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Jephthah Chosen as Leader Against Ammon
v. 1. Now Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a mighty man of valor, distinguished for courage and energy, but he was the son of an harlot, born outside of wedlock; and Gilead, one of the prominent men of the tribe, begat Jephthah, afterwards acknowledging him and rearing him in his house.
v. 2. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, expelled him from the home as not on the same level with them, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman, of one who was not properly a wife, even in the sense of a concubine, the stain resting upon his birth excluded him from the rights of a child in the family.
v. 3. Then Jephthah, unable to find support among the elders of Gilead, fled from his brethren, an outcast of society, and dwelt in the land of Tob, a region toward the northeast, on the boundary of Syria; and there were gathered vain men, idle adventurers, to Jephthah, and went out with him, on expeditions of war and plunder, after the manner of the Bedouins.
v. 4. And it came to pass in process of time that the children of Ammon made war against Israel, as related in the preceding chapter.
v. 5. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob, for they believed him, with his qualities of valor and sagacity, with his military ability, to be the very man in this emergency;
v. 6. and they said unto Jephthah, who had meanwhile acquired fame, rest, a family, and possessions, and was a worshiper of the true God, Come and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
v. 7. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, in reminding them of the former harsh treatment which he had received at their hands, Did not ye hate me and expel me out of my father's house, namely, by not taking his part against the jealous brothers of his family? And why are ye come unto me now, when ye are in distress? So many years they had permitted the wrong to be unrighted, but now that they were in trouble they could find him.
v. 8. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us and fight against the children of Ammon and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. That was their way of acknowledging the wrong they had done and trying to atone for it.
v. 9. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head? It is a condition rather than a question: If you bring me back, and then stand united to fight Ammon and Jehovah finds you worthy of His blessing, then I will be your head.
v. 10. And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, with a solemn oath, The Lord be witness between us if we do not so according to thy words. Not only in their obedience toward him, but also in their behavior toward Jehovah they were willing to be guided by his instruction and direction.
v. 11. Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them, leader in both peace and war; and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, he repeated the conditions under which he would accept the office, and stated the obligations which devolved upon both him and the people. Thus Jephthah forgave and forgot the past insults in his willingness to serve Jehovah.