Judges 11 - Part 36

 February 4, 2022

Good evening, and welcome to Searching The Scriptures! This will be Judges 11 - Part 36 and today’s date is February 4, 2022. I’ll read from Judges 11:33-40,

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; beside 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 Ammon. {37} And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. {38} And he said, Go. And he sent her away [for] two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. {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, {40} [That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

A Custom [choq:H2706] In Israel [Yisra`el:H3478]

We are down to the last two words in verse 39,  a custom or choq  and Israel; here are some of the ways that God employs these two expressions together:

Deuteronomy 4:1 and 45 record these terms as the statutes and Israel:   Now therefore hearken, O Israel [Yisra`el:H3478], unto the statutes [choq:H2706] and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. ... {45} These [are] the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt,

In 1 Chronicles 16:17, a custom is translated for a law: And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law [choq:H2706], [and] to Israel [Yisra`el:H3478] [for] an everlasting covenant,

The next four references include these two expressions as the statutes along with Israel:

1 Chronicles  22:13 reveals: Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes [choq:H2706] and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel [Yisra`el:H3478]: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.

Similarly, Ezra 7:10 adds:  For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do [it], and to teach in Israel [Yisra`el:H3478] statutes [choq:H2706] and judgments.

Likewise, Psalm 147:19 states:  He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes [choq:H2706] and his judgments unto Israel. [Yisra`el:H3478]

Lastly, Malachi 4:4 presents this vital reminder:  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel [Yisra`el:H3478], [with] the statutes [choq:H2706] and judgments.

We now want to turn our attention to the last verse in this chapter which is verse 40: [That] the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

We have already considered all the words up to  to lament in some of our earlier studies in this chapter, so let’s examine this expression.

To Lament [tawnah:H8567]

Curiously, this word only appears again in Judges 5:11, as shall they rehearse which is part of Barak’s and Judge Deborah’s victory song over the defeat of Sisera (who is a type and figure of Satan) and coincides with the beginning of our present, prolonged “day” of judgment that commenced on  May 21, 2011,

[They that are delivered] from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse [tawnah:H8567] the righteous acts [ts@daqah:H6666] of the LORD [Y@hovah:H3068], [even] the righteous acts [toward the inhabitants] of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

It is very significant that what is being rehearsed are …the righteous acts of Jehovah…

The Righteous Acts [Ts@daqah:H6666] Of The Lord [Y@Hovah:H3068]

These next citations illustrate some of the ways that God employs these two words:

Verse 7 of 1 Samuel 12:7-11 includes these two expressions, in this account in which Samuel - the last Judge - is recounting God’s gracious dealings with Israel from the Exodus through the period of the Judges:  

Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD [Y@Hovah:H3068]of all the righteous acts [Ts@daqah:H6666] of the LORD [Y@Hovah:H3068], which he did to you and to your fathers. {8} When Jacob came into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. {9} And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. {10} And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. {11} And the LORD sent Jerubbaal [Gideon], and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

Psalm 36:6 renders these as Thy righteousness and O Jehovah:  Thy righteousness [ts@daqah:H6666]  [is] like the great [’El:H410] mountains [har:H2022]; thy judgments [are] a great deep: O LORD [Y@Hovah:H3068], thou preservest man and beast.

So we see that the daughters of Israel were rehearsing or lamenting Jephthah’s daughter’s plight yearly for four days. It would appear that what they were remembering was the fact that she was sacrificed, according to Jephthah’s vow and would never be married, and thus be deprived of having children. But how can we understand all of this spiritually?

Jephthah’s Daughter’s Lament… Up And Down… The Mountains

Allow me to point out that the word for mountains or har (H2022) in Psalm 36:6 is the identical term that we find in Judges 11:37, 

And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up [yalak:H3212]  and down [yarad:H3381] upon the mountains [har:H2022], and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

We know that spiritually, mountains can refer to either the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. In Psalm 36:6,  it is the Kingdom of God which is in view. This  is also reinforced by the word preceding mountains, which is like the great or ‘El! This is one of God’s names denoting His mighty power, or we could say it this way: “the mountains of Almighty God.” Keep in mind that it is Jephthah’s daughter - who is Jephthah’s only daughter - who is the sacrifice. Just like Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s only begotten (Hebrews 11:17) and  the Lord Jesus is… the only begotten of the Father… (John 1:14),  so Jephthah’s daughter would seem to picture the sacrifice of Christ, even as Isaac did.

Four [’arba`:H702] Days [yowm:H3117] In A Year [shaneh:H8141]

The last phrase in verse 40 is …four days in a year, which consists of three expressions which appear in 11 other citations. However, I do not see how this relates to our passage at hand, as the number four is part of a larger number or the number 14. We recognize that spiritually the number four underscores the furthest extent of whatever is in view, like the four points on a compass.   

