WHY did Jephthah SACRIFICE His Daughter? | Judges 11 Explained

[@TabletsAndTemples]

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[@Mafioso1731]

Ugh why the Unicorn

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@Mafioso1731 Because, our channel members are rare... like a unicorn

[@Mafioso1731]

@@TabletsAndTemples Oh I understand now :)

[@tatumbuoy]

I was taught that this story was so far into judges, Israel could no longer tell the Canaanite gods from their God. Meaning, he knew his daughter would most likely be the one he sacrificed, and because they hadn't listened to God's warning earlier about the child sacrifices and not to do them, they had rebelled so long, they no longer knew who God was. They treated Him like the Canaanite gods, which shows how far from God they had gotten in this book.

[@samcartwright6338]

This interpretation would make the most sense without being a contradiction of God and the laws he set. That he was actually talking to Baal or something, and translations were messed up. But then that opens up the idea that there are stories in the Bible where translation messed things up which some people feel is blasphemy or “not being a true believer”

[@alenaalena6851]

​@@samcartwright6338 Maybe not that he was "actually" talking to Baal, but that he and the Israelites lost sight of what God's true character was, since they had strayed so far for so long. So when talking to the Israelite's God, he maybe assumed that He would be just like the foreign Gods? and therefore be similarly pleased by a child sacrifice?

[@TheProphetofLogic]

@@samcartwright6338 use critical thinking.... this statement just goes to show the mental gemnastics people will do.... YAWH is one cannonite god, among many. Why do you accept YAWH as god??? This same god said that the punishment for rape is having to marry the victim. What mental feat does one need to explain that? Here's a verse from the same passage the video is about mentioning that YAWH is one of the gods and that the land is devided between different gods. The Bible was edited to make it monotheistic. Judges 11 :24 "Wilt not thou possess that which ⭐Chemosh⭐ thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. " Chemosh, ancient West Semitic deity, revered by the Moabites as their supreme god. Little is known about Chemosh; although King Solomon of Israel built a sanctuary to him east of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7), the shrine was later demolished by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:13).www.britannica.com/topic/Chemosh

[@thefriesens1071]

​@@TheProphetofLogic Yahweh was not a Canaanite god. He was exclusively Israel's God and abhorred child sacrifice. Even secular archaeology at Soleb, Sudan confirms Yahweh as Israel's God.

[@TheProphetofLogic]

@@thefriesens1071 bull$hit, you have bad taste in gods.... Yahweh is a pagan god, and not a good one at that, your archeological knowledge is worse than stupid. Stupidity has an excuse, bias doesn't... Israel is a state based on religion, all Jews are welcome to live there, therefore you would EXPECT some of them to validate a state religion. Dummy. I say that because Yahweh is a piece of crap, and you need to be stupid to hand over your sovereignty to a god like that. How dose the creator of the universe need animal sacrifice??? Why dose he need a timple??? Why did the architecture of YHWH's temple match existing pagan temples??? Why does he need a certain kind of incense,and if it's not the correct formula, he gets pissed off??? There is a God but Yahweh is a god. Yahwehism has pagan ancestry. God is universal. No Religion is universal. God is not religious. 🧠🙀🤯

[@pdav1285]

There's another reason the interpretation of his daughter living on as a virgin doesn't work. Jephthah didn't promise his daughter (the virgin) as the sacrifice, but instead the first to meet him. Only his daughter was a virgin, so living on as a virgin would not work if anyone else had met him.

[@InquisitiveBible]

That's a great point.

[@endplanets]

As a kid I just assumed he was hoping for a cat or dog to walk out the door. But apparently Jephthah probably had servants (slaves) and was hoping for one of them to walk out the door. Which is, somehow, even more evil than what happened.

[@kristinburton4953]

That's too logical for most people. You're meant to skirt around uncomfortable truths. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!?

[@endplanets]

@@kristinburton4953 Well yea, you give him all you got. Including your daughter.

[@pdav1285]

@@kristinburton4953 Yeah. Why not have an angel come down to stop Jephthah like god did with ole Abe and Issac?

[@CleanFun]

Jephthah's daughter became a servant of the tabernacle. Her life was dedicated, not destroyed. The very thought that Jephthah's daughter died miserably in a flaming pyre on some altar in the desert, as a reward for her father's valor in saving God's people, is so stupid and such a grotesque misreading that it goes far beyond the mere stretching of reason, beyond the realm of absurdity, all the way into outright stupid satanic suggestion. First off, according to Levitical law, every burnt offering was to be a male without blemish, and each step of the sacrifice was a sacred sequence designed solely for bulls, sheep, goats, doves, and pigeons. Contrarily, snakes, spiders, unicorns, and little girls who love their daddies were not allowed to be sacrificed under any circumstance whatsoever. Mankind was and is made in the image of God Himself. Consider, if you will, the explicit and precise nature of the burnt offering ritual. The animal, once brought to the altar, was slaughtered, its throat slit to ensure a complete draining of blood-'for the life of the flesh is in the blood,' as Leviticus states (Leviticus 17:11). No flesh could be consumed without this sacred release of life. Afterward, the priests would carefully flay the animal, stripping off its skin, then parting and dissecting it. The entrails and legs were washed thoroughly to ensure ritual cleanliness. Its flesh, head, fat, and other parts were meticulously separated and arranged upon the altar, piece by piece, until the entire animal was wholly consumed by fire. What person would dare to suggest that Israel's priests-guardians of God's holy ordinances-would commit such a vile act, subjecting a young woman, her family, themselves, and the people of Israel to the grisly spectacle of a burnt human offering? I'll tell you who. 1. Gross sinners who have consciously chosen their sin over God and have entered into an open rebellion. 2. Those with a deep misunderstanding or willful distortion of Israel's faith would even entertain such a notion. 3. Those who harbor anti-Semitic bias, seeking to portray ancient Israel's worship as cruel or barbaric, might resort to such an accusation, aiming to denigrate what was, in fact, a system founded on reverence for life and God's holiness. 4. Luciferians and Satanists, who pervert Christian symbols and principles, could project such heinous practices onto Israel's worship, attributing to it their own abhorrent values in an attempt to degrade the purity of God's commands, which strangely is part of their own cherished anti-value system. These accusations ignore the entire spirit and true meaning of the holy arrangement that is Judeo-Christianity. For God Himself decreed in Leviticus 18:21, Deuteronomy 12:31, and Deuteronomy 18:10 that human sacrifice is an abomination that is categorically forbidden and abhorrent to Him. Merely suggesting that Jephthah's daughter was ritually slain insults not only the divine Law but also God's faithful worshipers, who fear and revere the sanctity of life as instructed by God Himself. In truth, her life was consecrated, sanctified in service and a living commitment to God, not a life destroyed. To suggest that Jephthah's daughter was sacrificed in a burnt offering is to ignore the profound cultural and religious identity rooted in the Law given by Moses. This Law was far more than a set of rules, it was the heartbeat of Israel's national identity, their covenant with God, and a daily guide that touched every facet of life. Just as every true American knows who they won their independence from, every Israelite knew the history and commands delivered through Moses a mere 300 years, or three long generations, earlier. These divine instructions shaped not only their relationship with God but also the very fabric of their society. And although you may not remember the first or second amendment, their life wasn't so saturated with endless nonsense. They remembered all 613 mitzvot and you could walk down the street and ask almost anyone to recite them back to you with a 95% success rate. These laws are not to them what they are to you. They took them serious. They counted their laws with even more love than you count your hard-earned paper money. Jephthah calling out a burnt offering was like saying 'the whole enchilada '. Every single part, nothing withheld. When we say `the whole enchilada‘, we're not actually talking about an enchilada, and neither was Jephthah's oath intended to be taken absolutely literally. Jephthah's vow was never intended as a literal burnt offering of his daughter but as a declaration of total consecration. '100% God's,' set apart without reservation. If a male lamb without blemish had run out, I'm sure it would have hit the altar. But if a slave came out, he or she would have gone into tabernacle service. But it was his own daughter. Not to be mutilated and consumed in flames, but to serve honorably and respectfully in the temple, so honorably and respectfully that she requested two months to lament her virginity. Let's be honest, when you're staring down death's door, you're hardly worried about not having known the rod of Jacob or having embraced the scepter of Solomon or having your vineyard tilled. These priests, descendants of Aaron and the only ones authorized to perform sacrifices, appointed as custodians of God's holiness, would know beyond any doubt that God expressly forbids human sacrifice. Jephthah is not a descendant of Aaron and, therefore, would have no authority to perform any sacrificial ritual-certainly not in secret, if that's the next wild, absurd suggestion the devil whispers to your peabrain. Only priests from the line of Aaron were ever permitted to conduct sacrifices, and their work was bound by the highest standards of holiness, visibility, and adherence to God's explicit commands. The Law, as given to Moses, is unwavering on this matter. In Leviticus 18:21, God commands, 'You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God.' In Deuteronomy 12:31, He declares with clarity, 'You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.' Again, in Deuteronomy 18:10, He reinforces this command, 'There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering.' Numbers 8:11-16 reminds us that the Israelites did indeed consecrate individuals to God-offered up as a living sacrifice, not in death, but in lifelong devotion. The Levites were set apart and presented as a 'wave offering,' symbolizing their dedication to God's service, not as lifeless sacrifices but as living servants wholly given to Him. This act of consecration demanded purity and total commitment of life, not death. Even within the sin offerings, where blood symbolized atonement, human life was never offered up in death, for every sacrifice preserved the sacredness of life. Each type of offering held its purpose and meaning, and none of these-burnt, sin, peace, or otherwise-permitted the slaughter of human beings as a sacrifice to God. God's Law would never allow such an abomination among His people. Thus, in every way, Jephthah's daughter's consecration would reflect a living offering, a life wholly set apart in service to God, not a life destroyed upon the altar. And look, too, to Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of sacrifice, who, while offered for sin, accomplished it in a way far removed from ritual slaughter. Unlike any sacrifice before, Christ's was voluntary, transcending the limitations of law-bound offerings. He gave His life willingly, submitting to death yet transforming it into an eternal, perfect sacrifice that fulfills every law-bound offering of old. Thus, when Jephthah's daughter went to the mountains to mourn her virginity, it was no dirge for impending death but a lament for the life she would surrender in lifelong service. She grieved not because she was to be killed, but because she would know no husband, no children. To interpret her story otherwise is to impose upon Israel the customs of pagan nations, to forget God's abhorrence of human sacrifice, and to ignore His unwavering commands against shedding innocent blood. Israel was uniquely called, as part of their covenant, to abolish these pagan practices, eradicating the very customs that desecrated life. Her offering was one of holy devotion, an enduring service, the kind of sacrifice God desired-a life set apart, not a life destroyed. Her fate was consecration, not combustion.

