Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-01-02
l0riginal.]
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JEPHTHAH,S DAUGHTER.

In the 18th chapter of Judges, we have a
short but interesting account of a military
engagement which took place between the
Israelites, under Jephthah as commander, and
the Ammonites. When Jephthah went into
the engagement, he made vow unto the
Lord in these words, as they stand translated
in the authorized English version of the Scrip
lures: "If thou shalt without fail deliver the
children of Ammon into mine hands, then it
shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the
doors of my house to meet me, when | return
in peace from the children of Ammon, shall
surely be the Lords, and I will offer it up
for a burnt Offering" Judges, IL: 30-31.
When the victorious hero returned, his daugh-
ter came out to meet him. She had instru-
ments of music, and evidently was greatly
delighted that the enemies of her country
we're vanquished, and that her father was re-
turning in safety. She was the only child
and, as is always the case, was, no doubt,
greatly loved and petted by her father.
1t is evident that the translators of the He
brew Bible were of opinion that Jephthah
vowed to offer up to the Lord as burnt sac
rifce whatever came out of his house to meet
him on his return home from the slaughter of
the Ammonites. 1t is very doubtful whether
the language, when taken in connection with
what follows, will admit of this translation.
1t is certain that the language may be thus
translated in strict conformity to the laws of
the Hebrew language: "And Jephthah vowed
a VOW unto the Lord, and said, if thou shalt
without fail deliver the children of Ammon
into mine hands, then it shall be, that what
soever cometh forth of the door of my house
to meet me, when I return in peace from the
children of Ammon shall surely be the
Lords, or I will offer it up for a burnt offer
ing" The only change which is made in this
translation is putting the distinctive conjunc-
tion or, for the copulative conjunction and.
There is abundance of precedent for thus
translating the conjunction. In the 21st
chapter of Exodus, at the 18th verse, we have
an example. To translate the conjunction in
the passage in Exodus, as the same conjunc-
ton is translated in Judges, it would read
thus: "He that curseth his father and (not
or as it is) mother, etc" The connection
seems to require this. 1t is not said that
Jephthah sacrificed his daughter, although he
is said to have done to her according to his
VOW. All that the daughter seems to have
grieved over, was her virginity. Amongst
the Jews it was lasting disgrace for wo-
man to remain virgin, or not to become
mother. Every woman desired to be mother,
in hopes that the Messiah might spring from
her. The fortieth verse of the eleventh chap
ter of Judges literally translated would read
thus: "This custom was in existence in Israel.
At different seasons yearly the unmarried
girls of the Israeltes visited the daughter of
Jephthah and consoled her during four days."
1t seems that all that Jephthah did to her
was to cause her to live maiden, or to pre-
vent her from marrying. This was according
to the notions of the Jews, and especially to
Jephthah, as he had no other child-a severe
calamity. Jephthah made his VOW in haste,
and no doubt saw the folly of the act.