What About Jephthah’s Vow?



By Wayne Jackson
  

“In the Old Testament there is the record of ’Jephthah’s vow’ unto the Lord. There is a difference of opinion as to whether he actually carried out the literal vow to sacrifice his daughter. Can you please give me your opinion on this?”

One of the more troubling passages of the Old Testament has to do with a vow made by one of Israel’s judges, Jephthah, as recorded in Judges 11. Jephthah vowed to God that if the Lord would grant him victory over the evil Ammonites, the first thing that came out to meet him upon his return home, would be Jehovah’s, and/or it would be offered as a burnt sacrifice. When he arrived home, his daughter came out to greet him. He was devastated, but eventually he fulfilled the vow.
It is generally assumed this means that he did sacrifice her as an offering. Some conservative scholars argue vigorously that he fulfilled his vow and took her life (see Kaiser, pp. 193-195). Some of their arguments are as follows.

1. It is contended that almost all early writers believed that Jephthah did actually sacrifice his daughter. The idea that he dedicated her to perpetual virginity, it is said, commenced in the Middle Ages.
2. The era in which Jephthah lived was exceeding corrupt, and he was no different from the others of that age.
3. It is alleged that the grammatical construction of 11:31 allows only human sacrifice coming from his house, not an animal.
4. The actual sacrifice of his daughter is the most natural way to interpret the context.

Since Jephthah is depicted as one of the great heroes of the Old Testament era (Hebrews 11:32), some scholars feel that this involves the Bible in a moral difficulty.

Possible Considerations

There are two possible approaches to this problem. First, if Jephthah offered his daughter as a burnt sacrifice, he did so without God’s approval, for the law of Moses condemned human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:10). The writer of the book of Hebrews would not have endorsed that particular atrocity any more than he would have sanctioned Abraham’s lying (Genesis 12:10ff), or Rahab’s prostitution (Joshua 2:1ff). Reporting an event is not the equivalent of sanctioning it. The allusion in the book of Hebrews would reflect a characterization of Jephthah’s life of faith, viewed in its entirety, and would not discredit him simply because of an isolated (though horrible) act of sin, the fulfillment of a rash vow.
On the other hand, a number of prominent scholars (e.g., Edersheim, Archer, Geisler, etc.) believe that Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter as a burnt offering; rather, it is argued that he devoted her, as a virgin, to the service of Jehovah for the remainder of her life.
In support of this view, a number of arguments are proffered.

Human sacrifice against the law

Since human sacrifice was clearly a violation of divine law, does it seem likely that Jehovah would have granted Jephthah’s victory (Judges 11:32), knowing that such would result in a gross, pagan tragedy?

No condemnation

There is no condemnation of Jephthah’s act in the record of Judges or elsewhere. This seems rather strange in view of the fact that another judge’s heathen conduct is reprimanded (see the case of Gideon — Judges 8:27).

Idiomatic language

The “and” (Heb., vau) of verse 30 may be an idiom in the sense of “or” (cf. Exodus 21:15 in the LXX [v. 17 Eng. text] — “he who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death”). Thus, this Old Testament character may have been merely suggesting that whatever met him as he returned home would be dedicated to Jehovah, or, offered as a burnt offering — depending upon which was appropriate. See Dr. Hales’ comments (Clarke, p. 153).

The maiden’s behavior

The girl went into the mountains to bewail her virginity, not her impending death (11:37).
If she knew she was about to die, why did she spend the final two months of her life in mountain solitude, rather than remaining with her family (11:36-37)?

Puzzling language

Jephthah fulfilled his vow (11:39). If this meant he killed her, why was it necessary to add, “and she knew not [i.e., she was not intimate with] a man”?

Jephthah’s daughter: a heroine

Each year thereafter the daughters of Israel “celebrated” (the word can mean to “praise”; cf. “rehearse” — 5:11) Jephthah’s daughter (11:40). Would this have been the case had she voluntarily offered herself as a sacrifice in a pagan ceremony in plain violation of the will of God?
One respectable scholar, Goslinga, who contends that Jephthah did actually kill his daughter, concedes that the “perpetual virgin” view is also possible. He says that the fact that Jephthah continued in his judgeship after the incident favors this view. In fact, the law of Moses imposed the death penalty upon anyone who sacrificed one of his children to Molech (Leviticus 20:2).
If Jephthah had sacrificed his daughter — even to the Lord — it is difficult to see how many of the Israelites would not have strongly reacted against that atrosity. Goslinga says the Bible exegete must exercise caution in this regard, rather than being dogmatic (p. 396). For a balanced discussion of this incident, see McClintock & Strong (pp. 818-820). See also Douglas in: Fairbairn (III.215ff); Keil & Delitzsch (II.388ff).
Whatever view one takes of this strange incident, there is no necessity to charge the Bible with moral culpability.

