And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Parallel translations
- WEB Jephthah vowed a vow to Yahweh, and said, “If you will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
- BSB Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
- NKJV And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,
- NASB And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over to me the sons of Ammon,
- NLT And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jephthah vows to the LORD, beginning to bargain for victory over Ammon. His rash vow sets up the tragic episode that follows.
Overview
On the eve of battle Jephthah makes a vow to the LORD, pledging something in exchange for victory. Though made in earnest faith, the vow's reckless terms, completed in the next verse, will lead to grievous consequences. The episode warns against making hasty promises to God and contrasts human impulsiveness with the LORD's own faithfulness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 28:20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
- 1 Sam 1:11And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
- Eccl 5:1–2Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
- Num 30:2–16If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
- Eccl 5:4–5When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 11:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.