[@RobinMathewBAA]

It's clear that from Deuteronomy ch 12:29-31 Human sacrifice is considered to be an abomination to the Lord , in which Moses clearly warns not to follow the rituals of the Pagan worshippers , and so its known that God was not pleased in Jephtahs act of foolishness ,God hates such acts.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Yes it is a crime in the Hebrew Bible. Though the some of the book of Judges probably predated Deuteronomy, though the ideas were still probably floating around in some form. But yes it's interesting that Jephthah is not condemned explicitly, but as with much of Judges the author leaves that up to the audience.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@Kenneth Maurice Hi we've got a video coming out later this year about Mosaic authorship. In short, no - while Deuteronomy is laid out as a series of speeches from Moses - however, that is a literary device. Deuteronomy was actually composed centuries after the time any real Moses could have lived. The books of the Bible weren't necessarily written in the order they appear in the Bible.

[@mider9996]

@@TabletsAndTemples it was written after...

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@mider9996 Deuteronomy is generally considered to be a work of the 7th Century BCE or later. While many of the stories in Judges are dated to the 8th century, with an oral tradition that preceded that. See for example Robert Alter's explanation in Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A Translation with Commentary p.105

[@mider9996]

@@TabletsAndTemples Deuteronomy is part 9f the five Books of Moses and thus is considered to be part of the basis of Jewish law. Such a vow basically wouldn’t count

[@adedaporh]

What is usually ignored is the role Yahweh plays in this story. It is often said that Yahweh's silence throughout this story is a proof of his rejection or at least his non-approval of the vow. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Firstly, Yahweh's spirit is said to be upon Jephthah at the start of the episode and Jephthah was still presumably filled with the spirit at the time of the vow. Secondly, the vow was contingent upon Yahweh's action: if Yahweh doesn't handover the enemy into Israel's hands, Jephthah doesn't need to sacrifice anyone. Finally, the author of this passage draws a direct link between Jephthah's vow and Yahweh's action. Compare Judges 11:30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand..." and Judges 11:32 "...and the LORD gave them into his hand." So it's clear Yahweh is active here; Jephthah didn't just happen to be victorious, his enemy was handed over to him by Yahweh! Therefore Jephthah his now in debt to Yahweh. So in a sense Yahweh _demands_ that sacrifice. It's important not to use modern religious sensibilities to interpret ancient text. It may not make sense to us today but could've made perfect sense to them then: you are faced with a formidable enemy, so you offer up the highest sacrifice to guarantee victory. cf 2 Kings 3:27

[@TabletsAndTemples]

One has to also factor in that a post-Deuteronomistic ancient reader of the Hebrew Bible would have been well aware of Yahweh's disapproval of human sacrifice. As well as the fact that some of the most ancient Jewish interpretations we have thought that Jephthah's vow was NOT approved by Yahweh. Jephthah having the spirit of Yahweh would not have been understood as an endorsement of his actions. Both Saul and David's failures occurred while they were said to have had the spirit of God. Remember the spirit of God did not depart from Saul until after his failure. The spirit never departed from David in spite of him murdering Uriah. We can only speculate on the intentions of the earliest form of the story, but in its canonical context, it would not have been understood as an endorsement of child sacrifice, quite the opposite.

[@gothictheurgist9367]

@@TabletsAndTemples Because all religious apologists are biased, the Bible is clear though. Also YHWH did in fact approve of human sacrifice in the older books. Leviticus 27:28-29 is the key here. Another example of a human sacrifice to YHWH is in Numbers chapter 31. Towards the end 32 of 16,000 Midianite virgins are given to Yahweh as tribute.

[@wtpiep82]

This is a great take to a truly disgusting story like many found in the OT

[@CoffeebreakX2]

@@gothictheurgist9367 That bible verse is not YHWH advocating for human sacrifice. It states that people who are on isreals version of death row are not to be sold for money, simply let go, or done anything with other wise. They are to be dealt with as stated; "Destroyed." Levitucs 27:29.

[@CoffeebreakX2]

@@gothictheurgist9367 The Number verse speaks of purging the midianite women who were already sexual with someone in the life time and old enough to trick them away from the Lord. The 16,000 we given to the men of isreal and the levity specifically to be ritually used in the way the Lord commanded. Which up til this point, no human sacrifice was approved or allowed. So context states they would be used for labor. Like the other slaves within the bible. Numbers 31:47

[@jessewhite2879]

Sooo... God sent an Angel to Abraham to stop him from sacrificing his only son (Isaac) because it was a test of loyalty, but didn`t give a single f for this one becaus it was an offer they agreed to?

[@Seawitch907]

Exactly 👿 god hates women!

[@offshelfbooks]

The quality of these videos are absolutely incredible. Only a matter of time until this channel blows up bigger.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Why thank you very much! If you want to help, sharing the videos around really helps. ☺️

[@JocobsComments]

I agree

[@alextint5987]

The biblical theme of making votes and promises increase my suffering because I struggle with OCD, intrusive thoughts, the enemy attacks me with blasphemous thoughts. I feel a huge grieve, struggle and weight in my shoulders to be accepted and loved by God. I saw testimonies of people having unwanted intrusive thoughts about making promises in their minds and they are afraid of never visiting the hospital because of the intrusive unwanted vote, (These are examples) they are afraid of never eating lobster, working in wallmart, playing baseball. I am scared of promises votes information in Deuteronomy, Ecclesiastes, Mathew 5, James and the story of Jefte in Judges 11.

[@frelias8146]

I've got good news for you. Yahweh doesn't exist, all these stories are myths devised to control your mind (and it worked, apparently, therefore I feel for you). Therefore, no point worrying about all this BS and self-inflicting harm and suffering on yourself. Now go roam the Earth with a light heart, you are freed from this mental prison!

[@nightowl6260]

A vow like this is more akin to my idea of a deal with the devil, NOT with my idea of God.

[@JocobsComments]

It was strange. Why would someone make that type of vow. He could have asked Israel to slaughter sheep.

[@kristinburton4953]

@@JocobsComments There's another reason the interpretation of his daughter living on as a virgin doesn't work. Jephthah didn't promise his daughter (the virgin) as the sacrifice, but instead the first to meet him. Only his daughter was a virgin, so living on as a virgin would not work if anyone else had met him. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!?

[@shaunbivens8737]

The word is the word!! We my not always like or understand what what it has to say, But Lean not to your own understanding!

[@flyingspaghettiauditor]

So we should have blind faith in a book which promotes child sacrifice instead of thinking for ourselves

[@alismoran777]

He made a rash vow. And it also shows that the general idea of child sacrifice was around them from other ideologies and he tried to combine that in his own faith, where it doesn’t belong. God doesn’t want to be tested because he will make you follow through. God was silent after delivering them into his hands because He just had nothing to say. The lesson speaks for itself. It’s a lesson to not make rash vows or make up offerings. He has been explicit on what He wants from them and that He is in control of that.

