English Standard Version
Judges 11:34
34Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
Judges 11:34 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
- New International Version (NIV)When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter.
- New King James Version (NKJV)When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
- New Living Translation (NLT)When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child; he had no other sons or daughters.
Context of Judges 11:34
32So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand. 33And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And 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." 36And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites."
Read all of Judges 11Judges 11:34 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֨א יִפְתָּ֣ח הַמִּצְפָּה֮ אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ֒ וְהִנֵּ֤ה בִתּוֹ֙ יֹצֵ֣את לִקְרָאת֔וֹ בְתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹל֑וֹת וְרַק֙ הִ֣יא יְחִידָ֔ה אֵֽין־ל֥וֹ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ בֵּ֖ן אוֹ־בַֽת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Jephthahיִפְתָּחyiphtâch · JephthahH3316
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to Mizpehמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709
- unto his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- and, behold, his daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- came outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- to meetקִרְאָהqir'âh · befallH7125
- him with timbrelsתֹּףtôph · tambourineH8596
- and with dancesמְחוֹלָהmechôlâh · danceH4246
- only childיָחִידyâchîyd · onlyH3173
- beside her he had neither sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- norאוֹ'ô 'av · orH176
Cross-references for Judges 11:34
- Judges 11:11So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and leader over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
- Judges 10:17Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.
- Judges 5:1Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
- Exodus 15:20Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
- 1 Samuel 18:6As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.
- Psalms 68:25the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:
- Psalms 148:11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
- Psalms 150:4Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
- Jeremiah 31:4Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
- Zechariah 12:10"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
- Luke 7:12As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
- Luke 8:42for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.
- Luke 9:38And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
Commentaries on Judges 11:34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 34With timbrels and with dances - From this instance we find it was an ancient custom for women to go out to meet returning conquerors with musical instruments, songs, and dances; and that it was continued afterwards is evident from the instance given 1 Samuel 18:6, where David was met, on his return from the defeat of Goliath and the Philistines, by women from all the cities of Israel, with singing and dancing, and various instruments of music.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 34His daughter came out to meet him - The precise phrase of his vow Judges 11:31. She was his “only child,” a term of special endearment (see Jeremiah 6:26; Zechariah 12:10). The same word is used of Isaac Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:12, Genesis 22:16.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
- 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 11:34
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries