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Big_Dummy
Guest
Is there any evidence that Jephthah’s daughter was not killed, but merely dedicated to lifelong virginity or dedicated for service related to the Temple?
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Crumpy
Guest
No such evidence that I am aware of. The incident is one of the several examples of human sacrifice that went on inside of Judaism, until maybe after the second exile period. It also illustrates that the earlier writings of Judaism were not purged or sanitized in the final editing (redaction of the Hebrew writings) to cover up some of their wackiness, presumably the influence of the surrounding pagan culture.
For better or for worse, it also shows a dogged adherence to vows made to God, as required by earlier Jewish tradition in the Torah (instruction, that is, to the Israelites, through Moses), what modern Jews consider the highest level of authority and inspiration.
These remarks are not my original thoughts, but what I picked up by reading Joshua and Judges recently in The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press).
For better or for worse, it also shows a dogged adherence to vows made to God, as required by earlier Jewish tradition in the Torah (instruction, that is, to the Israelites, through Moses), what modern Jews consider the highest level of authority and inspiration.
These remarks are not my original thoughts, but what I picked up by reading Joshua and Judges recently in The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press).
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Crumpy
Guest
In my recent two or three years of reading modern Jewish commentaries, the writers are “up front” about a couple things.
One is that there are conflicts if not outright contradictions, in the Jewish Bible.
The incident of the binding of Isaac, where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son as demanded by God, would seem to end the discussion of whether God allowed human sacrifice. In plain words, no human sacrifice.
In one otherwise noteworthy commentary, the Abraham incident is used as a slap shot against Christianity and its theology that God sent His son and sacrificed Him in atonement for sin. The Jewish writer says, see? God doesn’t even want human sacrifice of any kind. To Judaism, Christianity is fundamentally ridiculous for this reason.
But, then here, we see that there is human sacrifice contradicting the Abraham incident.
Two is that there are parallel conflicts and contradictions in Jewish Biblical commentaries.
Judaism doesn’t have much problem with these because of the problems in the Biblical text, itself. It’s not a surprising development for things to be this way.
The reason I read the Jewish commentaries in the first place is to pick up on issues like this that are always below the “radar” of Christian commentaries of the Old Testament.
The Jewish Study Bible goes on to discuss how this incident supports the thesis of the book of Judges, that in those days people did what was right in their own eyes (not following God’s law). This is not simply an assessment of their moral problems, but it’s also showing how badly Israel was without a king to unite it and lead it. People were just screwed up, especially here, for an Israelite to kill an Israelite, even his own daughter, to fulfill a vow to God.
One is that there are conflicts if not outright contradictions, in the Jewish Bible.
The incident of the binding of Isaac, where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son as demanded by God, would seem to end the discussion of whether God allowed human sacrifice. In plain words, no human sacrifice.
In one otherwise noteworthy commentary, the Abraham incident is used as a slap shot against Christianity and its theology that God sent His son and sacrificed Him in atonement for sin. The Jewish writer says, see? God doesn’t even want human sacrifice of any kind. To Judaism, Christianity is fundamentally ridiculous for this reason.
But, then here, we see that there is human sacrifice contradicting the Abraham incident.
Two is that there are parallel conflicts and contradictions in Jewish Biblical commentaries.
Judaism doesn’t have much problem with these because of the problems in the Biblical text, itself. It’s not a surprising development for things to be this way.
The reason I read the Jewish commentaries in the first place is to pick up on issues like this that are always below the “radar” of Christian commentaries of the Old Testament.
The Jewish Study Bible goes on to discuss how this incident supports the thesis of the book of Judges, that in those days people did what was right in their own eyes (not following God’s law). This is not simply an assessment of their moral problems, but it’s also showing how badly Israel was without a king to unite it and lead it. People were just screwed up, especially here, for an Israelite to kill an Israelite, even his own daughter, to fulfill a vow to God.
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GEddie
Guest
There was Jewish human sacrifice in AD70?
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Crumpy
Guest
Sorry, I misrepresented the Jewish Study Bible, which says there was moral uncertainty about human sacrifice through the first temple period. I equated that mentally with the end of the second exile, c.400 BC.
The JSB gives examples in scripture of references to human sacrifice, but the list is not exhaustive, necessarily. I don’t know when the last such is recorded in their scripture or in any other canonical text.
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GEddie
Guest
Ok, I got it. I had misunderstood ‘second exile’ to mean AD70, not the Babylon period.\
ICXC NIKA
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bogeydogg
Guest
The tale of Jepthah is very problematic except for a few things.
As has already been mentioned the theme of Judges is that the people sought after their own way instead of God’s. This is clearly such an example. The reason I say this is that there two things which should have deterred Jepthah from his vow.
The first is that Jepthah was treating Jehovah like a pagan idol. The Canaanites for example tempted their idols with gifts to persuade their Gods to send rain or give them male children etc (btw this is also the majority report among the metho-bapto-costal sects in America today) but the Lord is not one to be persuaded by such things. Which is why Scripture is replete with God saying things like “The cattle on a thousand hills are mine…” or “What can you give as though I lack…” etc. The Lord is not for sale and neither is His favor. Man may be sure that He is a covenant keeping God so that we know our worship is not vanity, but as far as getting to lend you his ear by gift or oblation or worship forget it God is not an idol who needs anything from you. Jepthah’s vow clearly shows he did not understand this.
