Judges 11:39

Judges 11:39 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,
• New International Version (NIV)After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite tradition
• English Standard Version (ESV)And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel

Context of Judges 11:39

37But first let me do this one thing: Let me go up and roam in the hills and weep with my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin.” 38“You may go,” Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel 40for young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter.

Judges 11:39 word by word

וַיְהִ֞י מִקֵּ֣ץ׀ שְׁנַ֣יִם חֳדָשִׁ֗ים וַתָּ֙שָׁב֙ אֶל־אָבִ֔יהָ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ לָ֔הּ אֶת־נִדְר֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָדָ֑ר וְהִיא֙ לֹא־יָדְעָ֣ה אִ֔ישׁ וַתְּהִי־חֹ֖ק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass at the endקֵץqêts · endH7093
• of twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• monthsחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320
• that she returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• unto her fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• who didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• to his vowנֶ֫דֶרneder nêder · vowH5088
• which he had vowedנָדַרnâdar · to vowH5087
• and she knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• no manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• And it was a customחֹקchôq · statute: decreeH2706
• in Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for Judges 11:39

• Leviticus 27:4A woman of that age is valued at thirty shekels of silver.
• Judges 11:31I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
• Leviticus 27:28“However, anything specially set apart for the Lord—whether a person, an animal, or family property—must never be sold or bought back. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart as holy, and it belongs to the Lord.
• Deuteronomy 12:31You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.
• Isaiah 66:3But those who choose their own ways— delighting in their detestable sins— will not have their offerings accepted. When such people sacrifice a bull, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb, it’s as though they had sacrificed a dog! When they bring an offering of grain, they might as well offer the blood of a pig. When they burn frankincense, it’s as if they had blessed an idol.

Commentaries on Judges 11:39

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39And she knew no man - She continued a virgin all the days of her life.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. 39Jephthah fulfilled his vow by sacrificing his daughter. There is no proof he only kept her celibate (compare Judges 11:37). Jephthah’s foolishness shows how much Israel's society had fallen into lawlessness and turning away from their faith.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 11:39

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

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Fight
• Inherit
• Meet
• Vows
• Abdon (1)
• Custom (2)
• God
• Israel, History of
• Israel, Religion 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