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Question: Does anyone interpret the story of “Jephthah’s daughter” in the Bible to be glorifying human sacrifice?
What Vow did Jephthah make to God?
In order to win the war against the Ammonites, Jephthah takes a Vow that the Rabbis characterize as “unfitting”: “Then whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's and shall be offered by me as a burnt offering” (Judges 11:31).
As is seen in the verses up to 29, God was going to give Jephthah the victories, so his rash Vow in v. 31 was not necessary! His human pride and failings were taking over from God’s assurance of victory, which he felt he could secure by his own human fallible promise!
As it turned out, God saved him from his own foolishness and pride by recourse to the Laws already given. God would not, and never has accepted human sacrifice in the mode of the heathen Satanic use!
In the strict ceremonial sense, the Vow made was masculine, but the issuer from the house was feminine, thus the rash Vow was to be repented of!
Jephthah’s Vow consisted of two parts, he could either dedicate it to Jehovah according to Lev. 27, or if unsuitable for that as a burnt offering (clearly unsuitable)!
He performed his Vow and dedicated his daughter to Jehovah by perpetual virginity, vs. 36–40!
The moral of this account is the foolishness of the father, his pride, and lack of trust in what he had been already told, and the daughter's fidelity to her father and her God!
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