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.
• 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.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

Context of Judges 11:35

33He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. 34When 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. 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.” 36“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass, when he sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• her, that he rentקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
• his clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Alasאֲהָהּ'ăhâhh · alas!H162
• my daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• thou hast brought meכָּרַעkâra‛ · to bowH3766
• and thou art one of them that troubleעָכַר‛âkar · to troubleH5916
• me: for I have openedפָּצָהpâtsâh · to openH6475
• my mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and I cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• go backשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725

Cross-references for Judges 11:35

• Genesis 37:29When Reuben returned to the cistern 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 children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
• 2 Samuel 13:30While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.”
• 2 Samuel 18:33The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”
• Job 1:20At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
• Leviticus 27:28“ ‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes to the Lord—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the Lord.
• Numbers 30:2When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.
• Psalms 15:4who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;
• Ecclesiastes 5:2Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
• Judges 21:1The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”
• 1 Samuel 14:44Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”
• Matthew 14:7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
• Acts 23:14They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken 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