[@baonemogomotsi7138]

Cope

[@kristinburton4953]

God will make you follow through with killing someone when you offered to, just to teach a lesson? Just WOW!!

[@bryantstudentd3831]

@@baonemogomotsi7138 Cope

[@Seawitch907]

It’s said in Judges that she was his only child besides her he had neither son nor daughter

[@computerwizard1959]

Many scholars believe from the Hebrew text that the vow included the word “or” serving the lord in the tabernacle or being offered as a sacrifice depending on what met him. The law also would have allowed him to redeem his daughter for pieces of silver. The daughter was willing to forgo marriage and having children and serve the Lord and allow her father to keep his vow.

[@kristinburton4953]

There's another reason the interpretation of his daughter living on as a virgin doesn't work. Jephthah didn't promise his daughter (the virgin) as the sacrifice, but instead the first to meet him. Only his daughter was a virgin, so living on as a virgin would not work if anyone else had met him. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the upcoming request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!? If God approves of everything written in the bible, he clearly didn't care about unclear-ness of this account. ------> 2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, Righteousness expectations from a God that sacrificed himself to himself and then asked himself why he felt forsaken by himself when he was dying. oh and asked himself in the desert to take this cup(deal) away from him. The biblical God is all about the sweet fragrance of sacrifice.

[@losi6383]

This is the best explanation of the text that I have found thus far. Thank you so much.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alohaohana901]

@@TabletsAndTemples Yeah the best explanation, but how do we know you are correct?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@alohaohana901 You don't, but there's a list of sources at the end of the video for people to read up for themselves.

[@alohaohana901]

@@TabletsAndTemples Why can't people understand the bible based on what the text says? Why must we speculate? Why must we rely on pastors and others to explain texts to us when they don't even know what the text means themselves?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@alohaohana901 because it was written thousands of years ago in three now dead languages which we no longer speak, in cultures and circumstances very foreign to modern readers.

[@MechaX3]

Great video! I look forward to each one you put out. It's funny that you released this because just 2 weeks ago I heard a different take from the guys over at the BEMA Discipleship podcast. The treasure they brought up was comparing what happened to Jephthah to his daughter. After Jephthah was kicked out of his community to "wander in the wilderness," so to speak, they went out and found him and said "no, actually we do need you. You are a valuable member of the community." However, when his daughter goes into the wilderness, no one in the community goes out to her saying, "No, this isn't right. You are actually a valuable member of this community." So, just like in the story of Judah and Tamar that your earlier video showed me, where is the justice for Jephthah's daughter? But since you pointed out Hebrews 11, I'm still wrestling with how that fits in to this.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thanks for watching and sharing that. That's certainly an interesting take. Personally I think the Gideonites definately sought Jephthah out because they were desperate under seige and he was a mighty warrior who's skills they needed. Jephthah uses his negotiation skills to leverage that into a permanent leadership role in the community. And yes, where is the justice for the daughter.

[@wtpiep82]

@@TabletsAndTemples there is no morality or justice in the OT

[@songswithcam669]

that’s one hell of an awkward family barbecue

[@kristinburton4953]

😆😂😁🤣 God didn't feel awkward though, because he predicted the whole thing. He knew the beginning and outcome of every circumstance eons before. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the upcoming request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out, yes a nice virgin, unlike the loose old wife. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win to the right side anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!? Why does God get people to fight his battles anyway, doesn't he just wipe out cities himself? He's so incredibly inconsistent.

[@joelcunningham792]

Please explain what wondering the hills have to do with her as a virgin?

[@kristinburton4953]

We all know what teenagers do in the hills/woods/behind the garden shed. They weren't going to have a last look at the trees and study local ecology. They were going to study each other anatomy. 😅

[@ricrey431]

I can't help but think that you don't take the Bible as a literal historical account of events that actually happened, but instead a collection of cultural tales of morality. Maybe I'm wrong, but the way you presented the video makes me doubtful of your stand.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

My approach here is reading the texts in their ancient contect.

[@Seawitch907]

OK in the old testament when you committed a sin, you took an offering a blood offering to the priest and you had a bath and you were forgiven for your sin m. it’s not much different than human sacrifice and it says in the Bible that the practiced by the Jews and the savages but Christians to ,you give what you love the most!

[@ejwis1]

Israel was a mess at this time in history.

[@TheLifeOfMartin]

​@@TabletsAndTemples You can't have no stand. You can say you don't know what you believe or don't wanna say but you have a stance.

[@stevedaily1167]

There is a way to get out of a rash vow by offering a prescribed sacrifice, I think it is described in Leviticus

[@timothykinoti7768]

Actually the bible warns against making rush vows.... Solomon says make sure you fulfill the vow you make to God for He doesn't delight in fools....if you don't he might become angry and wipe out everything you've accomplished..

[@shellyblanchard5788]

Read numbers 31.

[@CoffeebreakX2]

@@timothykinoti7768 But there are still grace as stated above.

[@CoffeebreakX2]

@@shellyblanchard5788 Numbers 31 does not speak of human sacrifice. Levites don't go to war, they got a portion of the spoils, including the prisoners of war to use for labor or marriage. Numbers 31:47 Anyone who is purged at the beginning of it is because of their sins against the Lord. Not sacrifice; cleansing. Read Moses explanation starting at Numbers 31:15

[@lynnh3710]

Thank you for this in depth Bible study. The video also has been nicely done.

[@radley3519]

The God of the Bible set himself apart from the surrounding nations by specifically not allowing child sacrifice [ a pagan practice] to say He allowed Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter is simply not truth/ to live a life of dedication and service at the temple coincides with giving a valuable and useful offering..makes no sense that the God of the Bible would even allow His name be attached to such a pagan practice without punishment.. Hanna didn't sacrifice Samuel but she gave him over to serve God for his entire life/ a life of ministry and service... destruction in the bible on God's part [ he cause Jephthah to win the war thus showing his authorization of Jephthahs behavior] always has a divine reason purpose.. it's not just senseless blood shed

[@detetivedafe]

So... your comment shows that you are struggling to not believe that the god of the bible did something wrong and contradictory. kkkkkkk

[@exaucemayunga22]

The fact that even Paul called him righteous is mad

[@natbarratt3356]

are you referring to Heb 11:31-34?

[@exaucemayunga22]

@@natbarratt3356 yup

[@rickdavies4801]

Could you please explain why God got so mad?And sent two bears to kill forty two young male adults

[@scienceexplains302]

I appreciate that the video admits the horror of this story and does not go for a cheap genetic fallacy on the meaning of Olah. But this analysis still igores some important context. Jephthah was not only an upstanding Yahwist, but may have been *inspired by Yahweh* to effectively offer a human sacrifice. Nobody corrected him. Neither Yahweh nor Jesus said of this instance, “No, we don’t accept child sacrifices.” Jephthah Judges 11:29-31 Then *the spirit of Yahweh came on Jephthah* …. And Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh : “… whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be Yahweh’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering {‘ō·lāh}. It doesn’t say that the spirit left Jephthah between v:29 and :30. Since we can’t insert our own narrative, the most straightforward interpretation is that *Yahweh arranged this sacrifice to himself* Leviticus 20:2 bans sacrificing your own child to Molech, but not to Yahweh. Judges may be promoting child sacrifice as a sign of utter loyalty to Yahweh.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate your thoughtful response. This is an argument I'm aware of and I'll offer this as an initial responses though feel free to continue the discussion: Judges likely started life as a series of independent legends prior to the exile. However, after the exile in around 550bce scholars believe the tribal legends of the Judges were heavily redacted and edited into the form we have today. This post-exilic form was almost certainly aware of Deuteronomy as Judges is considered part of the (so called) Deuteronomistic redaction of the HB. So Judges as we know it was probably read with full knowledge of the prohibitions against all child sacrifice in Deuteronomy 12:31-32. Thus, while an earlier independent version of the tale may have had no issue with child sacrifice, it's unlikely it would have been acceptable at the time Judges became the book we know it today. Now, it's almost certain that Israel practiced child sacrifice at certain times, but it does seem like by the post-exilic period when much of the Pentateuch was redacted, that it was no longer accepted. We can only speculate about periods before that. As for Yahweh's spirit being on Jephthah, the relationship between Yahweh's spirit and the morality of individuals that have it is complex. Figures like Joseph and David were said to have the spirit of God, yet Joseph enslaved the Egyptians and David killed Uriah. Scholars can and will debate all day over why exactly the spirit of God came on Jephthah. So TLDR, yes I think it's possible some early version of an independent Jephthah story had no problem with child sacrifice. But after its Deuteronomistic redactions the story is more likely a warning against such a practice. But I'm keen to hear what you think about that.