Sources/Footnotes

• Archer, Gleason (1982), Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
• Clarke, Adam (n.d.), Clarke’s Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon), Vol. II.
• Fairbairn, Patrick. ed. The Imperial Bible Dictionary. London: Blackie & Son. 1876.
• Edersheim, Alfred (1890 ed.), Bible History (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.), III.
• Geisler, Norman and Howe, Thomas (1992), When Critics Ask (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books).
• Goslinga, C.J. (1986), Joshua, Judges, Ruth — Bible Student’s Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
• Kaiser, Walter C., et al. (1996), Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
• Keil, C.F. & F. Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1978.
• McClintock, John and Strong, James (1969 ed.), Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Grand Rapids: Baker), Vol. IV.

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Taken from: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1081-what-about-jephthahs-vow

How David came to command a Philistine contingent

 

Taken from John R. Salverda’s
David as Cadmus (Part One)

http://www.academia.edu/3856448/David_as_Cadmus_Part_One_

Another source of David’s army, a group of volunteers from Gath, called “Gittites” (also called “might men” or “Gibborim.” These Gittites are called Gibborim by the Septuagint and by Josephus.) may have served as an “inspirational” model for the Greek myth. David seems to have earned no small measure of respect amongst the Philistines, especially those of Goliath’s hometown Gath, this may be due to the giant’s, little noted, taunting pledge;

 

“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, . . . And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, . . . choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.” (1st Samuel 17:4-9).

 

These, the words of Goliath’s own mouth, may indeed have had something to do with the fact that David was able to find refuge among the Philistines at the city of Gath when King Saul had made him his enemy. David stayed with the Philistines for more than a year and was eventually made a commander of a Gittite contingent of the Philistine army. David retained the city of Ziklag and 600 soldiers from Gath who swore allegiance to him and were his faithful men. It is almost as if many of the Philistines from the city of Gath, the home town of Goliath, were honoring the pledge of their champion to serve under David in the event that he should kill Goliath. This is perhaps another way to understand how Cadmus could obtain soldiers from the teeth (his word) of the slain monster (Goliath).

 

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Jephthah's Daughter



 

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

In Judges 11, Jephthah vowed to God that if he were victorious in battle, he would give to God whoever came through the doors of his house upon his return from battle. The term used in 11:31 is ‘olah, the normal Hebrew word for a burnt offering or sacrifice (used 286 times in the Old Testament). Did Jephthah intend to offer his daughter as a human sacrifice? Are the ethics of God and the Bible shown to be substandard by this incident?
In the first place, if, in fact, Jephthah offered a human sacrifice, he did something that was strictly forbidden by Mosaic law and that is repugnant to God (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5; Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10). It would be a bit bizarre for Jephthah to think that he could elicit God’s favor in battle by promising to offer Him a human sacrifice, that is, to do something that was in direct violation of the will of God. Such a proposal would be equivalent to a person requesting God’s blessing and assistance by offering to rape women or rob banks. God certainly would not approve of such an offer—though He may go ahead and assist the individual (11:32). God allows people to make wrong choices, even while He works out His own higher will in the midst of their illicit actions. He can even use such people to achieve a higher good (consider, as one example, Judas). When Israel clamored for a king—in direct opposition to God’s will—He nevertheless allowed them to proceed with their intentions, and even lent His assistance in the selection (1 Samuel 8:7,18-19; 10:19; 12:19; Psalm 106:14-15; Hosea 13:11; Acts 13:21).
Second, if Jephthah offered his daughter as a human sacrifice, no indication is given in the text that God actually approved of the action. The Bible records many illicit actions carried out by numerous individuals throughout history, without an accompanying word of condemnation by the inspired writer. We must not assume that silence is evidence of divine approval. Even the commendation of Jephthah’s faith in the New Testament does not offer a blanket endorsement to everything Jephthah did during his lifetime. It merely commended the faith that he demonstrated when he risked going to war. Similarly, the Bible commends the faith of Samson, and Rahab the prostitute, without implying that their behavior was always in harmony with God’s will. Abraham manifested an incredible level of faith on several occasions, and is commended for such (Romans 4:20-21). Yet he clearly sinned on more than one occasion (Genesis 12:13; 16:4; 20:2ff.).
Third, Jephthah’s action may best be understood by recognizing that he was using ‘olah in a figurative sense. We use the term “sacrifice” in a similar fashion when we say, “I’ll sacrifice a few dollars for that charity.” Jephthah was offering to sacrifice a member of his extended household to permanent, religious service associated with the Tabernacle. The Bible indicates that such non-priestly service was available, particularly to women who chose to so dedicate themselves (e.g., Exodus 38:8). [Sadly, Eli’s sons were guilty of taking sexual liberties with them (1 Samuel 2:22).] Even in the first century, Anna must have been one woman who had dedicated herself to the Lord’s service, since she “did not depart from the temple” (Luke 2:37).
Several contextual indicators support this conclusion. First, the two-month period of mourning that Jephthah granted to his daughter was not for the purpose of grieving over her impending loss of life, but over the fact that she would never be able to marry. She bewailed her virginity (bethulim)—not her death (11:37). Second, the text goes out of its way to state that Jephthah had no other children: “[S]he was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter” (11:34). For his daughter to be consigned to perpetual celibacy meant the extinction of Jephthah’s family line—an extremely serious and tragic matter to an Israelite (cf. Numbers 27:1-11; 36:1ff.). Third, the sacrifice is treated as unfortunate—again, not because of any concern over her death, but because she would not become a mother. After stating that Jephthah “did with her according to his vow which he had vowed,” the inspired writer immediately adds, “and knew no man” (11:39). This statement would be a completely superfluous and callous remark if she had been put to death. Fourth, the declaration of Jephthah’s own sorrow (11:35) follows immediately after we are informed that he had no other children (11:34). Jephthah was not upset because his daughter would die a virgin. He was upset because she would live and remain a virgin.
Hannah made a similar sacrifice when she turned her son over to the priestly direction of Eli for the rest of his life (1 Samuel 1:11). How many are willing to make such sacrifices? Actually, however, these tremendous acts of devotion were no greater than that which God requires of all Christians: to offer ourselves as spiritual burnt-offerings in service to God (Romans 12:1).

