Judges 11:35

Jdg 11:35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.

Ver. 35. He rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter!]

“ … Usque adeo nulla est sincera voluptas,

Sollicitumque aliquid laetis intervenit … ” - Ovid.

It is seldom seen that God alloweth unto any here a perfect contentment. Something men must have to complain of, that shall give an unsavoury verdure to their sweetest morsels, and make their very felicity miserable.

And I cannot go back.] But were there no priests to inquire of, what was the law in that case? Or were they also ignorant, or forgetful? Could nobody think of Lev 27:4, but Jepthah must follow his own counsel?

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.

Being overcome with blind zeal, and not considering whether the vow was lawful or no.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 35. Thou hast brought me very low] He was greatly distressed to think that his daughter, who was his only child, should be, in consequence of his vow, prevented from continuing his family in Israel; for it is evident that he had not any other child, for besides her, says the text, he had neither son nor daughter, Jdg 11:34. He might, therefore, well be grieved that thus his family was to become extinct in Israel.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(35) He rent his clothes.—Comp. Jos_7:6. By one of the curious survivals which preserve customs for centuries after the meaning is gone out of them, every Jew on approaching to Jerusalem for the first time has to submit to the krie—i.e., to a cut made in his sleeve, as a sort of symbol of rending his clothes.

Thou hast brought me very low.—Literally, crushing, thou hast crushed me.

I have opened my mouth unto the Lord.—A vow was not deemed binding unless it had been actually expressed in words (Num_30:2-3; Num_30:7; Deu_23:23). There were two kinds of vows among the Hebrews—the simple vow, neder (Lev_27:2-27), and the “devotion,” or “ban,” cherem (Lev_27:28-29). Anything devoted to Jehovah by the cherem was irredeemable, and became “a holy of holies” (kodesh kadashim) to Him, and was to be put to death (Lev_27:29).

I cannot go back.—Num_30:2. Jephthah had not understood until now the horror of human sacrifice. He would neither wish nor dare to draw back from his cherem (Ecc_5:4-5; Mat_5:33; Jon_2:9; Pss. 72:25, Psa_26:11) merely because the anguish of it would fall so heavily upon himself. The Hebrews had the most intense feeling about the awfulness of breaking an oath or vow, and they left no room for any mental reservations (Lev_27:28-29). Saul was determined to carry out his ban even at the cost of the life of his eldest son, and even Herod Antipas felt obliged to carry out his oath to Herodias, though it involved a deep pang and a haunted conscience. It is clear that not for one moment did it occur to Jephthah to save himself from the agony of bereavement by breaking his ‘ban” (cherem) as a mere redeemable vow (neder). The Jews shared in this respect the feelings of other ancient nations. Thus the Greeks believed that the house of Athamas were under an inexpiable curse, because when the Achæans had been bidden to offer him up for a sacrifice for compassing the death of Phryxus, Kytissorus, the son of Phryxus, had intercepted the sacrifice (Herod. vii. 197, § 3; Plat. Minos, 5). It must be remembered that though his cherem had taken an unusual and unlawful (though far from unknown) form, the notion of such a vow would come far more naturally to a people which in very recent times, as well as afterwards, had devoted whole cities—men, women, children, cattle, and goods—to absolute destruction (Num_21:2-3).

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

35. thou hast brought me very low] thou hast struck me down utterly: the same verb as in Jdg_5:27 (he bowed).

thou art one of them that trouble me] The first pron. is emphatic; ‘thou, my beloved, dost appear in the character of my worst enemy.’ For the Hebr. idiom (beth essentiae) see Psa_54:4 [Hebrews 6], Psa_118:7. Trouble is a feeble equivalent for the strong word in the original, which occurs only under circumstances which arouse unusual passion; see Gen_34:30, Jos_7:25-26, 1Sa_14:29, 1Ki_18:17-18. The Versions give a free paraphrase of the two words bowed down, trouble me (kara‘, ‘akar), but do not necessarily presuppose a different text.

