Jephthah's Daughter (page 5)

Balsam

I did extensive research on this from both Jewish & Christian thought. Many biblical scholars said that the story was cleaned up to make it more pallitable for later generations. Jephthah's daughter was sacrificed probably by slitting her throat then sacrificing her by fire. In the time period it took place many nations believed in human sacrifice so this wasn't all that unusual for people to sacrifice their children to their gods believing their gods wanted that ultimate sacrifice. Jacob nearly did the same thing to Issac, but this time Jacob believed that God stopped him.

Something I try to keep in mind is that this what Jephthah did believing that is what God wanted him to do but not what God really wanted. It has been an ongoing problem for most of humanity trying to figure out just what God wants from us.

Ruth

transhuman68

Reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, page 243. "At the end of this time she meekly returned, and Jephthah cooked her. God did not see fit to intervene on this occasion."

Ya gotta love the Old Testament.

blondie

Notice the trigger words in this quote from 2007:

*** w07 5/15 pp. 9-10 Jephthah Keeps His Vow to Jehovah ***Is Jephthah really going to sacrifice his daughter? No. That cannot be what he has in mind. Jehovah detests literal human sacrifice, one of the wicked practices of the Canaanites. (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31) Not only was God’s spirit acting upon Jephthah when he made his vow but Jehovah also blessed his endeavors. The Scriptures speak well of Jephthah for his faith and for the role he played in connection with the divine purpose. (1 Samuel 12:11; Hebrews 11:32-34) So a human sacrifice—a murder—is completely out of the question. What, then, was Jephthah thinking when he vowed to offer a person to Jehovah?

Jephthah evidently meant that he would devote the one whom he met to the exclusive service of God. The Mosaic Law provided for the vowing of souls to Jehovah. For instance, women served at the sanctuary, perhaps drawing water. (Exodus 38:8; 1 Samuel 2:22) Little is known about such service or even whether it was usually permanent. Jephthah apparently had such special devotion in mind when making his vow, and it seems that his promise implied permanent service.

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I always thought long about this. The bible doesn't even give her name which is frequent in the bible: Noah's wife. her daughters-in-laws...

(Judges 11:30-31) . . .Then Jeph´thah made a vow to Jehovah and said: "If you without fail give the sons of Am´mon into my hand, 31 it must also occur that the one coming out, who comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Am´mon, must also become Jehovah’s, and I must offer that one up as a burnt offering."

Notice more trigger points

*** w66 7/1 pp. 413-414 Judge Jephthah and His Vow ***Moreover, we have seen how he kept taking notice of Jehovah. This quality helps us to understand why he made this vow. Why? No doubt because he had such a great desire that Jehovah’s cause be victorious that he was willing to sacrifice anything for it, be what it may. Jehovah certainly was very real to him! Besides, do we not read that ‘Jehovah’s spirit came upon Jephthah’ shortly before he made this vow? It is therefore reasonable to conclude that what Jephthah vowed was entirely in harmony with God’s holy spirit.

It, therefore, does not seem reasonable to conclude that Jephthah intended to offer up literally whoever came out to meet him as a burnt offering. Such a course would go against God’s law about the sanctity of human life and would be the only instance in the whole Bible where a human was actually sacrificed by another person who had God’s approval. Rather, it seems reasonable to conclude that what Jephthah intended, and what he did, was that whoever came out to meet him was to be dedicated to God’s service and that he used the expression "burnt offering" merely as a figure of speech.—Gen. 9:6.

He could not have thought that some animal would come out to meet him, as some claim, for he said that "the one coming out . . . of the doors of my house to meet me" he would offer up, and the Israelites did not keep lower animals in their houses—not even dogs, which some people today keep as pets! So he must have had in mind either a servant or a relative and that it might even be his only child, his beloved daughter. But regardless of the cost, he was willing to pay it if Jehovah would only grant him the victory!

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Who really paid the cost? His daugher. She was said to be his only child...but Jewish men could marry several women and could have children far into old age. So what was his loss; after all women couldn't inherit anything.