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Taken from: http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=1273

Did Amenemope Plagiarise Proverbs of King Solomon?



Well, such is the opinion of writer Patrick Clarke who, in a revised chronology, locates Solomon some centuries before Amenemope:

Wisdom literature and the question of priority —Solomon's Proverbs or Amenemope's Instruction

 

JOURNAL OF CREATION

26(2) 2012

 

 

http://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j26_2/j26_2_50-56.pdf

How Did Paul Learn about Jannes and Jambres?

By Wayne Jackson

“In his second letter to Timothy, Paul referred to two men who ‘withstood’ Moses. He cites their names as Jannes and Jambres. Supposedly, these were the ‘magicians’ referred to several times in the book of Exodus (chapters 7-9). Since their names are not mentioned in the Old Testament, how could Paul possibly have had that information?”

In the first place, the fact that the names of the magicians that opposed Moses are not recorded in the Old Testament does not mean that they were unknown. There are many instances in the ancient record of antagonists whose names were not mentioned explicitly. There certainly is no literary rationale that would demand such.
The fact is, however, there are references to these names in the literature of antiquity. Albert Pietersma has noted that the two names “appear frequently in Jewish, Christian, and pagan sources extant in Arabic, Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin Old and Middle English, and Syriac” (The Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, New York: Doubleday, 1992, Vol. 3, p. 638).
Since Paul had a broad education in both Hebrew tradition (Galatians 1:14), and in secular literature (cf. Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12), he might very well have supplied the names from his own reservoir of knowledge (Acts 26:24) — under the supervision of the Holy Spirit of course. It is not inconsistent with a lofty concept of inspiration that a sacred writer might incorporate information from various sources into his narration. This is the very point that Luke made in the opening remarks of his Gospel account regarding Jesus.

“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus, that you might know the certainty concerning the things wherein you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-3 ASV; emphasis supplied).

The participle rendered, “having traced,” carries the idea of “pursuing, or investigating a matter” (Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964, Vol. I, p. 215).
Professor Norval Geldenhuys, who taught at both Princeton and Cambridge, described Luke’s research as follows.

Through long periods (during his travels along with Paul and also at other times) he made thorough researches concerning the Gospel stories so that he was able to set forth the actual course of events. He collected and studied all available written renderings of words and works of Jesus; wherever the opportunity was presented to him he discussed the Gospel stories with persons who possessed firsthand knowledge concerning Him. . . ” (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956, p. 53).

If then, the Spirit of God could guide Luke in the selection, organization, and recording of materials appropriate to his Gospel account, he similarly could have led Paul to incorporate the names of Jannes and Jambres into his letter to Timothy, from whatever source they were derived — be it oral or written.
Dr. Henry Thiessen once noted, regarding this particular point, that “the Holy Spirit supervised the selection of the materials to be used and the words to be employed in writing. [He] finally, preserved the authors from all error and from all omission” (H.C. Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949, p. 107).
The fact is, the names of Jannes and Jambres could have been revealed directly to the apostle, had God so chosen, though this may not be the most likely theory of what happened.
It simply is sufficient to say, it constitutes no problem that the names are not found in the Old Testament, but are present in Paul’s letter to Timothy.

About the Author

Wayne Jackson has written for and edited the Christian Courier since its inception in 1965. He has also written several books on a variety of biblical topics including The Bible and Science, Creation, Evolution, and the Age of the Earth, The Bible on Trial, and a number of commentaries. He lives in Stockton, California with his dear wife, and life-long partner, Betty.

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Taken from: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1006-how-did-paul-learn-about-jannes-and-jambres