Introduction
There is no character in Judges so denigrated and misunderstood as Jephthah. The usual caricatures of rashness and semi-paganism have been heaped on Jephthah enough times so that his true character is buried under the rubble of misinterpretation and defamation. The biblical data clears such rubble; Jephthah earns the endorsement of Samuel (1Sa 12:11) and is enlisted in the hall of faith (Heb 11:32). Both Testaments agree that in Jephthah we have a hero, not a villain.
The chapter dedicated to Jephthah opens with his being “a mighty man of valour” (11:1);1 he sits alongside worthies like Gideon (6:12), David (1Sa 16:18) and Boaz (Rut 2:1), who all receive the same epithet.
Jephthah occupies rarefied space with Othniel (Jdg 3:10), Gideon (6:34) and Samson (14:6) as the only men who were empowered by the Spirit of God in their service (11:29).
Contrast with Abimelech
Interestingly, the author of Judges draws many parallels of contrast between him and Abimelech. If the latter was a godless sinner, the former, by contrast, was a God-fearing saint. Abimelech and Jephthah parallel one another geographically: they occupy the same latitude either side of the Jordan – Abimelech in Shechem on the west, Jephthah in Mizpah on the east. They also contrast chronologically: Abimelech was three years in the limelight (9:22), Jephthah was “some time” in the shade (11:4 JND).
They both had questionable births. Abimelech was illegitimate by birth (8:31) and lived an illegitimate life. His birth determined his life, as it often does in the biblical record. Jephthah, by parallel, had a shameful birth (11:1), but lived as an honourable judge. Abimelech resented his brothers and executed them (9:5); Jephthah forgave his brethren and was reconciled to them (11:7-8,11). Abimelech actively hired vain men (9:4); Jephthah, like David, attracted vain men in the days of exile (1Sa 30:22), turning the rabble into a band that carried out exploits on the enemy (Jdg 11:3). His exploits in Tob clearly marked him out as a leader and man of courage. This is why the elders summoned him back to fight Ammon (vv5-6). Abimelech is the archetypal villain that destroys his own people; Jephthah is the exiled hero that saves his people from Ammon. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Pro 29:2). Abimelech was a self-made dictatorial king in contravention of biblical law (Deu 17:14); Jephthah was a tribal chief, acting as a faithful head (Exo 18:25; Num 1:4) that unified and directed the body under him. Abimelech is a man of relatively few words and blood-thirsty action; Jephthah is a man of wise, diplomatic words (Jdg 11:12-28) before justly wielding the sword. Abimelech receives an evil spirit (9:23); Jephthah, the Holy Spirit (11:29). Abimelech is shamed by a woman at the end of Judges 9; Jephthah is honoured by his daughter at the end of Judges 11. All of this proves that the author of Judges is drawing a contrasting parallel between the two men. If Abimelech was a man of depravity, it follows that Jephthah was a man of virtue and integrity.
Commendable Character
The author also shows the judge on earth mirroring the Judge in heaven (11:27). Judges 10 shows how Israel treated the Judge, while Judges 11 shows how Gilead treated Jephthah. The sequence is as follows: Judges forsaken (10:6; 11:2), Ammon oppressing (10:8; 11:4), Israel / Gilead appealing (10:10; 11:5), the LORD / Jephthah protesting (10:11-14; 11:7), further appeal (10:15; 11:8), and then grief (10:15; 11:35). This further vindicates Jephthah as a ruler who resembles and reflects the character of God. The judge on earth reflects the Judge in heaven.
Jephthah not only resembles God in his actions, but his words are marked by deep reverence. Fourteen times the name Jehovah is used in Judges 11, and seven times Jephthah speaks of or to the LORD directly. This is more than any other judge. Far from being rash, his words are marked by godly fear. Some modern commentators paint him as a compromised, semi-Canaanite that ultimately adopts human sacrifice. This caricature does not do justice to his clear monotheism and devotion to the LORD.
Commendable Words
The first diplomatic session in Jeph-thah’s career (11:1-11) was when he became head and captain over Gilead. His words in that negotiation were made with God as witness (v10), and the name of the LORD was explicitly invoked: “Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD” (v11). This shatters the illusion that he was rash with his words.
His diplomatic negotiations also show a man of sterling character. He is a man who loves his nation and is willing to come to the rescue in their hour of need. There is not the slightest whiff of resentment or bitterness in the entire episode. Jephthah held out for headship and captain-hood, not because he was power-hungry like Abimelech but because responsibility and authority go together, hand in glove. He could become their captain only to be rejected after he won the battle (Israel had a penchant for doing this to God Himself); thus Jephthah was guarded in bearing the weight of responsibility without the needed authority to carry out the task. He was not vindictive after being unfairly excommunicated, but he did make sure that he was legally reinstated. He was likely the firstborn of his brothers (11:1-2) and had been ousted from his inheritance. By ensuring his position as head, he had judicially corrected the legal wrong done to him. Once the tables of justice had been corrected, repentance and restoration ensued. Gilead gladly welcomed him back and not only made him captain (v6) and head (v8), but head and captain (v11). In a book fraught with domestic division and inter-tribal animosity, the wrong / repentance / restoration sequence is most refreshing.
The second round of diplomacy (11:12-28) again shows that Jephthah was wise with his words. The address is steeped in the Pentateuch; he knows his Bible inside out. He narrates the history of Israel from Egypt to the promised land (vv14-22), noting the theological significance of these events (vv23-24). He prods at Ammon’s conscience by showing his bad character (v25) and argues from legal chronology that Ammon has no right to the land (v26). He was not only a master on the battlefield but was a leader in self-control and strategy who could wield the Word of God in public discourse. To vindicate the words of Jephthah in this spate of negotiations, the Judges author inserts his commentary: “Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah” (v28). Ammon could not gainsay such acumen. He foolishly closed his ears to the counsel of Jephthah.
To be continued …
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
