in Judges 11, God seemed pretty happy with Jephthah sacrificing his daughter in exchange for letting him win a

Question

...war..[was it really GOD?]

Answer 1

I don't think it was that he was so much happy as it was that Jephthah vowed a vow and it needed to be paid. That's why you have to take very seriously what you say to God.

Answer 2

"God seemed pretty happy with Jephthah sacrificing his daughter "

Really? Where do you find that in the text? I don't see a comment about what God thought either way. However I do see Jesus telling people this while preaching the sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

Answer 3

Jephthah's daughter was not sacrificed, but only devoted to perpetual virginity. This appears, 1. From verse 37,38, where we read, that she bewailed not her death, which had been the chief cause of lamentation, if that had been vowed, but her virginity: 2. From this verse 39, where, after he had said, that he did with her according to his vow; he adds, by way of declaration of the matter of that vow, and she knew no man. It is probably conceived, that the Greeks, who used to steal sacred histories, and turn them into fables, had from this history their relation of Iphigenia (which may be put for Jephtigenia) sacrificed by her father Agamemnon, which is described by many of the same circumstances wherewith this is accompanied. Hope this Helps??? John

Answer 4

Judges 11:40 says: "From year to year the daughters of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jeph′thah the Gileadite, four days in the year." So, she obviously didn't die.

When Jephthah said: “It must also occur that the one coming out, who comes out of the doors of my house to meet me . . . must also become Jehovah’s,” he had reference to a person and not an animal, since animals suitable for sacrifice were not likely kept in Israelite homes, to have free run there. Besides, the offering of an animal would not show extraordinary devotion to God. Jephthah knew that it might well be his daughter who would come out to meet him. It must be borne in mind that Jehovah’s spirit was on Jephthah at the time; this would prevent any rash vow on Jephthah’s part.

Persons could be devoted to Jehovah’s exclusive service in connection with the sanctuary. It was a right that parents could exercise. Samuel was one such person, promised to tabernacle service by a vow of his mother Hannah before his birth. This vow was approved by her husband Elkanah. As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah offered him at the sanctuary. Along with him, Hannah brought an animal sacrifice. (1Sa 1:11, 22-28; 2:11) Samson was another child specially devoted to God’s service as a Nazirite.—Jg 13:2-5, 11-14; compare the father’s authority over a daughter as outlined in Nu 30:3-5, 16.

When Jephthah brought his daughter to the sanctuary, which was in Shiloh at that time, he undoubtedly accompanied his presentation of her with an animal burnt offering. According to the Law, a burnt offering was slaughtered, skinned, and cut up; the intestines and shanks were washed; and its body, head and all, was burned on the altar. (Le 1:3-9) The wholeness of such offering represented full, unqualified, wholehearted dedication to Jehovah, and when it accompanied another offering (as, for example, when the burnt offering followed the sin offering on the Day of Atonement), it constituted an appeal to Jehovah to accept that other offering.—Le 16:3, 5, 6, 11, 15, 24.

It was a real sacrifice on the part of both Jephthah and his daughter, for he had no other child. (Jg 11:34) Therefore no descendant of his would carry on his name and his inheritance in Israel. Jephthah’s daughter was his only hope for this. She wept, not over her death, but over her “virginity,” for it was the desire of every Israelite man and woman to have children and to keep the family name and inheritance alive. (Jg 11:37, 38) Barrenness was a calamity. But Jephthah’s daughter “never had relations with a man.” Had these words applied only to the time prior to the carrying out of the vow, they would have been superfluous, for she is specifically said to have been a virgin. That the statement has reference to the fulfilling of the vow is shown in that it follows the expression, “He carried out his vow that he had made toward her.” Actually, the record is pointing out that also after the vow was carried out she maintained her virginity.—Jg 11:39; compare renderings in KJ; Dy; Yg; NW.

Answer 5

If I remember correctly there are shades of 'Beauty and the Beast' there wasn't it that the first one to greet him would be sacrificed and didn't she ask for 1 year and a day to prepare for this.

Answer 6

this is what most wars are about, our interpretation of the bible. We will always interpret what we believe. Life would be so much easier if we just believed in being a good neighbour. Sharing and caring.

Answer 7

No. This was just an addition. The story was an excuse to keep a popular Babylonian holiday on the Jewish calendar.

Answer 8

Well she was only a no account women not very important in the old testament

Answer 9

Yeah and wasn't it great back then, When you murdered your daughter you could say a big God did it and ran away.

Answer 10

Yes. God is a s**t, you haven't noticed yet?