[@scienceexplains302]

@@TabletsAndTemples Thank you for the informative response. The idea that the Jephthah story is a warning sounds like a modern apologetic, not based on the culture of that time and place, but I am too ignorant of ancient Israelite culture to say that with confidence. I am tentatively sticking by my conclusion that the story is included to show how Yahweh’s loyal people behave. You could invite Assyriologist Joshua Bowen (half of the Digital Hammurabi KZbin channel) or Dead Sea Scrolls expert Dr Kipp Bowen to give more context. Side note: it is also weird to modern eyes to read of people saying that whatever you have said, you have to do, such as the daughter saying, “You have to kill me, because you said you would,” or Isaac not being able to revoke or alter his blessing on Jacob, even tho it was under deceit.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Oh I totally understand the apprehension. But I wouldn't say it's a modern apologetic (as opposed to the view that she was set apart). I've just checked and all the earliest commentaries we have come from the late 1st century. All of them are critical of both Jephthah and the vow in some way. Josephus was the most critical, but there's also Psuedo-Philo and Targum Jonathan. So it's certainly not a modern apologetic, the earliest commentaries we have from ancient Judaism are critical of the vow. And in Targum Jonathan it is specifically understood to be a warning against similar vows. Plus, as I mentioned Judges was likely compiled with knowledge of Deuteronomy 12. So one has to ask, why the compiler/redactor includes the story of child sacrifice in a post-deuteronomistic era which condemned such behaviour? As to the other points, yeah it's really strange. Possibly makes more sense in an honour shame culture. But also they are narratives rather than accurate historical accounts so, it can also be dramatic hyperbole. I'd love to have a dead sea scroll expert on the show, I might reach out!

[@CoffeebreakX2]

What are your thoughts on this when you also overlay the context of free will? God doesn't interveen on free will choices and did give His people ways to compensate or make up for for hasty dangerous vows (replacing them, see Leviticus and exodus) And if only his spirit is present but his followers aren't listening to His voice, like how Abraham did, He is much less likely to be able to arrange, convince, or diswayed people. I'd love to hear your thoughts this, this passage Is a wild one

[@scienceexplains302]

@@CoffeebreakX2 Not to be rude, but did you read my whole post? The spirit of Yahweh was apparently in Jephthah, -this- thus guiding his thoughts. There are as many verses against free will in the Bible as for, and the ones against seem more overriding. Free will seems to be a modern apologetic for why a supposedly omnibenevolent and omnipotent being could create an often cruel world. The “omni” aspects are not well supported in the Hebrew Bible. For example Yahweh couldn’t defeat an army that used iron chariots. In another battle, the enemy defeats Yahweh by using a child sacrifice.

[@emanuelbugaj7078]

Great video! Very nice animation. Good that you presented two opposite interpretations and analyzed them, to judge which is more possible, insteat of telling only the one that speaks more to you

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it

[@survyanand116]

Judges 11:39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, ... It seems apparent that Jephthah did not physically sacrifice his daughter's life, ( Judges verse 30,31 ) for at least two reasons. 1) He would have been acquainted with God's law sternly forbidding human sacrifice and would know that God considered such action an intolerable abomination. (Lev. 18:21 ; 20:2-5 ; Deut. 12:31 ; 18:10-12) 2) The emphasis that "she knew no man" ( i.e., did not marry ) implies that she was presented to God as a living sacrifice, to devote her entire life to service and chastity at the national sanctuary. ( Ex. 38:8 ; 1 Sam. 2:22 ).

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Here's a bit more info you might find helpful: 1) Questions of dating aside, characters in the book of Judges contravene the Levitical and Deuteronomistic laws all the time. That's part of the point, that "each did what was right in their own eyes." 2) The type of sacrifice Jephahth promises is "olah" which in the Hebrew Bible is always, without exception a burnt offering. 3) There is no suggestion in the Hebrew Bible that there was a class of "chaste" women who served with the priests. Yes there were some kind of female assembly in front of the temple - but there is no suggestion that they were chaste virgins.

[@jeffreyleekimmel]

Is there an academic book you'd recommend to understand Judges?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I think Sasson's Anchor Yale Bible Commentary is one of the current go-tos. It's also worth perusing Google Scholar for particular passages and filtering by the last 10-20 years to see what shorter articles have been written recently. Not all articles are available freely of course, but many can usually be found online somewhere.

[@morincarew2241]

Thank you for your explanation. Indeed, we may not like some things in the Bible but they are there to teach us lessons. This unfortunate incident should teach us not only to avoid making rash vows but also rash decisions.

[@Jaryism]

Mm… I disagree, this story was always unsettling to me in how his daughter seemed to openly embrace her own human sacrifice, it’s not only unrealistic but sociopathic, no normal teen or young woman would ever just accept that without protest and forfeit their life. And there’s no indication that anything wrong was done, in face he’s looked at positively in Hebrews. Christians want to brush this one aside but I disagree, it isn’t apparent in how it was written that he was doing a moral wrong, in fact the spirit of the lord was in him and he still did this? Utter horrible story.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I agree it's difficult. I think though, it's important to remember that in Judges there's of stories of people doing horrible things (like the Levite and his concubine for example) - where they aren't repudiated for their evils. That doesn't mean that the audience would have assumed they were the good guys - I would argue most of the time it's the opposite. Yes, it is said that Jephthah has the spirit of God at the beginning of the story, but that isn't necissarily an endorsement of his actions. David had the spirit of God in Samuel, and the whole point was it wouldn't leave him like it left Saul, yet he was still able to have Uriah killed and took Bathsheba, for which he was very much condemned. I do address Hebrews in the video, Jephthah, like several of the other figures mentioned is celebrated for his military victory, not necissarily the sacrifice of his daughter. And the NT interpretation is only one of several, I think it is Josephus who I mentioned repudiated Jephthah for his vow. One of the main reasons I think it is more likely that Jephthah's vow is presented as foolish - is that while the story itself may have been based on an older folktale that accepted child sacrifice, the version we have has been edited together into the Deuteronomistic History. The laws against child sacrifice are also likely Deuteronomistic in their origin. It seems inconceivable to me that an editor who shares Deuteronomistic theology, has included the Jephthah tale with the sacrifice ending - unless it was assumed it was a bad example. Anyway, yes I could be wrong. But those are my reasons why I think it's a repudiation.

[@Jaryism]

How can you find any historical reliability and trustworthiness if the story has been modified pre-10th century BC from to around the Babylonian Exile era hundreds of years after. It’s similar to how Genesis 1 was added last, post exile and has a completely different portrayal of Yahweh compared to the anthropomorphic version in the Patriarch and Garden stories, which makes sense after its influence of Zoroastrianism like Daniel where it becomes more good vs evil, god vs Satan etc. the process over time does matter in theory. Were all the flood stories adopted from some “Q” flood event, we’re not sure except they’ve all been altered much over time to apply to different God/s like Gilgamesh and the Attratrasus. Let’s assume you’re right about Judges, that this is to illustrate how Jepthah who was blessed by God has fallen to the Canaanite ways of child sacrifice. To the reader at best, the story is completely agnostic in the Bible over the morality of his acts. Isaac was spared cause God intervened, even as an archetypal story there’s a lesson of full trust in God, Cain killed Abel and there was a warning and resolution over his evil acts. In Jepthah it’s up in the air, his daughter willingly allows it and he’s mentioned only as a man of God and faith later, contradictory to what we’re made to believe that these are unGodly People who were completely immoral in their acts. If these stories are inspired by the God of the universe this is trash, completely ambiguous morally, and do a horrible job conveying any sort of meaningful message to take away. My daughter is 4, she’d be a far more virtuous person watching Disney and learning about Jesus and throwing the rest of the Bible and questionable sources in the trash bin.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I never said (nor does the video) state they are historically reliable accounts. These explorations of the texts are as narratives. I also wouldn't endorse reading a 4 year old the book of judges...

[@Jaryism]

@@TabletsAndTemples If none of it is reliable, why should anyone read it? Jesus refers to Abraham and the patriarchs as historic figures, same as Jona, who apparently got swallowed by a fish for 3 days. If there's a strong possibility it didn't even happen then there's no credibility to the account, and they're no longer divinely inspired scriptures.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Because I find it interesting to look at what texts meant in their ancient context. Regardless of whether someone believes or not, these are texts that are hugely influential. I have no interest in trying to make anyone believe anything. It's just fun to see to explore how sometimes people bring modern misconceptions to these texts that the ancients may not have shared. I don't make anyone, share that same interest, but that's pretty much what this channel, just an academic exploration of the development of texts and ideas in their ancient context. P.s. Speaking of the idea of "divinely inspired" - stay tuned for my next video where I explore the origin of that idea

[@crystallebo9969]

This answered all my questions and was super informative. Thanks for the explanation for such a strange passage of scripture.