The second thing is that Jepthah did not know the Law either. Leviticus 27 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If anyone makes a special vow1 to dedicate persons to the LORD by giving equivalent values, 3 set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekelsa of silver, according to the sanctuary shekelb;2 4 and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels.c 5 If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekelsd3 and of a female at ten shekels.e 6 If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekelsf4 of silver and that of a female at three shekelsg of silver. 7 If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekelsh and of a female at ten shekels. 8 If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay5 the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value6 for him according to what the man making the vow can afford.
You see there is a provision in the Law for exactly such a thing as a rash vow. Had Jepthah known the Law he would not have sacrificed his daughter but would have paid her price instead.
But this is why the story is in keeping with book. Here is man who does not know God or God’s Law but acts in faith insofar as he has it which is why I think he is mentioned as a man of faith, and he did liberate the Israelites for all his other failings proving that God can use imperfect vessels for his purposes.
God Bless
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Crumpy
Guest
very good points, b-dogg-oddball!
That shows another point, that an abbreviated commentary like the one I referred to, The Jewish Study Bible, is not exhaustive in its treatment of subjects, especially the way you point out.
That observation puts another dimension to the Biblical situation. It points out the obvious blunder of this vow and how it should have worked. As I state previously, the JBS says that the text rates Jepthah rather lowly, to be sure. It just doesn’t go to this relevent detail that you point out.
By implication, the Levitical priesthood must have been in shambles. If I were some scholar or student, I’d try to trace the locale of these scenes in Judges and try to relate that to the proximity of the Levites, if that information was available.
Many average readers balk (it’s baseball season!) at reading Leviticus as too technical and boring. Sure, it’s hard to digest all that. But, I am a bit biased about Leviticus as just being too cozy for the priests, itemizing as Leviticus does, all the wealth that is supposed to be transferred to them via the offerings at the Temple. Seeing that Deuteronomy seems to sweep away so much of that stuff, I wouldn’t be surprised that people back then weren’t too keen on the transfer of wealth to the Levites, either. They might easily have lost the sensibility of Leviticus as much as they lost so much of their Jewish faith and practice over the centuries. But, I don’t know much about what I’m saying here.
That shows another point, that an abbreviated commentary like the one I referred to, The Jewish Study Bible, is not exhaustive in its treatment of subjects, especially the way you point out.
That observation puts another dimension to the Biblical situation. It points out the obvious blunder of this vow and how it should have worked. As I state previously, the JBS says that the text rates Jepthah rather lowly, to be sure. It just doesn’t go to this relevent detail that you point out.
By implication, the Levitical priesthood must have been in shambles. If I were some scholar or student, I’d try to trace the locale of these scenes in Judges and try to relate that to the proximity of the Levites, if that information was available.
Many average readers balk (it’s baseball season!) at reading Leviticus as too technical and boring. Sure, it’s hard to digest all that. But, I am a bit biased about Leviticus as just being too cozy for the priests, itemizing as Leviticus does, all the wealth that is supposed to be transferred to them via the offerings at the Temple. Seeing that Deuteronomy seems to sweep away so much of that stuff, I wouldn’t be surprised that people back then weren’t too keen on the transfer of wealth to the Levites, either. They might easily have lost the sensibility of Leviticus as much as they lost so much of their Jewish faith and practice over the centuries. But, I don’t know much about what I’m saying here.
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TarkanAttila
Guest
Heard this today at Thursday Mass. 
That was disturbing.
What I got out of it was these things. First, if you make a promise to God, you keep it, no matter the price or the gruesomeness. Second, as Our Lord said in His Sermon on the Mount, “make no oath at all” (Matthew 5:34), to prevent such a situation from happening. It’s not worth it. Third, sad and gruesome though it was, Jephthah was right in sacrificing his daughter and keeping his oath. It was wrong of him to make such an oath in the first place, but his reliability and his daughter’s reliability in keeping the oath is a virtuous thing (even if human sacrifice is not).
Either way, it was going to be a catch-22. But when you make promises to God, you keep them, no matter what. Although, as others have mentioned, there are some legal loopholes to human sacrifice in the Torah, and Jephthah should have known about them and used them to save him and God some grief.
Nonetheless, better to keep a promise than to break it, no matter what the cost. This is what I took away from the story.
Although, as always, best to learn if what you are doing really is the best thing you can do. I mourn for “Jiminy Cricket” moralists (“and always let your conscience be your guide”) who fail to build a good conscience and wisdom.
That was disturbing.What I got out of it was these things. First, if you make a promise to God, you keep it, no matter the price or the gruesomeness. Second, as Our Lord said in His Sermon on the Mount, “make no oath at all” (Matthew 5:34), to prevent such a situation from happening. It’s not worth it. Third, sad and gruesome though it was, Jephthah was right in sacrificing his daughter and keeping his oath. It was wrong of him to make such an oath in the first place, but his reliability and his daughter’s reliability in keeping the oath is a virtuous thing (even if human sacrifice is not).
Either way, it was going to be a catch-22. But when you make promises to God, you keep them, no matter what. Although, as others have mentioned, there are some legal loopholes to human sacrifice in the Torah, and Jephthah should have known about them and used them to save him and God some grief.
Nonetheless, better to keep a promise than to break it, no matter what the cost. This is what I took away from the story.
Although, as always, best to learn if what you are doing really is the best thing you can do. I mourn for “Jiminy Cricket” moralists (“and always let your conscience be your guide”) who fail to build a good conscience and wisdom.
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