
Jephthah (died 1181 BC) was Judge of the Israelites from 1188 to 1181 BC, succeeding Jair and preceding Ibzan.
Biography[]
Jephthah was born in Gilead, the son of the Jewish man Gilead and a prostitute. He was driven out by his half-brothers due to his illegitimate birth and dwelled in Tob, east of Gilead, where he joined a band of brigands. In 1188 BC, the elders of Gilead sought Jephthah's aid against the Ammonites, but he held out until they gave him a permanent command; in turn, he swore an oath that, on his victory over the Ammonites, he would offer a burnt offering of whatever came out of his house on his return home in peacetime. Jephthah defeated the Ammonites at the Battle of Aroer, only to return home and be greeted by his young daughter Seila, whom he was forced to execute as per his vow. He was later sent to punish the Tribe of Ephraim for refusing to come to his aid against the Ammonites, and he slew 42,000 of them, discerning their identity by how they pronounced the word "shibboleth." While the Epistle to the Hebrews commended Jephthah for his faith, later writers criticized Jephthah for practicing the un-Mosaic practice of human sacrifice and for his poor judgment in making such a vow; it was theorized that God allowed for Jephthah to kill his daughter to discourage future vows of the type. Jephthah died in 1181 BC and was succeeded by Ibzan.