[@SleepyPotterFan]

I love that “but we don’t believe the Hebrew God would ask for human sacrifice” has legit been used as an excuse to blatantly ignore child sacrifice in ancient Israel.

[@TheKeesBoerMinistryChannel]

I wonder if the ones, who were sawn in two was during the time of the Maccabees.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

It's certainly possible. The tradition that Isaiah was sawn in two comes from the Babylonian Talmud which is dated after Hebrews. The Maccabean revolt is certainly possible.

[@TheKeesBoerMinistryChannel]

@@TabletsAndTemples BTW, you gave a very, very solid teaching there!!! That's why I subscribed!!!

[@aceshighfpv1282]

Great content, the best video I've seen on this topic

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thankyou so much, I really appreciate that

[@theverystones2643]

Yes amen you did a great job on this. After reading the text and being like WHAT THE FLAMING HELL HAVE I JUST READ I went straight to Matthew Henry which I was shocked to see was a total cop out, then googled around and there’s not much decent analysis on this so well done for a thorough explanation 💪👍🙏👏

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Glad you liked it. Just a heads up on Matthew Henry. His commentary is popular because it's free. However it was written in the 1700s. A lot of what he has to say is a product of its time. If you don't have access or finances for newer commentaries, the subreddit r/academicbiblical is a great place to ask questions.

[@alohaohana901]

It seems that modern-day pastors spend their entire career doing damage control trying to explain verses like this. I guess you will always have job security.

[@charleslehner5715]

it's a good break down, thank you for the video and the work that went into it. What I would mention regarding the Hebrews 11 part, how all of the people listed did something in their lives that were contrary to the law. There is only one person in heaven/on earth who has ever existed that has not broken the law.

[@WildNatureUniqueTV.]

Nice content brother, for me that was really human sacrifice, that no apologetic can justify.

[@kristinburton4953]

There's another reason the interpretation of his daughter living on as a virgin doesn't work. Jephthah didn't promise his daughter (the virgin) as the sacrifice, but instead the first to meet him. Only his daughter was a virgin, so living on as a virgin would not work if anyone else had met him. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the upcoming request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!?

[@saketeas2060]

Another great video, good sir.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thank you so much. Welcome aboard. also I see your own productiin skills are quite good. Any future plans for your channel?

[@saketeas2060]

@@TabletsAndTemples Thanks! Hoping to put together a few videos in the next month. Let me know what you think if you get a chance to see them.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Yeah for sure.

[@pickleballprincess]

You do such a great job of showing how some events in the Bible are descriptive rather than prescriptive. Thank you for your excellent videos!

[@Jaryism]

I disagree, it does both when it illustrates the spirit of the lord came upon him and gave him victory and in Hebrews he’s still mentioned as a man of faith. This sociopath isn’t even condemned by the author as committing an atrocity in fact his daughter was happily ok with it, at best we’re having to “guess” if God detested since it’s just silent on it. It can’t be both… the Bible can’t be archetypal stories like Cain and Abel and Joseph, or just descriptive and not trying to prescribe anything from their behavior. If it wants us to think Jephtgah was evil here then say “God was outraged over his actions..” so we fricking know.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

The problem is that (with the exception of the book of Kings) the narrator in Hebrew Bible literature rarely steps in to make moral judgements. It's called reticence, and scholars such as Robert Alter have argued that it has a deliberate function in forcing the audience to make moral judgements for themselves. It's not really that different from modern story telling, when you're watching a movie like the Wolf of Wallstreet, there's no narrator stepping in and saying "what he did was wrong," - and he doesn't even really learn a lesson in the end. But movie critics noted that the movie doesn't necessarily endorse his behaviour, but by showing it, it forces audiences to make moral judgements for themselves. In fact I'd argue, most modern storytelling doesn't hold your hand through moral decision making, it is often just as ambiguous. Thus, I disagree that it can't be both. There are both kinds of stories in the Hebrew Bible because it was written by lots of different people. While God addresses Cain, he or the narrator doesn't step in to say anything about the problematic actions of Lot, Jacob, Esau, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Joseph's brothers etc. The spirit of yhwh coming on Jephthah isn't a moral endorsement of his actions by the author. Multiple characters did horrible things whilst having the spirit of the Lord, that God explicitly condemns. Both Saul and David's failures were committed while they were understood to have had the spirit of the lord. Having the spirit of the lord wasn't an automatic endorsement of everything a character did, at least in the eyes of the ancient readers.

[@TheProphetofLogic]

@@TabletsAndTemples such a waste of brain power. Shut up and stop worshiping Saturn.

[@ejwis1]

Deuteronomy 23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

[@kristinburton4953]

Even if you have to break the ....do not kill law? Hmm🤔 You make a vow to the God you know loves burnt offerings, then he lets it happen. Wow The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the upcoming request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. It was no surprise or ... oh dear.....woopsie...oh how awkward, in the situation. Oh yes God already knows the outcome of everything. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!? Wouldn't he have wanted the right person to win the battle? Just grant the right person to win already.

[@mustachemac5229]

I feel akward being the only one mentioned in your video. You deserve so much more. I have never read this story before. I watched you video and then read Judges 11 from myself. So in my Bible, it says: Judges 11. 39-40 "After two months she came back to her father. He did what he had promised the Lord, and she died still a virgin. This was the origin of the custom in Israel that the Israelite women would go out for 4 days every year to grieve for the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead." Reading this gives me the impression that Jephthah went through with the sacrifice. Kind of reminds me of Abraham and Isaac where a sacrifice is promised to show faith. Very hard to swallow.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Well I do appreciate your support! Yeah, the reason for the ambiguity is that in the original Hebrew it doesn't say that she died. It just says "he fulfilled his vow". Obviously it's implied that she died, but that's how some othet interpretations arose in the gaps.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Oh and Abraham and Isaac... Yeah that'd a doozy. I'm not sure I could tackle that one yet. A famous philosopher wrote an entire book on that story trying to tackle it from multiple points of view. Even he was left with more questions than answers.

[@mustachemac5229]

@@TabletsAndTemples I found it engrossing that Jep's brothers 'banished' him because they felt he was not entitled to their fathers fortune. This also brings to mind, Ishmael, whom also did not see much favor because he was born from a different mother. Great vids bud. Truly enjoy.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Totally, and Ishmael is a good parallel. Even though It's a 2800 year old tale, I don't think it's that hard to imagine a modern inheritance dispute being just as ugly in certain situations.

[@mustachemac5229]

@@TabletsAndTemples Maybe I missed it in your video but I was curious what you think is the true to the story. From about min 1:50-2:20 you talk about two different ideas on how Jep's daughter was viewed: Was she a literal burnt sacrifice or the virgin idea mentioned by Abraham?

[@joeyparker9401]

After much study and reflection this is my viewpoint also.

[@WitchyWillLuna]

In story it talked about her father covering her face she kept pulling the cover off, as he didn't want her to look at him while he takes the final blow, she grabs the cover the 3rd time and put it behind her head and heled on to it as he took her head right off her body.

[@Bobisworld]

Where does it say this?

[@barbarianater]

I like how u address the toughest issues in the bible lol

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I do try haha

[@TabletsAndTemples]

You'll have to let me know what you thought

[@barbarianater]

@@TabletsAndTemples i like how u didn't attempt to sugarcoat it at all, pobably one of the reasons i follow ur channel. ...however i am actually a muslim 😂 so the story doesn't bother me. I do have an appreciation for the bible that goes beyond just polemics and i try to learn more about it by following channels like urs

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I'm glad. Yeah I try to keep the Biblical content on this channel academic and non-confessional so that anyone from any background can find some value. My aim is to stick to what the text meant in its ancient context. I'm glad you liked it.

[@barbarianater]

@@TabletsAndTemples if u are asking about my own personal opinion on the issue, i don't see the bible as a cohesive whole. My guess is some figurehead must have done it probably following the trends of moloch worshippers but he must have been so influential that his story ended up in scripture despite the prohibition in leviticus

[@Shaladash]

Is it possible that: Jephthah used God by making this vow as an act of revenge towards his half brothers? Since they kicked him out of his fathers house?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Interesting theory. I'm not sure his half-brothers would be living in his household. If it was revenge, it certainly backfired.

[@madProgenitorDeity]

the question of Jephthah's relationship to Cronus' dad Iapetus in greek mythology (whatever it was) will occupy my mind until I'm dead

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Iapetus is usually compared to Japheth (Noah's son) rather than Jephthah. Confusing because of similar names, I know. Jephthah is sometimes compared to Agamemnon though.

[@madProgenitorDeity]

@@TabletsAndTemples Thank you!

