639 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord,.... Before he set out for the land of the children of Ammon, and to fight with them; hoping that such a religious disposition of mind would be regarded by the Lord, and be acceptable to him, and he should be blessed with success in his enterprise: and said, if thou shall without fail deliver the children of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me,.... If this phrase, "to meet me", is meant intentionally, then no other than an human creature can be meant; a child, or servant, or any other of mankind; for none else could come forth with a design to meet him: but if this is to be understood eventually, of what...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon, to fight against them,.... As in Judges 11:29, after he had made the above vow: and the Lord delivered them into his hands; when both armies met and engaged, victory was on the side of Jephthah; the Lord being with him, and giving him success, to where all is justly ascribed.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he smote them from Aroer,.... A city which lay near the river Arnon, on the borders of Moab, Deuteronomy 3:12 even till thou come to Minnith; which seems to have been a place famous for wheat, Ezekiel 27:17 so David de Pomis (a) says it was a place where the best wheat grew. Jerom says (b) in his time was shown a village called Mannith, four...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house,.... Where he had uttered his words before the Lord, which had passed between him and the elders of Gilead, and from whence he set out to fight the children of Ammon, and whither he returned after he had got the victory over them, Judges 11:11 and where it seems he had a house, and his family dwelt; for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass, when he saw her,.... She being the first person that presented to his view, as she was at the head of the virgins with their timbrels and dances: that he rent his clothes; as was the usual manner, when anything calamitous and distressing happened; see Genesis 37:34 and said, alas, my daughter, thou hast brought me very low;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And she said unto him, my father, [if] thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord,.... The conditional word "if" may be left out, as it is not in the original text; for her father had told her that he had opened his mouth, or made a vow to the Lord, and had no doubt explained it to her what it was, though it is not expressed; she knew it respected...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And she said unto her father, let this thing be done for me,.... She had but one favour to ask of him, which she thought might be granted, without any breach of the vow: let me alone two months she desired such a space of time might be allowed her before the vow took place; and the rather she might be encouraged to expect that her request would be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said, go,.... He granted her request at once: and he sent her away for two months; as she desired: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains; for the space of two months: the Jewish commentators make mention of an allegorical exposition of a writer (i) of theirs, who by mountains understands the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass at the end of two months she returned to her father,.... For the request she made was not a pretence to make her escape out of his hands; but having done what she proposed to do, and the time fixed for it being come, she returned to her father's house, and delivered herself to him: who did with her according to his vow which he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite,.... Either the death of her, as some, or her virginity, as others; though the word (p) used may signify to talk and discourse with her, to hold a confabulation with her, and comfort her, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; to bring her some news, and tell...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Judges 12 This chapter relates a quarrel between Jephthah and the Ephraimites, which was fatal to the latter, Judges 12:1, the time of Jephthah judging Israel, his death and burial, Judges 12:7 and it briefly makes mention of three more judges of Israel, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, Judges 11:8.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together,.... Or "cried" (r); got together by a cry or proclamation made: in the Hebrew text it is, "a man of Ephraim"; not a single man, but a body of men, who met together and joined as one man. It is highly probable that there were no less than 50,000 of them; for 42,000 of them were slain, Judges 12:6...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at a great strife with the children of Ammon,.... As to the cause of the war, or the reason of his going over to fight the children of Ammon, it was a strife or contention between the Gileadites and them, concerning their country; which the children of Ammon claimed as theirs, and the Gileadites...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when I saw that ye delivered me not,.... Gave him no assistance against their common enemy, did not attempt to save him and his people out of their hands, but left them to defend themselves: I put my life in my hands; ready to deliver it up in the defence of his country; the meaning is, that he exposed himself to the utmost danger, hazarded...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim,.... The Ephraimites not being pacified with the account Jephthah gave of the war between him and the children of Ammon, but continuing in their tumultuous outrage; he, being a man of spirit and courage, got as many of the Gileadites together as he could, and gave them...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites,.... Being either swifter of foot, or going a nearer and shorter way, being better acquainted with their own country: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, let me go over; the fugitives of Ephraim, as before called, who ran away from the battle,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said they unto him, say now "Shibboleth",.... Which signifies a stream or course of water, at which they now were; and so it was as if they had bid them say, "may I, or let me, pass over the stream of this river;'' so Jarchi; and this being the case, though it was done to try them, and by their pronunciation learn whether they were...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jephthah judged Israel six years,.... After the affair of the Ephraimites, he was acknowledged by all Israel as their judge and supreme governor, but did not live long; being perhaps depressed and worn away with grief, on account of his daughter, and other troubles that attended him: then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. There were two Bethlehems, one in the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:15 of which some think this man was; and another in the tribe of Judah, the city of Jesse and David, and of the Messiah; and Josephus says (x), Ibzan was of the tribe of Judah, of the city of Bethlehem; and because Boaz was of the same...