Jephthah

Jephthah is a judge living before Israel's monarchy. He is named in 26 verses of the Bible, first in Judges 11:1.

Family

Verses

Judges

• Judges 11:1
  Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.
• Judges 11:2
  And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.”
• Judges 11:3
  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered around him and traveled with him.
• Judges 11:5
  And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:and made war with them, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
• Judges 11:6
  And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.“Come,” they said, “be our commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
• Judges 11:7
  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”
• Judges 11:8
  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.They answered Jephthah, “This is why we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites, and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”
• Judges 11:9
  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head?But Jephthah asked them, “If you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, will I really be your leader?”
• Judges 11:10
  And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
• Judges 11:11
  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.
• Judges 11:12
  And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
• Judges 11:13
  And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
• Judges 11:14
  And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites
• Judges 11:15
  And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.
• Judges 11:28
  Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
• Judges 11:29
  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.
• Judges 11:30
  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
• Judges 11:32
  So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hand.
• Judges 11:34
  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.And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her.
• Judges 11:40
  That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
• Judges 12:1
  And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”
• Judges 12:2
  And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands.
• Judges 12:4
  Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”
• Judges 12:7
  And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.Jephthah judged Israel six years, and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 12:11
  And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.

Hebrews

• Hebrews 11:32
  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

Notes

1. Names, family links and verses from STEPBible's Translators Individualised Proper Names (TIPNR), STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0.
2. Where several people share a name, which verses belong to which person, and the family links, follow STEPBible's identifications; some are uncertain and are marked so.