[@amarachicraneskenya8412]

Truth is, Jephthah didn't actually KILL his daughter, he SET HER APART for the work of God, as u have mentioned in the issue of her being somehow similar to a nun. Bcoz even God Himself forbids child sacrifice(Lev 20) yet when Jephthah made this vow, he "had the spirit of the Lord upon him" Judges11:29-30. This bids the question, 'why would God convict someone to commit an abominable act before Him?'. I find that God isn't one who goes against His own word. So the assumption that 'offer up to God' meant human sacrifice, is VERY WRONG. Dig deeper and I'm sure you'll come to agree with me. Hope u get my point...

[@TabletsAndTemples]

As mentioned in the video, the Hebrew word used in Judges 11 always meant burnt offering. Secondly, all the earliest ancient commentators on Jephthah assume that he killed his daughter through the burnt offering. The idea that she was set apart didn't come about until over 1500 years after the story was written.

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

As abhorrent as the story of Jephthah's daughter is, this type of vow is regulated in Leviticus 27:28-29. "But of all that anyone owns, be it man or beast or land of his holding, nothing that he has proscribed for the LORD may be sold or redeemed; every proscribed thing is totally consecrated to the LORD. No human being who has been proscribed can be ransomed: he shall be put to death."

[@kristinburton4953]

The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out.

[@candythrower]

I don't think this is what God wants because God haven't spoken a word to Jephthah nor said anything about given up his only child or dauhgter just as he commanded Abraham to do with Issac his only son. Maybe he should've change his mind and ask God for forgiveness and find a young lamb in the area and use that as a burt offering sacrifice to God to have mercy on him. Just a thought.

[@therealwaltewhite]

I do appreciate this video this whole passage really disturbed me and was so dark I had to question alot afterwards

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Glad you found it helpful.

[@True253]

So was she sacrificed or not?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

In the original Hebrew story she was sacrificed as a burnt offering yes.

[@Minetic]

Judges just shows how messed up Israel became. They really strayed away from the Lord and possible had synchronism involved

[@awakenedones9986]

God is a Creator and commanded that we must not kill, so why would killing his (Jephthah)daughter be ok? I don't think we should assume that he did when Jephthah clearly knew God's commandments, and if he was THAT committed to God, then we should assume that he abided by his Lord's laws.

[@shellyblanchard5788]

It didn't say anything about it being a burnt offering but as a burnt offering. In the they gave money as a vow.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Ch11v31 "then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the Lord’s, to be offered up by me as a burnt offering" NRSV

[@maxxam3590]

Where did you get that from?

[@shellyblanchard5788]

@@maxxam3590 ok the guy said whatever comes out of the doors, not just a single door, he would offer it as burnt offering. According to the law the vow could be annulled by the daughter. Numbers 30.

[@shellyblanchard5788]

It did not say door, but doors. One thing though is you can say though in another meaning of doors she didn't come out of the door or doors, but out of the opening of the door. You can't really come out of the door of a home, but through an opening of the door. 😊. It was the way it worded. He said whatever comes out of the doors of my house , he would offer it as burnt offering. He got what mixed up with who. I just looked it up and he said he would offer it for a burnt offering. So it wasn't a who , but a what. He wasn't supposed his daughter in that manner.

[@maxxam3590]

@@shellyblanchard5788 That's nothing but excuses. The point is, the God of the Bible accepts human sacrifices.

[@shmanuyah_2024watch]

Jephthah desperately went "over the top" to secure a win by that vow ...but ended up at the "bottom" - because he realized the Most High could have stopped his daughter from going to the door first. think: if she was just given to "ascent", then why would her friends or anyone lament for that? fact: being given to YHWH in temple service would be a good thing and a blessing to his family and her - but obviously that didn't happen. Judges chapter 12:7 shows when HE died, so "IF" she didn't die from the sacrifice - then when did she? ...no need to try to rewrite scripture because it feels so uncomfortable.

[@OwenDM]

In some translations it's "whatever" comes out the door, in some it's "whoever".(Dan McClellan probably knows.) Imagine a virgin chicken or lamb. Or his wife. Some translations leave out that he did according to his vow, why? Why didn't I am that I am change his mind like Jonah and Nineveh or the flood, when he regretted making man. Why didn't a ram appear? To prove a point? Maybe the Aztecs were also trying to prove a point then.

[@Humberto.v16]

Great video dude

[@Igor369]

"So they found a new way to read the text" Uh... so the current bible is just a speculation of what the authors have written or what?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Sorry could you rephrase your question, I didn't quite understand what you were asking.

[@hibbo1351]

For the record, God COULD have intervened, ala Abraham/Isaac, but he wanted to smell that pleasing aroma. Plus Jep was a mass murderer

[@justingoble4980]

Excellent work. Hugely informative and deeply helpful to me!

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I'm glad!

[@chandlereaves6573]

This man sinned, at no point does it say god wanted him to sacrifice his daughter. This is clearly about a man that was obsessed with his pride and honor.

[@freethinker424]

God should have stopped Jephthah from killing his daughter, just like he stopped Abraham (I realize Christians are going to say it is different to try to justify it because God specifically commanded Abraham to kill his son which is why God stopped it, but MORALLY it is not different). God should have stopped Jephthah’s burnt offering of an INNOCENT girl, but God did not. God is evil. Period.

[@BlGGESTBROTHER]

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

[@gasisthepastendoil]

​@@BlGGESTBROTHERdna.....DNA.........DNA......😂😂😂😂

[@chrissyo9669]

But the daughter cane put dancing to the tambourine. Sheep's don't dance to tambourine. But, thank you for this thought provoking thought 🙏🏾

[@ShiningGalaxy01]

Leviticus 20:2 only forbids sacrificing your children's to the god molech, but it never condemns sacrificing your children's to Yahweh, cause that is what Yahweh demands, in Exodus 22:29-30, demands that firstborn infants should be sacrificed to him along with oxens, and sheeps, after 7 days with their mother, and also demands making your enemies as a burnt offering to him, in Deuteronomy 13:16. This Christian should be reminded by that, writing this down on his paper.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Sure, but Deuteronomy 12:30-31 clearly extends to not sacrificing children to Yahweh either. Judges is part of the Deuteronomistic history. The way I see it is there's 2 likely possibilities: 1. The story is quite a late addition to Judges, in which case the child sacrifice may have been influenced by Greek tales like Agamemnon. 2. The story is very early from a time when child sacrifice was acceptable, but a later, Deuteronomistic redactor has woven it into the book that becomes Judges - as part of a larger project highlighting how bad things were in Israel's cultural memory. Whether it was an earlier story preserved as a warning, or a later addition - either way, it was preserved/inserted by a Deuteronomistic redactor, who would have been anti child sacrifice. The story is supposed to be a tragedy either way you look at it.

[@ShiningGalaxy01]

@@TabletsAndTemples Deuteronomy 12:30-32 "30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto Yahweh thy God: for every abomination to Yahweh, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Just a reminder, you didn't add the verse 32, of Deuteronomy Chapter 12, where at the end, it says, "nor diminish from it", meaning, not to take away this. This 3 verses in the end of Deuteronomy 12, doesn't forbid sacrificing your Children's to Yahweh The Most High, it only condemns doing it the same way how other nations offered their Children's as sacrifice to the Gods, but it doesn't condemn sacrificing Children's to Yahweh, or enemies to him, since that is what Deuteronomy 13:16 demands, "make the city as a burnt offering to Yahweh". It is instructed to offer thy firstborn to Yahweh, likewise with the oxens, and sheep, after 7 days with their mother, and the fact that the Ancient Israelites did practice child sacrifice to Yahweh, skeletal remains of Infants found in Jaffa. Only sacrificing thy firstborn child, or thy enemy, to Yahweh, are permitted, in the Old Testament. Me having this discussion to other Christians like you, they do admit that Exodus 22:29-30, is talking about Child Sacrifice to Yahweh on Omegle, and they reply that these sacrifices are no longer necessary, because Jesus gave his life for us, so that we wouldn't be sacrificing animals, or our children's, which is what they said.

[@jamesfahey5686]

Exodus 22:29 does not mean what you think it means. When God says “You must give me the firstborn of your sons” in this passage it’s part of the social responsibilities of his people. And how the first born male should be sanctified. This is also referenced earlier in Exodus 13:2. Here it says “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.” The firstborn male is important to God here on earth so it wouldn’t make any sense for him to have the Israelites murder the firstborn male in his name.

