Judges 11:31

Judges 11:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
• New International Version (NIV)whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."
• New King James Version (NKJV)then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

Context of Judges 11:31

29The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead. 30Jephthah made this vow to the Lord: “If you in fact hand over the Ammonites to me, whoever comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I return safely from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer that person as a burnt offering.” 32Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 33He defeated twenty of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.

Judges 11:31 word by word

וְהָיָ֣ה הַיּוֹצֵ֗א אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵצֵ֜א מִדַּלְתֵ֤י בֵיתִי֙ לִקְרָאתִ֔י בְּשׁוּבִ֥י בְשָׁל֖וֹם מִבְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֑וֹן וְהָיָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהַעֲלִיתִ֖הוּ עוֹלָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then it shall be, that whatsoeverיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• of the doorsדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
• of my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• to meetקִרְאָהqir'âh · befallH7125
• me, when I returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• in peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965
• from the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• shall surely be the Lord’sיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and I will offer it upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• for a burnt offeringעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930

Cross-references for Judges 11:31

• Leviticus 27:2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When someone makes a special vow to the Lord that involves the assessment of people,
• 1 Samuel 1:11Making a vow, she pleaded, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”
• 1 Samuel 2:18Samuel served in the Lord’s presence—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod.
• 1 Samuel 14:24and the men of Israel were worn out that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath: “The man who eats food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies is cursed.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
• Psalms 66:13I will enter your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows
• Leviticus 27:11“If the vow involves any of the unclean animals that may not be brought as an offering to the Lord, the animal must be presented before the priest.
• Deuteronomy 23:18Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of the Lord your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the Lord your God.
• Isaiah 66:3One person slaughters an ox, another kills a person; one person sacrifices a lamb, another breaks a dog’s neck; one person offers a grain offering, another offers pig’s blood; one person offers incense, another praises an idol — all these have chosen their ways and delight in their abhorrent practices.

Commentaries on Judges 11:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering - The text is עולה והעליתיהו ליהוה והיה vehayah layhovah, vehaalithihu olah ; the translation of which, according to the most accurate Hebrew scholars, is this: I will consecrate it to the Lord, or I will offer it for a burnt-offering; that is, "If it be a thing fit for a burnt-offering, it shall be made one; if fit for the service of God, it shall be consecrated to him." That…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31The words of this verse prove conclusively that Jephthah intended his vow to apply to human beings, not animals: for only one of his household could be expected to come forth from the door of his house to meet him. They also preclude any other meaning than that Jephthah contemplated a human sacrifice. This need not, however, surprise us, when we recollect his Syrian birth and long residence in a Syrian city, where such fierce rites were probably common…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. 31The Lord never requires bargaining for his favor. People made vows in different situations, often giving gifts to the Lord in gratitude for his help (compare Genesis 28:20–22). Before battles, people usually offered priestly sacrifices (1 Samuel 13:8–12). Jephthah's vow risked making someone in his household a human sacrifice, which Israelite law strictly forbids (Deuteronomy 18:10).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me--This evidently points not to an animal, for that might have been a dog; which, being unclean, was unfit to be offered; but to a person, and it looks extremely as if he, from the first, contemplated a human sacrifice. Bred up as he had been, beyond the Jordan, where the Israelitish tribes, far from the tabernacle, were looser in their religious sentiments, and living latterly on the borders…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 11:31

• Consecration
• Jephthah
• Prayer
• Rashness
• Vows
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Ammon
• Burnt offering
• Fight
• Inherit
• Jephthah
• Meet
• Abdon (1)
• God
• Government
• Israel, History of

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