Careful What You Wish For

Judges Chapter 11, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 40

Is It Read At Synagogue?: Yes; depending on regional tradition, some or all of this chapter is read as the companion Haftarah of the Torah portion of Hukkat, which is found in the middle of the book of Numbers.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: It’s not exactly famous because of this chapter, but there is a bizarre connection between the initial description of Jephthah in Verse 1 (“an able warrior, who was the son of a prostitute”) and the opening lines of the Broadway show Hamilton (“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore …”). Suffice it to say that it will be a long time, if ever, before we see Jephthah: The Musical.

Basic Plot: It has to be said: This chapter’s conclusion contains one of the most disturbing events in the Hebrew Bible. And as I mentioned above, the chapter doesn’t exactly start on a happy note either. As a child, Jephthah is ostracized by his half-brothers, and he moves away from his home to pursue unsavory mischief. But when the Ammonites attack Israel, the half-brothers return to him and beg him to lead them in battle, and Jephthah accepts in exchange of a promise to lead the Israelites after winning on the battlefield.

Jephthah corresponds with the king of the Ammonites, who accuses the Israelites of seizing their land. Jephthah argues otherwise, but the Ammonites ignore his reply. With battle inevitable, Jephthah swears that if his army is victorious, he would offer to God the first being that greets him upon his return home in Mizpah. The Israelites route the Ammonites, but when Jephthah comes home, he’s immediately greeted by his daughter. Jephthah despairs at what he has promised, but his daughter insists that he follow through on his vow. She asks to sit with her friends for two months to mourn that she will never be intimate with a man, and then submit to her father’s promise.

What’s Strange: Um, how about all of it? Jephthah is a sympathetic character at the start of this chapter — he obviously doesn’t ask to be born from infamous parentage, not to mention to be treated with cruelty by his half-brothers. But why in the world does he make such a foolish vow? And when he realizes that it means offering his one and only child, how dare he blame his daughter for exiting his house too soon (as he does in Verse 35)?!

What’s Spectacular: It should be noted that there is a way to read this story that isn’t quite so monstrous; in his book Jephthah and His Vow, David Marcus notes that there are some scholars who don’t necessarily believe that Jephthah actually has to kill his own daughter in order to fulfill his vow; instead, some suggest that his daughter “only” has to live the rest of her days alone. He writes, “The suggestion is that since she will be spending the rest of her life in seclusion she will not be able to be with her friends anymore.”

Regardless, Jephthah makes a foolish decision that inadvertently destroys the life of a loved one. At minimum, this story is a cautionary tale to warn us to be careful with our words, especially words that are meant to be a promise. As many of us will spend these next few days among family and friends from far and wide, we are advised to speak with care and intention, a lesson Jephthah learns far too late.

Wishing y’all a meaningful Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!