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like manner they sent unto the king of Moab but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.

20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.

22 And they possessed "all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.

23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 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.

25 "And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.

28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.

9 Num. 21. 13, and 22. 36.

10 Deut. 2. 26.

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, "and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.

33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34¶ And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances and she was his only child; ""7beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

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

36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Am

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11 Deut. 2. 36. 12 Num. 22. 2. Deut. 23. 4. Josh. 24.9. 18 Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth. 14 Or, or I will offer it, &c. 15 Or, Abel. 18 Or, he had not of his own, either son or daughter 17 Heb, of himself. 18 Heb, go and go down.

who did with her according to his vow which | he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a "custom in Israel,

40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly "to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

19 Or, ordinance. 20 Heb. from year to year. 21 Or, to talk with.

Verse 3. "There were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him."-The meaning of this obviously is that Jephthah, being without any inheritance or family connections to afford him a subsistence, and being expelled from his native place, became an adventurer; and his character having brought around him a number of brave but idle men, perhaps similarly circumstanced, he, for his own and their support, as well as to establish the reputation he had previously acquired, made predatory incursions into the neighbouring countries. This is meant by "going out with him." Probably they went out particularly into the land of the Ammonites, to retaliate the incursions which the latter made into Israel; and this would naturally lead the people to look to Jephthah, when they wanted a military leader. The mode of life here indicated is precisely that followed by David, when his reputation brought around him men of similar character to these followers of Jephthah. This kind of military robbery is very far indeed from being considered dishonourable in the East. On the contrary, the fame thus acquired is thought as fair as any that can be obtained through any class of military operations. An Arab or a Tartar desires no higher or brighter fame than that of a successful military robber: and to make that fame unsullied, it is only necessary that his expedition should not be against his own nation or his own tribe. The associations formed by the Arabs and Tartars for such purposes are seldom of longer duration than the particular expedition; and we therefore think that the most striking illustration of the state of things here and elsewhere indicated, may be derived from the account which Tacitus gives of the manners of the ancient Germans. When a warrior had acquired reputation for courage and conduct, young men became emulous of placing themselves under so distinguished a leader, and resorted to him, forming a retinue of bold volunteers who felt bound to do their chief honour by their exploits, to defend him with their lives, and not to survive him if slain. This band gave distinction and power to the chief himself; and rendered him often so formidable, that neighbouring tribes and nations cultivated his favour by embassies and presents, and obstinate and cruel wars were often terminated by his interposition. All the retinue lived at the expense of their leader, who provided a plain but plentiful table for them; and also from time to time made them valuable presents. This involved great expense; to support which he kept his troop almost continually engaged in invasions and plundering expeditions among the neighbouring nations-or, in short, in the same kind of military robbery which Jephthah and David practised-and through which alone they could keep up the state of a general, and maintain a character for liberality to their band. They, like the Orientals, did not account the act of pillaging base, while carried on beyond the limits of their own tribe or nation: on the contrary, they considered it a laudable and glorious employment for their youth, which procured them reputation, and preserved them from indolence and inaction. Some similar feelings may be discovered in the border "forays" which were carried on on the frontiers of England and Scotland, even at times when the two nations were at peace. Another source which contributed to enable these old German captains to support their retinue, was found in the voluntary contributions of the people of the district which was protected by their valour. These contributions consisted chiefly of corn and cattle; and were of the greatest service in assisting him to furnish his troop with provisions. The Hebrew leaders of the same class expected the same assistance; as we see by the instance of David, who sent some of his men to Carmel to ask the rich Nabal to send him provisions, grounding the demand on the safety and protection which the shepherds had enjoyed while his troop had been in the neighbourhood. These details may assist us in understanding the position which Jephthah occupied before he was called to lead the army against the Ammonites, and which David filled while the persecutions of Saul made him a wanderer.

13. "Because Israel took away my land.”—See the note on Deut. ii. 19.

