What happened to Jephthah's Daughter?
“Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” ( Judges 11:31 ) The story of Jephthah has been a stumbling block to many who interpret it as teaching that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to God as a burnt offering. As he prepared to face the Ammonite armies, he made the vow recorded in our text, if God would only give him the victory. His only child, a beloved daughter, was the first to meet him at his return, and so it was she who had to be offered. Should he have made such a vow? Does God require these types of vows? Did he pray or just give a vow? Was he being foolhardy? It should be remembered, however, that Jephthah was a man of faith ( Hebrews 11:32-33 ), and he would never have vowed to disobey God’s prohibition against human sacrifice. His personal life and history was a total mess yet somehow God u...