Judges 11:39

Contemporary English Version

Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married. That's why

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel

Hebrew Names Version
It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Yisra'el,

King James Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

Lexham English Bible
At the end of the two months she returned to her father, and he did to her according to his vow; and she did not sleep with a man. And it became an annual custom in Israel

English Standard Version
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel

New Century Version
After two months she returned to her father, and Jephthah did to her what he had promised. Jephthah's daughter never had a husband. From this came a custom in Israel that

New English Translation
After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel.

Amplified Bible
At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. It became a custom in Israel,

New American Standard Bible
And at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her what he had vowed; and she had no relations with a man. And it became a custom in Israel,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the ende of two moneths, she turned againe vnto her father, who did with her according to his vowe which he had vowed, and she had knowen no man. and it was a custome in Israel:

Legacy Standard Bible
En aan die end van twee maande het sy na haar vader teruggekom, en hy het die gelofte wat deur hom gedoen is, aan haar voltrek; en sy het geen man beken nie. En dit het 'n gewoonte geword in Israel

Complete Jewish Bible
After two months she returned to her father, and he did with her what he had vowed; she had remained a virgin. So it became a law in Isra'el

Darby Translation
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, and he performed on her the vow that he had vowed; and she had known no man. And it became a fixed custom in Israel,

Easy-to-Read Version
At the end of two months, Jephthah's daughter returned to her father, and Jephthah did what he had promised. His daughter never had sexual relations with anyone. So this became a custom in Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow; and she knew no man. And it became a custom among the children of Israel,

Good News Translation
After two months she came back to her father. He did what he had promised the Lord , and she died still a virgin. This was the origin of the custom in Israel

Literal Translation
And it happened at the end of two months, she returned to her father. And he did to her his vow which he had vowed. And she never knew a man. And it is a fixed custom in Israel,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And after two monethes she came agayne vnto hir father. And he dyd vnto her acordinge as he had vowed. And she had neuer bene in daunger of eny man. And it was a custome in Israel,

American Standard Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man. And it was a custom in Israel,

Bible in Basic English
And at the end of two months she went back to her father, who did with her as he had said in his oath: and she had never been touched by a man. So it became a rule in Israel,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And after the ende of two monethes, she turned agayne vnto her father, whiche dyd with her according to his vowe whiche he had vowed, & she had knowne no man: And it grewe to a custome in Israel,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe at the ende of two moneths that shee returned vnto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man: & it was a custome in Israel,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass at the end of the two months that she returned to her father; and he performed upon her his vow which he vowed; and she knew no man:

English Revised Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,

Berean Standard Bible
After two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she had never had relations with a man. So it has become a custom in Israel

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne twey monethis weren fillid, sche turnede ayen to hir fadir, and he dide to hir as he avowide; and sche knew not fleischli a man. Fro thennus a custom cam in Israel,

Young's Literal Translation
and it cometh to pass at the end of two months that she turneth back unto her father, and he doth to her his vow which he hath vowed, and she knew not a man; and it is a statute in Israel:

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she had no sex with a man. And it was a custom in Israel,

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,

World English Bible
It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Israel,

New King James Version
And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel

New Living Translation
When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel

New Life Bible
She returned to her father after two months. And he did what he promised the Lord and she died without having a man. So it became the way in Israel

New Revised Standard
At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to the vow he had made. She had never slept with a man. So there arose an Israelite custom that

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, and he fulfilled on her his vow which he had vowed, - she not having known man. And it became a statute, in Israel: -

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the two months being expired, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed, and she knew no man. From thence came a fashion in Israel, and a custom has been kept:

Revised Standard Version
And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel

New American Standard Bible (1995)
At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,

Contextual Overview

²⁹ So Jephthah went back to Mizpah with the leaders of Gilead. The people of Gilead gathered at the place of worship and made Jephthah their ruler. Jephthah also made promises to them. After the ceremony, Jephthah sent messengers to say to the king of Ammon, "Are you trying to start a war? You have invaded my country, and I want to know why!" The king of Ammon replied, "Tell Jephthah that the land really belongs to me, all the way from the Arnon River in the south, to the Jabbok River in the north, and west to the Jordan River. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they stole it. Tell Jephthah to return it to me, and there won't be any war." Jephthah sent the messengers back to the king of Ammon, and they told him that Jephthah had said: Israel hasn't taken any territory from Moab or Ammon. When the Israelites came from Egypt, they traveled in the desert to the Red Sea and then to Kadesh. They sent messengers to the king of Edom and said, "Please, let us go through your country." But the king of Edom refused. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he wouldn't let them cross his country either. And so the Israelites stayed at Kadesh. A little later, the Israelites set out into the desert, going east of Edom and Moab, and camping on the eastern side of the Arnon River gorge. The Arnon is the eastern border of Moab, and since the Israelites didn't cross it, they didn't even set foot in Moab. The Israelites sent messengers to the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon. "Please," they said, "let our people go through your country to get to our own land." Sihon didn't think the Israelites could be trusted, so he called his army together. They set up camp at Jahaz, then they attacked the Israelite camp. But the Lord God helped Israel defeat Sihon and his army. Israel took over all of the Amorite land where Sihon's people had lived, from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and from the desert in the east to the Jordan River in the west. The messengers also told the king of Ammon that Jephthah had said: The Lord God of Israel helped his nation get rid of the Amorites and take their land. Now do you think you're going to take over that same territory? If Chemosh your god takes over a country and gives it to you, don't you have a right to it? And if the Lord takes over a country and gives it to us, the land is ours! Are you better than Balak the son of Zippor? He was the king of Moab, but he didn't quarrel with Israel or start a war with us. For three hundred years, Israelites have been living in Heshbon and Aroer and the nearby villages, and in the towns along the Arnon River gorge. If the land really belonged to you Ammonites, you wouldn't have waited until now to try to get it back. I haven't done anything to you, but it's certainly wrong of you to start a war. I pray that the Lord will show whether Israel or Ammon is in the right. But the king of Ammon paid no attention to Jephthah's message. Then the Lord 's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where ³⁰ he promised the Lord , "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites ³¹ and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first." ³² From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the Lord helped him defeat them. ³³ Jephthah and his army destroyed the twenty towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more. ³⁴ When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child. ³⁵ "Oh!" Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, "I made a sacred promise to the Lord , and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart." ³⁶ "Father," she said, "you made a sacred promise to the Lord , and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die. ³⁷ But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children." ³⁸ "Yes, you may have two months," Jephthah said. She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