[@ShiningGalaxy01]

@@jamesfahey5686 Your cherry picking one verse. Exodus 22:29-30 "Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. LIKEWISE shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me." To do Likewise with the oxens, and sheeps, means to offer thy firstborn child along with the oxens, and sheeps. Exodus 13 is a different passage, you are speaking about, different from Exodus 22. You did not add the verse 30 of Exodus 22, were it says, do likewise with the sheeps, and oxens. A sheep, nor an oxen, doesn't have any purposes, in serving at a Jewish Tabernacle, nor a Temple dedicated to Yahweh. Yahweh does allow his chosen people to kill their own children's, in Deuteronomy 21:18-21. Your only wanting to sugarcoat Exodus 22:29-30, cause your really ashame of the God which you worship, demanding such act. There has been accounts of the Israelites sacrificing their children's to Yahweh, occassionally, as recorded by some of their Canaanite Neighbors, along with the Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and The Hellenes, than passed it to their Canaanite Neighbors. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, banned the Jews from that occasional custom demanded in their Torah, one reason for the Maccabeean Revolt. Exodus 22:20 says not to sacrifice to any gods besides Yahweh, meaning to say, Yahweh would be okay if children's are sacrificed to him, but not to any deity besides him, reason why Yahweh didn't send his messenger to stop Jephthah from sacrificing his daughter to him, just as he did with Abraham, to stop sacrificing his son, Isaac/Yitzhak, to him.

[@chiaracreations2300]

That is incorrect. God didn't want literally sacrifices of sons. He's clearly saying that you should dedicate them, paying a ransom for them, because they belong to Him. It is a reminder of what happened in Egypt. If you read Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy it cannot be misunderstood.

[@draugami]

How do Jewish Rabbis interpret this passage?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

From which time period? We don't have much ancient commentary on this passage (apart from say Josephus), so most of it is either from the middle ages to the modern period.

[@draugami]

@@TabletsAndTemples A good cross section from the middle ages to modern Jewish scholars.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@draugami Sefaria is a great resource if you want to explore Jewish commentary throughout the ages. Just some of what's there: Nothing of note from Rashi, who is a popular commentator from the 11th century. Radak in the 13th century argues that she became something like a nun, seperated from the men and the women would actually go visit her each year. Ramban also in the 13th century writes that Jephthah did indeed offer her has a burnt offering and that he had to be punished by the priests for doing so. Ramban also rebuts the opinion of Ibn Ezra who supposedly argued like the medieval Christians, that she was offered up to be celibate. Ramban is insistant that it was a burnt offering. 18th Century - Metzudat writes that Jephthah fulfilled the burnt offering In more modern times Ish Leshivto simply says it is debated among Rabbis. MeAvur HaAretz is also vague, but seems to take it that Jephthah burned his daughter.

[@mariodini839]

A burnt offering is only with the male..she was a peace offering and as such he would have no lineage from her..

[@scampbell1620]

Ty for clarifying

[@B1rdTheW0rd]

This whole idea of interpretations stems from wanting to appease the opinions of the lost. The Lord means what He says. There are no interpretations. Especially because they are only created to avoid hurting feelings.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

What interpretation are you referring to?

[@Metarig]

So, if you pinky-swear to do something really terrible, like, say, sacrificing your innocent daughter, then the deal is you're supposed to actually go through with it. And, whoa, wouldn't you know it, God might just give you a thumbs-up, and your pals might throw you a party for your 'achievement.' Talk about a wow moment, right?

[@gasisthepastendoil]

dna cannot exist.......

[@allisonpetamberearlpetambe2295]

I am still confused, - in the mountains for 2 months to moarn her virginity!!!Was there any witness around his daughter whilst she was in the mountains with her FRIENDS to know for sure if she kept her virginity? So she remained a virgin for the rest of her life because of her father's vow. What an obedient woman she was. Hmmm.

[@bipin_here_]

I have a question sir how did nebuchhednezzer know that the fourth man in the furnace is Son of God plz reply???

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Hi there. Thanks for your question. I'm assuming by "Son of God" you are referring to Jesus. The ancient audience would probably just have interpreted it as an angel. It's unlikely they would have connected it to any sort of Messiah.

[@BanJ0e82]

It reminds me of the sacrifice of Iphigenia by Agamemnon to win the Trojan war.

[@herrcobblermachen]

I think there may be a bit of logical falacy here- in so much as to change the interpretation of the story to suit bringing women in later, it may have been interpreted earlier to keep them out. Anywho, small point. "And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech, which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin." - Jeremiah. I kinda read it as "offered up as/like a burnt offering". Even Abraham when he was instructed to do so was stopped from sacrificing his son. Why? because it was the holy prophetical analogy of the Messiah, and the sacrifice was provided by God himself. The chapter of Hebrews is indeed a bit wonky at times :). Lot being tormented in his soul about the going on's in Sodom, ehhh. Barak and others are a bit dubious. But I think a cool thing about it is that their shortcomings are blotted out here, and their bit of faith they had were credited to them as righteousness. You need not be an absolute All-star in Gods book, just work with what He's given you. Last bit, I think that what's missed here isnt _necessarily_ the holiness or whatnot of virginity (Samuel being given to the Lord by his mother always seemed analogous to me with this story) but, theres a lot of lament here that this now great important man, who has only a single chance, will no longer have the prospect of a legacy. His line stops here. His aspirations to build a loving house is now gone. Not necc a selfish thing, just, yknow, the longing of a heart for kids and grand kids... though I suppose he could always have another child right?

[@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279]

The old testament and new show that God demands blood sacrifices for worship or forgiveness...he was fine with jepthah sacrificing his daughter otherwise he could have helped out like he did with Abraham. God doesn't have to put up with anything he doesn't want to happen unless you believe in a rather feeble God.

[@fayiznalu8411]

Thank you 🙏

[@julianborges1569]

Was this a parable? No right?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Something like a folktale.

[@julianborges1569]

@@TabletsAndTemples interesting

[@josephde-zordi7324]

Good presentation, not embellished with religious platitudes, ' truly a gruesome tale', not sure why the God of the Universe requires barbecued animal sacrifices, or in the christian era, why he needs so many sacrificed christians

[@cliann2453]

Awesome!

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jesusismybestfriend.5930]

was sawed in half the simon not peter disciple

[@SteveMosley-q4i]

This story is not tragic,jepthatha did jump the gun with his vow but his daughter was very happy to stay a virgin and serve God,the lesson here is don't make a vow to God unless your sure you can keep it,he did keep it but with sorrow because he knew his bloodline was done but he didn't go back on his vow and he served God and Israel as a good judge till his death, God is in control

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Except in the Hebrew text she did not stay a virgin, she was burned alive. This is confirmed by Josephus' reading of the story

[@SteveMosley-q4i]

@@TabletsAndTemples I haven't been blessed to be able to read Hebrew or study the tablet's,I am in the book of judge's now and I am passed the part of his being judge and what was wrote in king James Bible and it didn't state that ,not that all the king James is correct according to the manuscript because they made some eirs and they state in the beginning of the king James they did the best they could translating the Hebrew and Greek,I am not saying your wrong at all,just what I read and studied,now in chapters of Samson

[@ruffdawgg]

Just another sick and twisted tale from the “good” book

[@RomanRebirth]

What about history books we learn from school? Is the book twisted or is it just stating something that happened?

[@BibelFAQ]

Really cool and helpful video! Great quality as well!!! I subbed!

[@JocobsComments]

Thank you

[@TabletsAndTemples]

You're welcome

[@azazelsgoat]

I think society has moved on, to the point where reflecting on these terrible episodes in the past from the bible to draw moral lessons, is as absurd as the stories written in bible. The bible as a moral guide book is totally redundant in this day and age.

[@StonyLaRoux311]

He didn't understand the character of God. Isreal used him as a means to an end, he was more like the people of Canaan than of the people of Isreal. He had faith, but not in God's actual character.

[@shellyblanchard5788]

If he said what not a who that was different. He didn't offer her.

[@RB-kr1ww]

The fact that people can believe this nonsense and discuss it as if it had actually happened is mind boggling. It is quite clear you can make people believe ANYTHING if you tell it often enough and early enough. Sad.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Who said anything about discussing it as if it actually happened?

[@RB-kr1ww]

@@TabletsAndTemples So you don’t believe your Bible?

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@RB-kr1ww I'm not sure what you think this channel is. We take a scholarly critical look at ancient texts like the Bible and read them in their ancient context. We treat these texts as ancient literature.

[@RB-kr1ww]

@@TabletsAndTemples Oh, I understand. Kind of like trying to calculate how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

[@SC-vd4kp]

Your animated pictures in Bible Unboxed are good... Just a question... Why did you show an image of a woman in a saree when you wanted to depict Jephthah mother who is a prostitute? Didn't go well with the narrative. You can show a woman with some headgear as it has been and even now is (forceably) used in that part of the world. My take on all these biblical stories from the book of Judges is that time period really was 'uncivilized' in that part of the world. Unfortunately, even now, most of that region and many areas of the world still remain the same where women's rights are trampled upon. And that's the real tragedy of the 21st century AD!!! A request is to edit and kindly change that image. That image seems deliberately disturbing and absurd. Namaste.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Hi there, appreciate your concern. In this case rest assured it's not a Saree, just an over garment. The truth is we don't know much about exactly what people wore or the exact time period Judges was written/set in. However there were a variety of over garments that people would have worn.

