Jephthah

Jephthah , in the Book of Judges, a Hebrew raider, son of Gilead and a judge of Israel. He vowed if victorious over the Ammonites to sacrifice the first of his household to meet him on his return. His daughter was the price of this vow. He also masterminded a slaughter of neighboring Ephraimites. Jephthah is also mentioned in the New Testament book of Hebrews.

Jephthah in the Bible, a judge of Israel who sacrificed his daughter in consequence of a vow that if victorious in battle he would sacrifice the first living thing that met him on his return. A similar rash promise was made by Idomeneus in Greek mythology.

Jephthah An Israelite ‘Judge’ for six years, probably in the century before the establishment of the monarchy of Saul (c.1050 BCE). After a period of exile, Jephthah was recalled to Gilead by the elders and persuaded to lead an expedition against the marauding Ammonites. He accepted the responsibility but made a vow that if successful he would sacrifice to Yahweh whatever or whomever emerged first from his house to meet him (Judg. 11: 30–1). This proved to be his daughter. The vow took priority over his humanity and the girl was sacrificed after a delay of two months for lamentation for her virginity. The story is related as a rather shocking incident, which perhaps implies that human sacrifice practised amongst Israel's neighbours was normally unacceptable in Israel.

During an inter-tribal conflict with the Ephraimites (Judg. 12: 1–6) Jephthah instructed his men to use the word shibboleth, which their enemies could not pronounce, as a password (cf. Heb. 11: 32).