Would it be any different for God to look past this when he later looked past David's adultery with Bath-sheba and arranging the murder of her husband. David and Bathsheba both should have been put to death under the Law but were not. God's holy spirit was said to continue on David after that. Who was punished, David's wives and family were, the child died but they continued to live. There was no provision for "mercy" under the Law. Why could not the same God who did this, look past what Jephthah did?

transhuman68

Thanks Blondie. I found this at Wiki: it contradicts the WTS interpretation:

Flavius Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, writes that "he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering: offering such an oblation as was neither conformable to the law, nor acceptable to God; not weighing with himself what opinion the hearers would have of such a practice."

OnTheWayOut

The WT interpretation assumes the Bible won't "contradict" itself. HA HA.
Maybe the author of other scriptures wrote that EL or YAH hated the human sacrifices of the Canaanites, but this is the book of Judges.
Judges seemed to be a collection of all the stories of the various "tribes" of Israel, regardless of any contradictions.

It was possibly, highly likely (does that sound like WTS?) a way for the editors to make the scriptures acceptable to all the people of the land of Canaan and get them to think they were "one people."

metatron

First, the context of Judges is a problem for the 'virgin at the sanctuary' theory. The theme of the book is 'there was no king in Israel and each one would do what was right in his own eyes'.

Second, it makes sense to have this account in the Bible as a warning never to break a vow or solemn promise. This is a very big deal in an ancient tribal society.

What really clinched it for me was a commentary ( Jerusalem Bible?) that said the very 'terseness of the account argues that something happened which the author doesn't want to talk plainly about' . If she was saved by being a virgin at the sanctuary, the account would have plainly said so, otherwise people would conclude the worst happened. Given that absence, only one possibility remains.

metatron

sirlibz

Hello Brothers and sisters from around the World. Am a brother from Nigeria.
Earlier today, I saw a post by @Amluli inious asking if Jehovah really accepted the sacrifice of a poor virgin(the daughter of Jephthah) His reason being that the father himself said that he will offer anyone that comes out of his house first as a burnt offering.
I can't find the post I would have replied directly.
JEPHTHAH DAUGHTER (Judges 11:30-40)
That vow he made in the bible rises 2 points.
1) The one who comes out will be Jehovah's( meaning belonging to Jehovah)
2) He/she/it will be offered as a burnt offering.
There is a flexibility `vav' conjunctive linking two statements there normally known as`and' this vav could also be stated as `or' thereby meaning `So that whatever or whoever comes out would be dedicated to Jehovah,and only should it prove appropriate, would be sacrificed'
Now that is one point showing that Jephthah could have mearnt that if an animal came first then it would be sacrificed but if a human,that he/she would serve Jehovah eternally.

JEPTHAS DAUGHTER
1) Annually or yearly people lamented over Jephthahs daughter (11:39).This could mean that they were speaking to Her,implying that she is still alive. This can be compared with Hanna's case(1sam.1:3;2:19).
2) She overly emphasized on Her Virginity. Points to consider
* She asked permission to be allowed to go the mountain she with her companions for two months. What for??, The bible says over her Virginity (not her Death)for 2months
* Her friends also cried with her not over her death but rather her Virginity (take note)
* The bible says she never knew any Man(that's a strange thing to Say after recording the sacrifice of a Virgin because if she died or was killed by her father,we know she never knew any man because she was a virgin, so what's the point of the scripture saying it again??)
In all of these,no mention of death is Made rather that of Her Virginity which signifys one who is serving Jehovah.
Hope itz OK.

Crazyguy

Bottom line the word for burnt offering was used the same exact word when Abraham was to kill issac. I too believe this story was just cleaned up a bit over time justbkuke the story of Sampson. Josephus wrote that Sampson was a retelling of the Hercules story it to was later changed just a bit.

Diogenesister

Have those Watchtower boobies not realised that by extracting themselves from one hole, they've buried themselves in another?

If she wasn't burnt on the alter, it means their revered " pure worship" apparently now has *preistesses*!

Since we love working on " Bible principals" isn't it high time, therefore, lady elders were a thing?

Vidiot

OnTheWayOut - "The WT interpretation assumes the Bible won't 'contradict' itself."

Evidently, they haven't actually read it.

(although one might argue that they did and the contradictions they ran into were a big part of their motivation to retool it )

Jephthah's Daughter

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