Did Jephthah (Judges 11) offer his daughter as a human sacrifice, or did she become a
“temple virgin” (as some suggest) at the Tabernacle at Shiloh?
In Judges 11 we see the devastating ending of Jephthah’s daughter which one again bespeaks of
how the Israelites had fallen from the pathway of God. Despite God’s admonition, Israel was like
a child who needed constant rescue from its own wrong doings
Now, we come to Jephthah who foolishly makes a vow to God that if He would grant triumph
over the Ammonites, then whatever greeted him first upon his return home, he would offer as a
sacrificial burnt offering. Unfortunately, upon his return his only child, referred to Seila or Iphis,
was the first through the tent door.
Judges 11:31:
then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the
Ammonites, it shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
Basically, according to the above scripture one may think that he did indeed kill Seila and offered
her up as a burnt offering.
It is reasonable to note that this subject has been debated for years with outcomes of alternate
views as to whether an actual death occurred or if Seila was dedicated to the Tabernacle as a
lifelong virgin.
The view I lean toward is a superior view that indicates that Jephthah actually sacrificed her to a
lifetime of service in the tabernacle and not so much as a burnt offering. According to Judges
11:37, Seila ask her father for a couple month to go to the mountains and “weep…because I will
never marry”, many think if she were going to be killed she would have more to mourn than just
her virginity. We are also told, “she knew no man”, why is this relevant and why would so much
emphasis be put on her virginity? Her journey to the mountains and the statute it invoked suggest
that she saw herself truly dedicated to God which as a consequence accepted her fate as being in
a life of seclusion and would bore no children and biblically speaking, a priority for women was
of a necessity to have children.
Then in verse 39, after the two months were finished, Jephthah, “did to her as he had vowed. She
never mated with a man”, and it just stops. The text doesn’t go on to say, “that she was sacrificed
as a burnt offering”.
One may be lead to think that Jephthah loss something else instead of the physical life of his
daughter. If she was sacrificed to the temple and we are told in verse 34, “that she was an only
child except for her he had neither son nor daughter”, that when he said to her, “You have
brought me very low, and you are the cause of great trouble to me”, that he actually had his
lineage in mind. There would be no one to carry on his name.
Also, did the Torah offer a way out of keeping such a foolish vow to God?
At that time Israelite society did allow for a man to dedicate his child to God, Leviticus 27:2
states:
“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man makes a [a]special vow
[consecrating himself or a member of his family], he shall be valued according to your
[established system of] valuation of people belonging to the LORD [that is, the priest accepts
from the man making the vow a specified amount of money for the temple treasury in place of
the actual person].
The above verse does indicate that such a vow can be made just as Hannah did with Samson.
In conclusion, I have found nothing pertaining to whether there is a way out of this type of vow
or not, however, it’s noteworthy to remember Jephthah made it into the “faith hall of fame”
which leads me to lean to his daughter being sacrificed to the temple and not on an alter as a
burnt offering.
However, this should serve as a reminder of various scriptural warnings about vows and oaths
made to God.
James 5:12 (AMP)
But above all, my fellow believers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other
oath; but let your yes be [a truthful] yes, and your no be [a truthful] no, so that you may not fall
under judgment
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