Judges Chapter 11 verse 31 Holy Bible

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(31) Whatsoever cometh forth.--The true rendering undoubtedly is, Whosoever cometh forth (LXX., ? ?????????????; Vulg., quicunque). Nothing can be clearer than that the view held of this passage, from early Jewish days down to the Middle Ages, and still held by nearly all unbiased commentators, is the true one, and alone adequately explains the text: viz., that Jephthah, ignorant as he was--being a man of semi-heathen parentage, and long familiarised with heathen surroundings--contemplated a human sacrifice. To say that he imagined that an animal would "come forth of the doors of his house to meet him" on his triumphant return is a notion which even St. Augustine ridicules. The offer to sacrifice a single animal--even if we could suppose an animal "coming forth to meet" Jephthah--would be strangely inadequate. It would be assumed as a matter of course that not one, but many holocausts of animals would express the gratitude of Israel. Pfeiffer sensibly observes (Dub. vexata, p. 356): "What kind of vow would it be if some great prince or general should say, 'O God, if Thou wilt give me this victory, the first calf that meets me shall be Thine?'" Jephthah left God, as it were, to choose His own victim, and probably anticipated that it would be some slave. The notion of human sacrifice was all but universal among ancient nations, and it was specially prevalent among the Syrians, among whom Jephthah had lived for so many years, and among the Ph?nicians, whose gods had been recently adopted by the Israelites (Judges 10:6). Further than this, it was the peculiar worship of the Moabites and Ammonites, against whom Jephthah was marching to battle; and one who had been a rude freebooter, in a heathen country and a lawless epoch, when constant and grave violations of the Law were daily tolerated, might well suppose in his ignorance that Jehovah would need to be propitiated by some offering as costly as those which bled on the altars of Chemosh and Moloch. Human sacrifice had been "the first thought of Balak in the extremity of his terror" (Micah 6:7), and "the last expedient of Balak's successor" (2Kings 3:27)--Stanley, i. 358. If it be urged that after the great lesson which had been taught to Abraham at Jehovah-jireh the very notion of human sacrifice ought to have become abhorrent to any Israelite, especially as it had been expressly forbidden in the Law (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31, &c), one more than sufficient answer is that even in the wilderness Israel had been guilty of Moloch-worship (Ezekiel 20:26; Jeremiah 49:1; Melcom, Amos 5:26; Acts 7:43). The Law was one thing; the knowledge of it and the observance of it was quite another. During this period we find the Law violated again and again, even by judges like Gideon and Samson; and the tendency to violate it by human sacrifices lasted down to the far more enlightened and civilised days of Ahaz and Manasseh (2Chronicles 28:3; 2Chronicles 33:6). Indeed, we find the priests expressly sanctioning, even in the palmiest days of David's reign, an execution which, to the vulgar, would bear an aspect not far removed from human sacrifice, or (rather) which might easily be confused with the spirit which led to it (2Samuel 21:1-9). If, again, it be said that the possibility of Jephthah's being guilty of so rash and evil a vow is excluded by the phrase that "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him," such reasoning is to substitute idle fancies for clear facts. The Spirit of the Lord "clothed" Gideon, yet he set up an illegal worship. The "Spirit of the Lord" came upon Saul (1Samuel 19:23), yet Saul contemplated slaying his own son out of regard for no less foolish a vow (1Samuel 14:44). The "Spirit of the Lord" came upon David "from that day forward" on which Samuel anointed him (1Samuel 16:13), yet he could sink into adultery and murder. The phrase must not be interpreted of high or permanent spiritual achievement, but of Divine strength granted for a particular end. . . . Parallel Commentaries ...Hebrewthen whateverאֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer)Pronoun - relativeStrong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order thatcomes outהַיּוֹצֵ֗א (hay·yō·w·ṣê)Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularStrong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proximof the doorמִדַּלְתֵ֤י (mid·dal·ṯê)Preposition-m | Noun - fdcStrong's 1817: Something swinging, the valve of a, doorof my houseבֵיתִי֙ (ḇê·ṯî)Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singularStrong's 1004: A houseto greet meלִקְרָאתִ֔י (liq·rā·ṯî)Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singularStrong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way on my triumphantבְשָׁל֖וֹם (ḇə·šā·lō·wm)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 7965: Safe, well, happy, friendly, welfare, health, prosperity, peacereturnבְּשׁוּבִ֥י (bə·šū·ḇî)Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singularStrong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, againfrom the Ammonitesמִבְּנֵ֣י (mib·bə·nê)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural constructStrong's 1121: A sonwill belong toוְהָיָ֣ה (wə·hā·yāh)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singularStrong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, bethe LORD,לַֽיהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singularStrong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israeland I will offer it upוְהַעֲלִיתִ֖הוּ (wə·ha·‘ă·lî·ṯi·hū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singularStrong's 5927: To ascend, in, activelyas a burnt offering.”עוֹלָֽה׃ (‘ō·w·lāh)Noun - feminine singularStrong's 5930: Whole burnt offeringJump to PreviousAmmon Burned Burnt Burnt-Offering Children Door Doors House Jehovah's LORD's Meet Meeting Offer Offering Peace Sacrifice Surely Triumph Victorious Whatever Whatsoever