30. "Jephthah vowed a vow.”—It was usual among most ancient nations, at the commencement of a war or battle, to vow to some particular god that, if the undertaking were successful, large sacrifices should burn upon his altar, or temples be erected in his honour. We have instances of this as well in the histories of Greece and Rome, as in those of Oriental nations. Concerning the vow now before us many volumes have been written; the point of interest being to determine whether Jephthah really did sacrifice his daughter, or only devoted her to perpetual celibacy, as consecrated to Jehovah. We have anxiously considered this question; and feel so much difficulty in arriving at a decided opinion, that we shall express none, except on one or two points which may be considered as established beyond dispute. For the rest, we shall state what we conceive to be the strongest arguments on both sides of the question, leaving the reader to form his own conclusions as to their comparative value. We may as well state here, however, that the balance of authority, Jewish and Christian, is decidedly in favour of the common 'impression, which is, that Jephthah really did offer his daughter as a sacrifice to Jehovah. We must not, however, take the balance of authority for more than it is worth; and need not hamper the question, by giving undue preponderance to that conclusion which it seems rather to sanction.

31. "Whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me....shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering."-By comparing this reading with that in the margin, it will be seen that two very different versions are given, through a very slight verbal variation. The sense depends upon whether, at the commencement of the last clause, we shall render the prefix as "and" conjunctive, or "or" disjunctive. We may do either; but "and" is the most usual sense, perhaps because, in writing, the conjunctive "and" is more frequently required than the disjunctive "or." In most cases, the context enables us to determine which is to be understood; but the present is one of the few instances in which the context does not discriminate the particle, but the particle determines the meaning of the text. In this dilemma our translation puts "and" in the text, and "or" in the margin. The reader will easily perceive the resulting difference in the meaning. If we take the and, it sanctions the opinion that Jephthah did sacrifice his daughter; because then his vow only imports, that whatever came forth to meet him should be the Lord's, by being offered up in sacrifice to Him, and does not imply any alternative. Whereas the or does imply an alternative, and says, in effect, that whatever came forth to meet him should be sacrificed as a burnt offering if fit for sacrifice; but, if not, should be consecrated to God.

Now there is no question that the latter form of the vow contained nothing contrary to the law; but that the former was most decidedly opposed to it. Jephthah could not but be aware of the probability that he might be met by a

human being, or by some animal declared by the law to be unclean and unfit for sacrifice. A vow which involved such a contingency could not be lawful; particularly as human sacrifices are again and again interdicted with the strongest expressions of abhorrence and reprobation. But, on the other hand, it is alleged, that there was nothing to prevent human beings from being consecrated to God and the service of his tabernacle. Samuel was thus devoted before his birth; and in the division of the spoils in the first Midianitish war, we are told that the Lord's tribute from the whole number of captive virgins was "thirty-two persons." These facts are said to explain the species of devotement which it was lawful to make. Jephthah's vow was therefore lawful, if we read the prefixed as "or," but unlawful if we must read it as "and." There is then an interpretation under which the vow of Jephthah was lawful, and did not involve the necessity or probability of human sacrifice. Such being the case, it is contended by those who advocate the milder view of the transaction, that this is the interpretation which we ought to adopt; Jephthah being, from his devout and judicious conduct at the commencement of the war, apparently incapable of an intention so grossly repugnant to the law of God as that which the other explanation supposes. Without committing ourselves to a final opinion, we must confess that we concur with those who do not see the validity of this argument. It may be granted that the hero acted with the most devout intentions, without therefore conceding that he was so well instructed in the law of God as to be incapable of making an unlawful vow. Who was Jephthah ?-a man who before his expulsion seems to have led a bold, daring life, which obtained him the reputation of "a mighty man of valour," and which reputation enabled him, after he became a fugitive, to collect a troop of "vain men," which he formed into a band of robbers, and became their captain. Moreover, he was bred up beyond Jordan, where the connection with the tabernacle and its observances was very loose, if at all maintained; where the ephod of Gideon had been a snare to that hero, to his house, and to the people; and where, after his death, the people had turned aside and made Baal-berith their god. Under these circumstances, it is not too much to suppose that the law had become very imperfectly known in general, and least of all to a man leading the kind of life which the brave Gileadite had led. It is highly probable that the people, during their idolatry, had offered human sacrifices, in imitation of their heathen neighbours, who certainly did so; and Jephthah's mind being familiarized to the notion that such sacrifices were acceptable to the gods, mingled with a misunderstood recollection (facts being better retained than precepts) of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac by divine command-there is nothing very violent in the notion that he may have contemplated the possibility of such a sacrifice in pronouncing his vow. One thing seems certain, that whatever he intended, he could not be unaware that some human being might, quite as probably as an animal, be the first to come to meet him on his return home. Indeed, "coming to meet him," seems to imply an act which could scarcely be expected from any but a human being. That this human being would be his daughter was within the limits of possibility; but we see from the result, that it was his secret hope that she might be spared. He did not, however, make her an exception, because the prevalent notion was, that the offering, whether for sacrifice or living consecration, was the more acceptable in the same proportion that it was cherished and dear.

