In the 12th Chapter of Judges Jephtha is portrayed as making a vow to God to present as a "burnt offering" the first thing that comes out of his house to greet him if God will let him defeat the Ammonites. As anyone who's read the story knows, his daughter rushes out to greet him, and gamely submits to the terms of her father's vow. Now I see this story as one of the Bible's many brilliant allegories rather than as an actual historical account--Jephtha was probably a real person, and he probably had a daughter, but the story implying his sacrifice of his daughter in fulfillment of a vow is probably meant to make some larger point rather than being an account of something that really happened. On the other hand, if the story is historical, the question of her fate is left to the imagination. Any fresh interpretation of the story gets 10 points.
2006-10-19
04:42:34
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10 answers
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asked by
nacmanpriscasellers
4
in
Religion & Spirituality