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

29Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon. 30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon, then whatever comes out the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 32So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord handed them over to him. 33He inflicted a very great defeat on them 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.

Judges 11:31 word by word

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

• then whateverאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• comesיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• the doorsדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
• of my houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• to meetקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: meetH7122
• me when I returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• safelyשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965
• from the sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• it shall be the Lord’sיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and I will offerעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• it upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• as a burntעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
• offeringעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930

Cross-references for Judges 11:31

• Leviticus 27:2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When someone makes an explicit vow, he shall be valued according to your assessment of persons belonging to the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 1:11And she made a vow and said, “Lord of armies, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your bond-servant and remember me, and not forget Your bond-servant, but will give Your bond-servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
• 1 Samuel 2:18Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.
• 1 Samuel 14:24Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and before I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
• Psalms 66:13I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows,
• Leviticus 27:11If, however, it is any unclean animal of the kind which one does not present as an offering to the Lord, then he shall place the animal before the priest.
• Deuteronomy 23:18You shall not bring the earnings of a prostitute or the money for a dog into the house of the Lord your God as payment for any vowed offering, because both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
• Isaiah 66:3“But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person; The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; One who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, And their souls delight in their abominations,

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