah did well or ill herein, because it is uncertaine whether hee did it by the motion of Gods Spirit, or of his owne minde, seeing this is not revealed. Whereas in justification of Iephthah it is said, that the Spirit of God came upon him, and hee is commended, Heb. 11. hee saith, the like is said of Gedeon, yet his setting up of an Ephod was a sinne, and of David, but hee sinned by adultery; so although Iephthah were an holy man, hee was not free from sinne, but hee doubtlesse repented of it and was saved. And hee laboureth to prove, that hee sinned in making this vow, because when Abraham was moved by God in the like, hee hindered him from sacrificing his sonne Isaac, but hee suffered Iephthah to sacrifice his daughter; the one hee commanded to kill his sonne, and suffered him not, to commend his obedience; the other vowing it of his owne head, hee suffered to kill his daughter to deterre all others from rash vowes; thus hee: but the examples brought of Gedeon and David prove nothing touching Iephthah, for their sins were taxed and punished, but so was not Jephthah, but blessed after his vow, and praised after the execution. And there was a diverse mystery in Abrahams fact, and in Jephthah's, for which God dealt with them diversly: Abraham was stayed from sacrificing his sonne, to shew that Christs Deity suffered not. Jephthah was not stayed from sacrificing his daughter, to shew that Christ should suffer in his humanity. Or as Ferus hath it, that hee should assigne the Church to sufferings by the hands, of persecuters, and thus to bee, as it were, sacrificed to his glory. The daughter of Jephthah, so willingly submitting her selfe to bee done to, as her father had vowed, may be an example of obedience to Parents to all children.