Judges 11:32

HE OVERCOMES THE AMMONITES. (Jdg 11:32-33)

Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon . . . and the Lord delivered them into his hands--He met and engaged them at Aroer, a town in the tribe of Gad, upon the Arnon. A decisive victory crowned the arms of Israel, and the pursuit was continued to Abel (plain of the vineyards), from south to north, over an extent of about sixty miles.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jdg 11:32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

Ver. 32. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon.] He stayed not their coming, but went over to them to fight them, being caelo, Christo, Deo armatus, - not Styge armatus, as the poet saith of Achilles, - and that he was therefore insuperable.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(32) So.—Rather, And. The clause does not refer in any way to Jephthah’s vow, but merely resumes the narrative.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house,.... Where he had uttered his words before the Lord, which had passed between him and the elders of Gilead, and from whence he set out to fight the children of Ammon, and whither he returned after he had got the victory over them, Jdg 11:11 and where it seems he had a house, and his family dwelt; for upon his being fetched from the land of Tab, he brought what family he had with him, and settled them at Mizpeh, while he went on the expedition against the children of Ammon:

and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him, with timbrels, and with dances; accompanied with young women, having timbrels in their hands, and playing upon them, and dancing as they came along; expressing their joy at, and congratulating him upon, the victory he had obtained over the children of Ammon:

and she was his only child: and so dear unto him, and upon whom all his hopes and expectations of a posterity from him depended:

besides her he had neither son nor daughter: some read it, "of her" (f); that is, she had neither son nor daughter; and so by this vow, be it understood in which way it may be, if fulfilled, she must die without any issue; though the phrase in the Hebrew text is, "of himself" (g); he had none, though his wife whom he married might have sons and daughters by an husband she had before him, and so these were brought up in Jephthah's house as his children; yet they were not begotten by him, they were not of his body, not his own children; he had none but this daughter, which made the trial the more grievous to him; her name, according to Philo, was Seila.

(f) Targum apud Kimchi. Vid. Masoram in loc. "ex ea", so some in Vatablus. (g) "ex se", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius; so Noldius, p. 614. No. 1641.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

32. The Lord delivered them into his hands — The time was full for judgment to break upon the idolatrous Ammonites, and Jephthah was the chosen instrument for this work. The penitence and reformation in Israel, and the prayers for help that touched Jehovah’s heart, (Jdg_10:15-16,) soon brought them this great deliverance. Strangely have some thought that deliverance came because of Jephthah’s vow, or as a token of the divine approval of that pious act. As if his vow, at best of doubtful morality, moved God more than the reformation, prayers, and public interests of all Israel! As well might one argue that Saul’s rash oath (1Sa_14:24) brought victory to Israel’s arms that day when Jonathan offended. {Yet Jehovah may hear a prayer, clothed in mistaken form, coming from a reverent heart. Jephthah had the faith of Abraham, willing to sacrifice his child, under the sincere supposition that it was Jehovah’s will. So that he was worthily written in the glorious roll of Hebrews 11.}

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So Jephthah. The narrator takes up again the thread of the narrative, which was interrupted at ver. 29, the words he passed over up, to the children of Ammon being repeated.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So Jephthah passed through ... Yahweh gave him victory ... He attacked

Since Jephthah was the leader of his army, he and his army are often spoken of as Jephthah himself. AT: "So Jephthah and his army passed through ... Yahweh gave them victory ... they attacked" (See: Synecdoche)

Aroer

Translate the name of this city the same way you did in Judges 11:26.

Minnith ... Abel Keramim

These are the names of cities. (See: How to Translate Names)

twenty cities

"including 20 cities" (See: Numbers)

translationWords

slaughter

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.