[@AgoristsAxioms]

"God" didn't absolve Jephthah and his daughter of his vow because Yahweh is a Demonic Alien, NOT God - actual Creator of the Universe. Jesus never once referred to Yahweh as Abba Father. The only times Jesus alluded to Yahweh he did so disparagingly. Read Mathew 7:7-11 and Luke 11:9-13 as a prime example

[@kristinburton4953]

There's another reason the interpretation of his daughter living on as a virgin doesn't work. Jephthah didn't promise his daughter (the virgin) as the sacrifice, but instead the first to meet him. Only his daughter was a virgin, so living on as a virgin would not work if anyone else had met him. The creepy thing is that, God can predict anything and so he already knew about the upcoming request to win the battle and that Jephthah's daughter would run out. If the bible God is so righteous, why wouldn't he just grant the win anyway without wanting anything in return, isn't God the all-giving God!? If God approves of everything written in the bible, he clearly didn't care about unclear-ness of this account. ------> 2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, Righteousness expectations from a God that sacrificed himself to himself and then asked himself why he felt forsaken by himself when he was dying. oh and asked himself in the desert to take this cup(deal) away from him. The biblical God is all about the sweet fragrance of sacrifice.

[@Viracocha88]

The first half of your video, in which you broach how outrageous and illogical this story happens to be, is much stronger than the second half, in which you rationalize it by claiming it is "intentionally ambiguous." That's a fairly ridiculous interpretation, in that Old Testament God is anything BUT "ambiguous" when it comes to morality. When you consider that ancient Judaism evolved, as all religions, through a Hegelian synthesis of earlier traditions, myths, customs, and legends, it is more likely that the Jephthah narrative had its origins in pre-Judaic narratives in which child sacrifice was seen as good and pleasing to a deity, but the author forgot, unlike with the story of Abraham and Isaac, to alter the conclusion so as to conform to the new civilization that was emerging in the middle east.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Thanks for your feedback and taking the time to give your response. If you're curious you'll find academic sources pop up for most of the statements I make with full credits at the end. If I might respond, for Hebrew Bible narrative critics ambiguity, (particularly relating to morals) is actually a well documented phenomena and it is often argued to be deliberate. The two most prominent HB narrative critics promoting this idea being Meir Sternberg (Gap theory) and Robert Alter (Biblical reticence). It's a feature of most Biblical narratives from many different compositional time periods - explicit narratorial judgements on morality are the exception not the rule. To suggest that the authors "forgot" to modify the ending, imo assumes quite a low view of the authors/redactors abilities or concern for the subject matter. Given that we know redactors trended towards exapnsion (see David Carr, Formation of the HB), it's hard to imagine if the story required updating that someone "forgot" to do that. In your understanding when would you view the book of Judges as being composed? I ask because the trend in scholarship is definately later dating at the moment: 6th-5th Century with a minority view being the 8th Century. If we accept a later dating then it's quite likely that by this time the authors/editors/redactors of Judges were familiar with proto-Deuteronomistic ideas of not sacrificing one's children. Now it's more complex than that, as those specific commands could be later additions, I'm not sure. I'm not disagreeing that the origins of the story may have had a root in a different or earlier religious practice. What I'm suggesting is that its unlikely given the datings of composition that the authors/editors of the book of Judges would have approved of child sacrifice. There's a difference between the meaning of the original story and the reason it was included in the final book of Judges - and those two things can be very different. I think the variety of ancient interpretations by the 1st century does show a degree of ambiguity in the story. Any "rationalization" is only because these authors and editors were literary artists who had rational reasons for including these stories. The goal of historical criticism is to see if we can better understand how the ancient audience understood (or even rationalized) these stories.

[@Viracocha88]

@@TabletsAndTemples I don't pick up on any "ambiguity" in the Old Testament, but rather Yahweh repeatedly - and often brutally - punishing people for one offense or another, as well as exhorting his own people to be punitive. This informative video, kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHamlq2DjtqabsU, points out that the Abraham and Isaac story originated in an earlier narrative in which Abraham went ahead with the sacrifice. The Jephthah narrative is consistent with the Elisha narrative in which the prophet sends bears to maul children who mocked him for his baldness, or the Psalm in which God exhorts Israelites to smash infants against rocks, not to mention that part about sparing the rod; there was a general contempt for children in the ancient world, but inside and outside Judaism.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

I'm familiar with Friedman's view of Abraham and Isaac. But that's an entirely different kind of project, and really highlights the difference between source criticism and narrative criticism. Don't get me wrong, I agree with a lot of source critics. But let's assume Abraham and Isaac was based on an earlier story where he sacrifices the kid - that's a hypothetical source critical reconstruction. Narrative criticism is asking why the narrative reads the way it does in the form we have it. The two disciplines can inform each other - but at some point you have to deal with the version that survived and the context it survived in. Sure - Jephthah's tale may have been based on a legend of child sacrifice to another deity - or it also may not have. We have to deal with why the narrative survived in the form it did, and how it was edited into Judges by scribes who, from everything we know, were thoughtful and made decisions with purpose. If you haven't read Robert Alter's "The Art of Biblical Narrative" or Meir Sternberg's "Biblical Poetics" I would highly recommend them to see the other side of the interpretive coin. Source criticism is important, but it's not the be-alll and end-all of the "meaning" of a text. These texts were important to faith communities over centuries in many different contexts. Edit: It should be noted too, Friedman acknowledges the earlier version of the E source for Abraham and Isaac (in which the sacrifice takes place) is a "possibility" - not a certainty.

[@norm315]

C'mon. If it's supposed to be a lesson to not make rash vows and then following through, why didn't g-d intercept with Jephthah like with Abraham? Maybe there wasn't a ram handy nearby? Judges says what it says. If you're uncomfortable with it, too bad. It's evil stuff - no excuses.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Yes Judges is a book about evil stuff, on all sides. That doesn't mean there weren't supposed to be moral lessons to be learned. As I've mentioned in other comments, while it is possible that the Jephthah tale stems from an earlier tradition where child sacrifice was accepted by the Israelites... the story we find in Judges has been edited into its final form by groups who would have been anti-child-sacrifice. While speculating on the purpose of an earlier form of the story is an interesting exercise, it is not the focus of this video. As a parallel, the Greek had a child-sacrifice myth: Agamemnon and Iphigenia. However, the story is a tragedy (as I believe Jephthah is). It doesn't suggest that child-sacrifice was accepted among the Greeks.

[@sethhornaday5943]

God is a monster This world is horrible, This story because of a piece of fruit All this death

[@frelias8146]

Disgusting mental gymnastics to justify the ethics of a Bronze Age tribe. You see ambiguity in this story because it's the only way you can divert the audience from the disturbing truth: that sacrifice was agreeable to Yahweh, he listened to Jephthah's prayer and made him victorious, and certainly didn't do the last minute Abraham / Isaac thingy. Zero ambiguity here.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

No gymnastics here. This is not a bronze age story, it was written much later. It's not even "about" Bronze Age tribes, it's questionable that ancient Israel even existed in the Bronze Age. What you're reading is a story put together AFTER the Deuteronomistic school has condemned child sacrifice. Read the scholarship.

[@anderikusjuadi]

Have read it and felt sad

[@victormeza7859]

VIRGIN MARY AGREED TO BE MOTHER OF GOD, SHE SUFFERED EVERY PAIN OF JESUS. THE TWO WERE ONE THRU THE HOLY SPIRIT. LOVE ❤ UNITES US ❤

[@maryadaramanna471]

good try to cover up the story but it is a common custom to offer humans to god at that time , even Abraham offered his son to god and tried to execute him, Therefore it is not a surprise that Jephthah executed his daughter and Yahweh accepted it.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

Mmm probably not at the time this story was put together. Maybe there's something of an older core left in the story from a time when child sacrifice was acceptable. But the version of the story in Judges shows signs of being edited later as part of the deuteronomistic writings. It's something I'll definitely discuss in a follow up video.

[@maryadaramanna471]

@@TabletsAndTemples Then the Bible becomes an interpolated and manmade cooked up stories book.

[@TabletsAndTemples]

@@maryadaramanna471 yes, people created the stories

[@xgringox5417]

You might wanna read you Bible again as you God isn't against child sacrifice and wad illegal back then as you God demanded the death of every first born from the Isrealites at that time!!!..........."Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and animal; it is Mine'" (Exodus 13:1-2).

[@sethhornaday5943]

God could of , let him renig on his vow

[@tjtjmich16p]

I think it's an allegory about jeptha being as horrible as the canaanites because, The judges were all horrible people because they fell for their sins, Becoming like the cannanutes they once hated.