I have opened my mouth] lit. opened wide, Jdg_11:36, of a solemn utterance; cf. Psa_66:13-14.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And she said unto her father, let this thing be done for me,.... She had but one favour to ask of him, which she thought might be granted, without any breach of the vow:

let me alone two months she desired such a space of time might be allowed her before the vow took place; and the rather she might be encouraged to expect that her request would be granted, since no time was fixed by the vow for the accomplishment of it, and since the time she asked was not very long, and the end to be answered not unreasonable

that I may go up and down upon the mountains; or, "ascend upon the mountains" (h); Jepthah's house in Mizpeh being higher than the mountains; or there might be, as Kimchi and Ben Melech note, a valley between that and the mountains, to which she descended in order to go up to the mountains; see Jdg 9:25 these she chose to make her abode, and take her walks in, during the time she asked, as being most fit for retirement and solitude; where she might give up herself to meditation and prayer, and conversation with her fellow virgins she would take with her, and so be wrought up to a greater degree of resignation and submission to her father's will, and to the will of God in it, as she might suppose:

and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows; the virgins her companions; this she proposed to be the subject that she and her associates would dwell upon, during this time of solitude; and the rather, as this may be thought to be the thing contained in the vow, that as she was a virgin, so she should continue; by which means she would not be the happy instrument of increasing the number of the children of Israel, nor of being the progenitor of the Messiah; upon which accounts it was reckoned in those times to be very grievous and reproachful to live and die without issue, and so matter of lamentation and weeping.

(h) "et descendam super montes", Pagninus, Montanus; "descendamque ad montes", Tigurine version.

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

Jephthah was right in not being deterred from keeping his vow by the loss and sorrow to himself (compare the marginal references), just as Abraham was right in not withholding his son, his only son, from God, when commanded to offer him up as a burnt-offering. But Jephthah was wholly wrong in that conception of the character of God which led to his making the rash vow. And he would have done right not to slay his child, though the guilt of making and of breaking such a vow would have remained. Josephus well characterizes the sacrifice as “neither sanctioned by the Mosaic law, nor acceptable to God.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Alas. These indications of grief are the effects of nature. (Salien) --- St. Ambrose considerst them as the marks of repentance; (ver. 31,) and we might hence infer that the vow was not dictated by the holy spirit, who would have endued Jepthe with fortitude, as he did Abraham, though all may not possess the virtue of that great father of believers, Genesis xxii. (Haydock) --- Deceived. We mutually expected comfort, from each other’s presence: but we must both experience the reverse. Hebrew may signify, "depressed, terrified," &c. --- Thing. Hebrew, "I cannot recede." (Haydock) --- It appears that he could not redeem what he had promised, (Calmet) as the condition had been fulfilled on the part of God. He might consider that he as no longer at liberty to use the privilege which the law allowed, when no condition had been specified, Leviticus xxvii. 4. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Thou art one of them that trouble me: before this, I was troubled by my brethren; and since, by the Ammonites; and now most of all, though but occasionally, by thee. I have opened my mouth, i.e. I have vowed, which was done by words, Num 30:2,6.

I cannot go back, i.e. not retract my vow; I am indispensably obliged to perform it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

35. Rent his clothes — A sign of intense agony and grief. He had, probably, hoped to meet first some other less cherished member of his family.

Thou hast brought me very low — The idea here is, that of one bent down under the pressure of an almost crushing burden.

One of them that trouble me — Literally, thou art among my troublers; that is, like one whose work is to give me trouble and anguish. To sacrifice her is to end his family, since he had no other child. Jdg_11:34.

I cannot go back — They who took upon themselves a solemn oath were expected to keep their word, (Num_30:2;) but he who swore to some one’s hurt was under condemnation if he did not change, (Psa_15:4,) and the law (Leviticus 27) provided for the redemption of singular vows.

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

Thou hast brought me very low literally, thou hast thoroughly bowed me down, i.e. with sorrow. I cannot go back. A forcible illustration of the evil of rash vows. He who makes them is so placed that he must sin. If he breaks his vow, he has taken God"s name in vain; if he keeps it, he breaks one of God"s commandments. So it was with Saul, (1Sa_14:24, 1Sa_14:39-45) with Herod; (Mar_6:23) so it has often been since with those who have made unauthorised vows, and who in attempting to keep them have fallen into deadly sin.

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

Trouble me - Before this, I was troubled by my brethren; and since, by the Ammonites; and now most of all, tho' but occasionally, by thee. Opened my mouth - That is, I have vowed. Cannot go back - That is, not retract my vow; I am indispensably obliged to perform it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

You are among those who ruined me. This is the feminine usage. ” vocalization under the ת, is generally translated as referring to the first person neuter, “I brought to the knees.” Here, however, the translation is the feminine “you brought to the knees.” Similarly, "You captured my heart, my sister bride." ” vocalization under the the ת, is translated as the feminine “you captured my heart.”

You have surely brought me to my knees All my blood is in turmoil, You have taken away my feet.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.