did with: That Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter, but consecrated her to the service of God in the tabernacle, in a state of celibacy, will we imagine be evident from the following consideration -

1. Human sacrifices were ever an abomination to Jehovah, of which Jephthah could not be ignorant; and consequently he would neither have made such a vow, nor carried it into execution.

2. We are expressly told - Judges 11:29 that Jephthah was under the influence of the Spirit of God, which would effectually prevent him from embruing his hands in the blood of his own child.

3. He had it in his power to redeem his daughter - Leviticus 27:4, and surely his only child must have been of more value than thirty shekles.

4. Besides, who was to perform the horrid rite? Not Jephthah himself, who was no priest, and in whom it would have been most unnatural and inhuman; and the priests would certainly have dissuaded him from it.

5. The sacred historian informs us, that she bewailed her virginity, that she knew no man, and that the Israelitish women went yearly to comfort or lament with her. Judges 11:31, Leviticus 27:28, Leviticus 27:29, Deuteronomy 12:31, Isaiah 66:3

to his vow: 1 Samuel 1:11, 1 Samuel 1:22, 1 Samuel 1:24, 1 Samuel 1:28, 1 Samuel 2:18

custom: or, ordinance

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:2 - and offer Numbers 30:2 - vow a vow 2 Kings 3:27 - offered him Micah 6:7 - shall Matthew 14:9 - the oath's

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at the end of two months she returned to her father,.... For the request she made was not a pretence to make her escape out of his hands; but having done what she proposed to do, and the time fixed for it being come, she returned to her father's house, and delivered herself to him:

who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: but what he did is a question, and which is not easily resolved; some think he really sacrificed her, through a mistaken sense of Leviticus 27:29 and which his action are accounted for through his living a military life, and in a distant part of the country, and at a time when idolatry had greatly prevailed in Israel, and to such a degree as it had not before, and no doubt that branch of it, sacrificing children to Molech; and Jephthah might think that though that was sinful, yet such a sacrifice might be acceptable to the Lord; and especially since his vow, as he thought, bound him to it; and how far the instance of Abraham offering up his son Isaac might encourage him to it, cannot be said: of this mind were Josephus k, Jonathan Ben Uzziah the Targumist, and some other Jewish writers l; and many of the ancient Christian fathers, and many modern authors of every name among Christians; and it has been thought that the story of Iphigenia, who Capellus m thinks is the same with Jepthigenia, that is, the daughter of Jephthah, and was slain by her father Agamemnon, having several circumstances in it similar to this, is taken from hence: and there is much such a case as this related n of Idomeneus, a king of the Cretians, who upon his return after the destruction of Troy, being in a tempest, vowed, should he be saved, that he would sacrifice the first he met with to the gods; and as it was his son he first met with, he sacrificed him; or, as others say, would have done it, but was prevented by the citizens, and who on this account drove him from his kingdom. But others are of opinion that what Jephthah did according to his vow was, that he shut up his daughter, and separated her from the company of men, and obliged her to live unmarried all her days, and therefore she is said to bewail her virginity. Kimchi and Ben Melech say, he built a house for her without the city, where she dwelt alone, and knew no man; and where her father supported her, and obliged her to live all her days; and Abarbinel thinks, that the Romanists from hence learnt to build their cloisters to put their nuns in; and so Ben Gersom interprets this vow of her being separated from men, and devoted to the service of God; and which is the sense of many Christian interpreters. Now though Jephthah had no such power over his daughter, as to oblige her to perpetual virginity, nor did his vow bind him to it; for persons devoted to the Lord were not obliged to abstain from marriage, nor have we any instances of a monastic life in those times, nor among the Jews at any time; yet as he did something not right, which he thought his vow obliged him to, one would be rather tempted to think, in charity to him, that of the two evils he did the least; for if she was put to death, it must be done either by the magistrates, or by the priests, or by Jephthah himself; neither of which is probable:

and she knew no man; never married, but lived and died a virgin: "and it was a custom in Israel"; the Targum adds,

"that a man might not offer his son or his daughter for a burnt offering, as Jephthah the Gileadite did, and did not consult Phinehas the priest; for had he consulted Phinehas the priest, he would have redeemed her with a price;''

so Jarchi, according to Leviticus 27:4 but each stood upon their honour, as the Jews say o; Jephthah being a king would not go to Phinehas, and Phinehas being an high priest; and the son of an high priest, would not go to a plebeian; and so, between them both, the maiden was lost: but the custom refers to what follows.

k Antiqu l. 5. c. 7. sect. 10. l Bereshit Rabba, sect. 60, fol. 52. 3. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 37. fol. 176. 4. m De Voto Jephthae, sect. 12. n Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 22. Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 3. col. 693. in l. 11. col. 1634. o Bereshit Rabba Vajikra, ut supra. (l) Midrash Kohelet, fol. 81. 3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 11:39. And she knew no man — She continued a virgin all the days of her life.