I would like to revisit Jephthah’s daughter going… up and down upon the mountains with her companions for two months…to bewail her virginity. 

That I May Go Up [yalak:H3212] & Mountains [har:H2022]

In one of our previous studies we considered all three of the terms in the phrase …that I may go up and down… along with …mountains… What I would like to do now is to compare the word, that I may go up or yalak  along with  mountains or har to see how God utilizes these two expressions. By doing so, perhaps God will give us a clue that might help to uncover the significance of this historical parable concerning Jephthah’s daughter. These next notices include these two terms:

Genesis 22:2 translates these as thee and of the mountains in the account of Abraham (Who represents God the Father) sacrificing Isaac (Who typifies God the Son):  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee [yalak:H3212]  into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains [har:H2022] which I will tell thee of.

Isaiah 2:3 includes these as Come and the mountain:  And many people shall go and say, Come [yalak:H3212] ye, and let us go up to the mountain [har:H2022] of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Joel 3:18 expresses these as the mountains and shall flow (twice): And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the mountains [har:H2022]  shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow [yalak:H3212] with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow [yalak:H3212] with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

Micah 4:2 renders these as the mountain and Come along with and we will walk:  And many nations shall come, and say, Come [yalak:H3212], and let us go up to the mountain [har:H2022] of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk [yalak:H3212] in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The three foregoing Scriptures portray the mountains as a place of sacrifice as well as a place to ascend for the knowledge of Truth as they represent the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God has to do with the Truth of the Gospel, which is expressed by a number of important metaphors. These include: new wine… milk…waters…His ways…His paths…the Law going forth of Zion, and… the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. 

And Down  [yarad:H3381]  & Mountains [har:H2022]

In light of that, how is one to spiritually grasp what is meant by going down the mountains, as Jephthah’s daughter did for two months, which was repeated three times? We also want to bear in mind that even though Jephthah’s daughter remains unnamed, Jephthah signifies “he opens.”  Here are a few illustrations in which these two terms surface together: 

When we were researching Judges 4:14 we learned that Barak (Who typifies Christ) and the 10,000 men that followed Him (represent the elect) relate to our present prolonged “day” of judgment since God has vanquished the kingdom of Satan: 

And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down  [yarad:H3381]  from mount [har:H2022] Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Exodus 34:29 also maintains: And it came to pass, when Moses came down [yarad:H3381] from mount [har:H2022]  Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down [yarad:H3381] from the mount [har:H2022], that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

In Jonah 2:6 one finds a reference to the grave as Christ was enduring God’s wrath at …the foundation of the world, which is exemplified by Jonah in the fish’s belly [“the belly (or ‘womb’) of hell” (the ‘grave’)]:

  I went down [yarad:H3381] to the bottoms of the mountains [har:H2022]; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

So the idea of descending includes the aspects of spiritual warfare, armed with the Word of God, as well as the payment for sin by death and annihilation. 

Let’s go back for just a moment to Judges 11:31, and 34-35 which records Jephthah’s vow and subsequent victory celebration that his only daughter displayed for him: 

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. ... {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; beside 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.

How do we understand this parabolically, in light of Jeremiah 32:35, for example:

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 [bath:H1323] 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. 

For one thing, Jephthah was certainly not sacrificing his daughter to Molech or any other false god. He was sacrificing his daughter to Jehovah, which has to be understood spiritually to highlight the sacrifice of Christ Himself at …the foundation of the world, as …the only begotten of the Father, as John 1:14 substantiates. This would also comport with Esther’s willingness to offer herself as a living sacrifice (if needed) in order to save the Jews from certain death, according to Haman’s (representing Satan) decree, when she undertook to approach King Asahuerus’ throne (portraying God Himself) unannounced as we read in Esther 4:16, even though she survived because she obtained favor in his eyes:

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which [is] not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. 

In an earlier study I mentioned that the identical word for and bewail(ed) in Judges 11:37-38 also appears in Psalm 126:6,  which characterizes the “day” of salvation, which was a time of weeping for God’s elect as the world rejoiced (as opposed to our present “day” of judgment, in which the world is weeping, while the elect rejoice): 

He that goeth forth and weepeth [bakah:H1058], bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].

These two contrasts of rejoicing (in the “day” of judgment) and weeping (in the “day” of salvation) would appear to be in view here as well in that order. There is another aspect to consider as well, and that would relate to Jephthah’s daughter typifying the barren woman (in lieu of the fact that she died as a virgin, not bearing children) like Sarah or Hannah initially, and yet the promise was fulfilled to both of them, according to Isaiah 54:1 (and quoted in Galatians 4:27):

Sing, O barren, thou [that] didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou [that] didst not travail with child: for more [are] the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Additionally, this is foreshadowed parabolically in John 12:24,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 

On that note we will have to conclude today’s study as well as this chapter. Lord willing, in our next study we will commence with Judges 12:1.