We have stated these considerations to show that the unlawfulness of the vow, under the common interpretation, cannot be, all the circumstances considered, admitted as a reason of such weight as to enable us to deny positively that Jephthah made such a vow. It does however enable us to deny, most decidedly, that such an offering could be made upon God's altar, or by the high-priest, or by any regular and faithful member of the priesthood. Opie, therefore, (a cut after whose celebrated picture we annex,) has taken a most unfortunate view of his text, as painters often do: its fame, however, as a work of art, has led us, after some hesitation, to introduce it, notwithstanding the grievous historical improprieties which it exhibits. It seems to us almost superfluous to say that a human sacrifice could not take place at the Lord's proper altar, or be offered by his proper priest; but perhaps it may not be superfluous to show from the text, that if Jephthah did offer his daughter, it could not be at the tabernacle. It will be remembered that the tabernacle was at Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim. Now at the beginning of the next chapter, and immediately after the conclusion of the war with the Ammonites, we find Jephthah, who, from all we know, had never till then, or even then, been west of the Jordan, engaged in a bitter war with the Ephraimites, which renders it in the highest degree improbable that he should, in the very heat of the quarrel, have gone into the heart of that tribe to offer such a sacrifice. even had it been lawful. That such a sacrifice was not offered at Shiloh, where only sacrifices to the Lord could legally be offered, does not however of itself prove that no such sacrifice was offered. If this unhappy chief was so ignorant of the law as to think such a sacrifice acceptable to God, he may well have been guilty of the other fault, then actually a common one, of making his offering beyond Jordan, where he was himself master-particularly as it would seem (see chap. viii. 27) that Gideon himself had given his sanction to this practice, and formed an establishment for the purpose. In the course of the preceding observations we have included the points we consider indis putable, namely, that if such a sacrifice were made, it was contrary to the law of God-that it did not take place at the only lawful altar-and that it could not have had the sanction of the high-priest.

34. "She was his only child.”—This circumstance is mentioned to point out a cause, besides paternal affection, for the poignancy of his distress. It has been observed how intensely anxious the Hebrews were for posterity, and as Jephthah could only hope for descendants through his daughter, the sorrow he expressed is quite natural, even under the milder interpretation of his vow.

37. "And bewail my virginity.”—This is thought a strong circumstance by those who take the milder view of Jephthah's rash vow. If she was to die, that might be expected to have been mentioned as the circumstance to be bewalled; but the text itself rather refers the regret to the loss of that hope of becoming "a mother in Israel," which every Hebrew woman cherished with the force of a passion. This may nevertheless be referred to her death; since to die without having borne children, no less than to live without them, was the most lamentable fate which could befal a woman; and on this circumstance she might the rather be supposed to dwell, if really doomed to be sacrificed; because she may have thought it unbecoming to allow herself to lament that which was to be an acknowledgment of Israel's deliverance; but not at all so to bewail the involved extinction of that hope, which, to the daughters of Israel, was dearer than life itself.

39. "Who did with her according to his vow.”—It is not said what he did; and that she is not said to have been sacrificed, is considered a good negative evidence that she was not. Neither view however can obtain much support from this clause. It refers us back to the vow itself, the principal considerations connected with which we have already

stated.

"And she knew no man.”—If Jephthah's daughter were sacrificed, it is alleged that this remark would be frivolous, by those who think that she was not. If she were, however, we do not see any puerility in directing our attention to what would doubtless have been considered as a most painful circumstance, namely, that she had died childless.

