Judges 11:35

Judges 11:35 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.
• New International Version (NIV)When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.”

Context of Judges 11:35

33With a great blow he devastated twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites. 34And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her. As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” 36“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.” 37She also said to her father, “Let me do this one thing: Let me wander for two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”

Judges 11:35 word by word

וַיְהִי֩ כִרְאוֹת֨וֹ אוֹתָ֜הּ וַיִּקְרַ֣ע אֶת־בְּגָדָ֗יו וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֲהָ֤הּ בִּתִּי֙ הַכְרֵ֣עַ הִכְרַעְתִּ֔נִי וְאַ֖תְּ הָיִ֣יתְ בְּעֹֽכְרָ֑י וְאָנֹכִ֗י פָּצִ֤יתִי־פִי֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א אוּכַ֖ל לָשֽׁוּב׃Read the interlinear

• As soon asהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• herאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• he toreקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
• his clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Noאֲהָהּ'ăhâhh · alas!H162
• Not my daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• You have brought me to my kneesכָּרַעkâra‛ · to bowH3766
• Youאַתְּ'attâh 'attâ 'ath 'attîy 'attem 'atten 'attênâh 'attênnâh · you(f.s.)H859
• have brought great misery upon meעָכַר‛âkar · to troubleH5916
• for Iאָֽנֹכִ֫י'ânôkîy · IH595
• have given my wordפָּצָהpâtsâh · to openH6475
• have given my wordפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• toאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• the LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and cannotלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• and cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• take it backשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725

Cross-references for Judges 11:35

• Genesis 37:29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
• Genesis 42:36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
• 2 Samuel 13:30While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
• 2 Samuel 18:33The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
• Job 1:20Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
• Leviticus 27:28Nothing that a man sets apart to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
• Numbers 30:2If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.
• Psalms 15:4who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
• Ecclesiastes 5:2Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
• Judges 21:1Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
• 1 Samuel 14:44And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
• Matthew 14:7so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked.
• Acts 23:14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.

Commentaries on Judges 11:35

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 35Thou hast brought me very low - He was greatly distressed to think that his daughter, who was his only child, should be, in consequence of his vow, prevented from continuing his family in Israel; for it is evident that he had not any other child, for besides her, says the text, he had neither son nor daughter, Judges 11:34. He might, therefore, well be grieved that thus his family was to become extinct in Israel.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 35Jephthah was right in not being deterred from keeping his vow by the loss and sorrow to himself (compare the marginal references), just as Abraham was right in not withholding his son, his only son, from God, when commanded to offer him up as a burnt-offering. But Jephthah was wholly wrong in that conception of the character of God which led to his making the rash vow. And he would have done right not to slay his child, though the guilt of making and of…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-40Verses 29-40 Several important lessons are to be learned from Jephthah's vow. 1. There may be remainders of distrust and doubting, even in the hearts of true and great believers. 2. Our vows to God should not be as a purchase of the favour we desire, but to express gratitude to him. 3. We need to be very well-advised in making vows, lest we entangle ourselves. 4. What we have solemnly vowed to God, we must perform, if it be possible and lawful, though it…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 35Jephthah made a hasty promise and then blamed his daughter for the outcome. He did not consider the guidance of Scripture. Vows were usually unbreakable (Numbers 30:2), but the Old Testament allows exceptions for unwise vows (Numbers 30:6–8). Since the law forbade human sacrifice, he could have offered a substitute (Leviticus 27:1–8). Jephthah likely did not know these laws, possibly due to his upbringing far from Israel's main centers.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 34-4034-40. Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances--The return of the victors was hailed, as usual, by the joyous acclaim of a female band (1Sa 18:6), the leader of whom was Jephthah's daughter. The vow was full in his mind, and it is evident that it had not been communicated to anyone, otherwise precautions would doubtless have been taken to place another object at his door. The…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 11:35

• Consecration
• Jephthah
• Mourning
• Rashness
• Rending
• Vows
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Dress
• Fight
• Inherit
• Meet
• Abdon (1)
• Achan
• God
• Israel, History of
• Israel, Religion of
• Jephthah

Commentaries on Judges 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary