Judges 11:34

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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.

Context of Judges 11:34

32So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord gave them into his hand. 33He struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel. When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. 35When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.” 36So she said to him, “My father, you have given your word to the Lord; do to me as you have said, since the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.”

Judges 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

• When Jephthahיִפְתָּחyiphtâch · JephthahH3316
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• Mizpahמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709
• beholdהִנֵּהhinnêh · beholdH2009
• his daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• was comingיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• out to meetקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: meetH7122
• with tambourinesתֹּףtôph · tambourineH8596
• and with dancingמְחוֹלָהmechôlâh · danceH4246
• Now she was his oneיָחִידyâchîyd · onlyH3173
• onlyרַקraq · thinH7534
• besidesמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• her he hadאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• orאוֹ'ô 'av · orH176

Cross-references for Judges 11:34

• Judges 11:11Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.
• Judges 10:17Then the sons of Ammon were summoned and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in Mizpah.
• Judges 5:1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,
• Exodus 15:20Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing.
• 1 Samuel 18:6It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments.
• Psalms 68:25The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.
• Psalms 148:11Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
• Psalms 150:4Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
• Jeremiah 31:4Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! Again you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.
• Zechariah 12:10“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
• Luke 7:12Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.
• Luke 8:42for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.
• Luke 9:38And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy,

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

• Consecration
• Dancing
• Jephthah
• Joy
• Music
• Rashness
• Timbrel
• Vows
• Women
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Jephthah
• Dance
• Fight
• Inherit
• Meet
• Mizpah
• Timbrel
• Abdon (1)
• Father
• Gad (1)

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