Hindsight VOW

Two questions to answer: 1) Did Jephthah need to make a vow? 2) Did he really sacrifice his daughter? First we know that the vow Jephthah made in judges 11:30 was after we read Judges 11:29a that states: then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah. Why would someone need to make a vow when the Spirit of the LORD was upon him? The Spirit of the LORD came on certain judges throughout the book of Judges (6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). It is hard to see a theme of why the Spirit of the LORD came to some and not others. The term Spirit of the LORD apparently is a common Old Testament expression, which consistently signified a unique act of God that granted power and wisdom to ensure victory. However it did not guarantee that the will of God would be carried out in every decision by those whom the Spirit of the LORD came on. We can see that this is the case three times in the book of Judges: Gideon (8:24-27, 30), Jephthah (11:34-40), and Samson (16:1). In each case that the Spirit of the LORD came on someone, victory was given regardless of their actions or in this case a vow. Therefore there was no need for Jepthah to make a vow to the LORD.
Secondly, did Jephtah really sacrifice his daughter? Many seem to speculate that due to Deuteronomy 12:31 there would be no way he would have sacrificed a human being to the LORD. However looking at all things considered, he may have really sacrificed her Judges 11:39. Things to consider in building a case for Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter is as follows: 1) the era in which Jephthah lived was an era of disarray. 2) A Promise of a simply animal or dedication of his daughter would not have been sufficient for this situation. 3) The mention of the first thing that comes out of my house implies that it would be a human being.4) Judges 11:31 states the word, “and,” not “or.” 5) Human sacrifice is seen as a last ditch effort (2 Kings 3:27) and was a common practice among other surrounding nations. 6) Jephthah responds to his daughter being the first out the door in Judges 11:34 with, tearing his clothes and saying Alas, which could indicate pain or distress. Therefore I believe he truly sacrificed his daughter. Again this was a rash vow either way, but was never needed in the first place.