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40. "The daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah."-Much of the sense of the whole narrative may be resolved into the interpretation of the words from, here rendered "to lament." It is accordingly rendered differently, according to the different opinions which are entertained. Those who think that she was sacrificed, are satisfied with our version: whereas others refer to that in the margin, "to talk with "-meaning that the daughters of Israel went yearly to condole with and entertain her. We can only say, without reference to any particular theory, that the word means, in the general sense, "to praise or celebrate," and would therefore denote that the daughters of Israel kept a four days' anniversary to commemorate this transaction, whatever were its result. In a secondary sense, certainly, the word does mean to rehearse or relate; but this results from the former interpretation, recital of the deed celebrated being part of the act of celebration. To make this sense, which denotes recital, to mean conversation, as in the margin, seems rather forced. Recollecting the custom all over the East, for people to go once a year to lament over the graves of their deceased friends, this text seems rather to favour the idea that the daughter of Jephthah really died.

We have thus gone over the subject, having no other anxiety than to show, that if such sacrifice were really consummated, it was most decidedly against the law of God, and could not have been at his altar, or by his priest. Further than this, the subject is perplexed with difficulties. Of these, one which we have not already noticed is, the supposition that the persons who were devoted to the Lord were doomed to perpetual celibacy. But this is perfectly gratuitous. There is nothing in Scripture to sanction such a conclusion, unless it can be found in the narrative before Samuel, who was devoted to the Lord, married, and had sons. Of female devotement we know nothing, having no

us.

other instance than this, if this be one; and it is indeed difficult to understand how, under the Hebrew law, a woman could be consecrated to Jehovah, or what services, when so consecrated, she could perform. It is true, that of the Midianitish virgins taken captive, thirty-two became "the Lord's tribute." But this was quite a different affair. These were captives taken in war, and there was no religious vow of devotement in the case. And it is nowhere said that they remained in a state of celibacy, or that they had any peculiar duties to perform. It is generally agreed that they were to the Levites what the rest of the women were to the other tribes,-female slaves, whom they might employ as such in ordinary services, or whom they might, when fit for marriage, marry, or give in marriage to their sons. Where, then, is the system of perpetual virginity of which so much is said in the interpretations of this chapter? Some think that Jephthah merely secluded.his daughter from society, in perpetual celibacy. If so, this was an invention of his own, or borrowed from abroad; for there is nothing in Scripture to sanction such a practice, or even to denote that it existed in Israel, either before or after the time in which the hero of Gilead lived.

Several writers think, that the story of the sacrifice, or intended sacrifice, of Iphigenia, was taken from that which we have been considering. There is certainly a remarkable analogy of name: Iphigenia being little different from Jephtheginia, or "Jephthah's daughter." This lady was to have been sacrificed to propitiate Diana, by her father's direction. This determination being opposed, Iphigenia herself decided the matter, by declaring her readiness to die for the welfare of Greece. But at the moment of sacrifice she was saved by Diana, who substituted a hind in her room, and transported her to Tauris, where she became a priestess of the goddess. This looks like a combination of the present narrative with the result of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac. This, however, is only one out of several versions of Iphigenia's story. That given by Cicero is more strikingly analogous: "Agamemnon had vowed to sacrifice to Diana the most beautiful object which should be born that year in his kingdom. Accordingly he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia, because, in that year, nothing had been born which exceeded her in beauty-a vow which he should rather not have performed than commit so cruel an action." ( Offices,' 1. iii. c. 25.) A story still more strikingly illustrative is given by Servius, in his note on the Æneid, iii, 121, in which he explains the reason why

"Fierce Idomeneus, from Crete was fled,
Expell'd and exiled."

He was king of Crete; and being, on his return from Troy, overtaken by a storm, he vowed that, if he should be saved, he would offer in sacrifice to the gods the first object that should meet him on his arrival. Most unhappily, he was first met by his own son, and, according to some accounts, he did with him according to his vow; but others state, that a plague arose, which, being construed to denote the displeasure of the gods, the citizens not only prevented the sacrifice, but expelled Idomeneus from his kingdom.

CHAPTER XII.

5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an

1 The Ephraimites, quarrelling with Jephthah, and
discerned by Shibboleth, are slain by the Gilead-
ites. 7 Jephthah dieth. 8 Ibzan, who had thirty
sons and thirty daughters, 11 and Elon, 13 and
Abdon, who had forty sons and thirty nephews, Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;

judged Israel.

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2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he

could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was

buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.

10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.

11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

1 Heb, were called.

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