Jephthah's Daughter

[Lotar]

I was just wondering. Do you think Jephthah litterally sacrificed his daughter to God, or do you think the sacrifice was perpetual virginity?

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is in Judges 11:34-40

 

[Susan]

I think it was a literal human sacrifice. One of the saddest parts of the Scripture too. ;;^.^;;

 

[aus_koala]

Based on verse 30 he said he would sacrifice it as a burnt offering. Verse 39 says he did to her as he had vowed.

I suggest she was a burnt offering. The reference to virginity is probably indicating that it was a 'pure' sacrifice as opposed to an 'unpure' one somehow making it more holy or more difficult for Jephthah to do.

Women were not treated the best in Judges such as in Judges 19: 24. Here the father offers his virgin daughter and his concubine to a group of men so they won't have sex with the Levite. It seems he only ends up giving them his concubine and not the daughter. What a difficult society that would be for women to live in......

 

[Ioustinos]

I believe the sacrifice was perpetual virginity because God forbids human sacrifice.

Also perpetual virginity would be a major sacrifice in that culture. For men, it was your responsibility to carry on the "family name." For women they were valued only if they could bear children.

 

[Didymus]

I just studied Judges last month and I don t think He actually killed her because God would not accept a human sacrifice. I think the virgin idea is correct. i guess we ll find out when we get to heaven

 

[aus_koala]

Jephthah vowed he would sacrifice his daughter and then scripture says he did it. It does not say God asked him to do this.

The question in this thread is not whether God asked Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter or not but whether Jephthah decided HIMSELF to sacrifice his daughter. Now whether God accepted or rejected this sacrifice is irrelevant at this point even though I agree that he would not accept it but I dont think he would necessarily stop it like he did with Isaac. With Isaac it was God who asked for the sacrifice and therefore it was up to God to stop it occuring. Jephthah was not asked by God and therefore it was not up to God to stop it.

Then of course there was the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross which was ordained by God and this sacrifice was accepted.

 

[Ioustinos]

Yesterday at 06:47 PM aus_koala said this in Post #6

Jephthah vowed he would sacrifice his daughter and then scripture says he did it. It does not say God asked him to do this.

The question in this thread is not whether God asked Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter or not but whether Jephthah decided HIMSELF to sacrifice his daughter. Now whether God accepted or rejected this sacrifice is irrelevant at this point even though I agree that he would not accept it but I dont think he would necessarily stop it like he did with Isaac. With Isaac it was God who asked for the sacrifice and therefore it was up to God to stop it occuring. Jephthah was not asked by God and therefore it was not up to God to stop it.

Then of course there was the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross which was ordained by God and this sacrifice was accepted.

Earlier I didn't have time to post scripture to support the view of perpetual virginity so here it is

Judges 11:37
And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go to the mountains and weep because of my virginity, I and my companions."

Notice how she weeped over her virginity and not her life.

Then we read:

Judges 11:39-40
And it came about at the end of two months that she returned to her father, who did to her according to the vow which he made; and she had no relations with a man. Thus it became a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

Notice again how there is an emphasis about and a mourning over her virginity and not her death. Also why would Israel commemorate an event that would have been disobedient to and displeasing to God?

 

[aus_koala]

Jesaiah,
OK, I understand what you are saying but that means that Jephthah broke his vow. Maybe they view dying a virgin as worse than death itself and therefore mourning their virginity would make sense. I need to have a look into this more before commenting.......
What was disobedient to God? As I said his sacrificing his daughter was not necessarily Gods idea, it was probably his own idea. Quite often people choose the wrong thing and God allows it to happen.
Just because God allows it does not mean God condones it.