Judges 10-12

[wolfpurplemoon]

Fourth round of the children of Israel running to worship other gods as soon as they get a chance. This time God sells them into slavery and then says he won't free them again because they keep forgetting him.

* But God decides to deliver some people into the hands of the Israelites so they can get some more land. And even though God was already helping them kill lots of people, Jephthah vows that if God helps them win against some other people he'll kill the first thing that comes out his house when he gets home. So his virgin daughter (and only child) has to die and God does nothing to stop the sacrifice.

Comments

Actually, she wasn't killed

[mary mangan (from livejournal.com)]

She became a "nun" of sorts. Hence all the weeping and bemoaning of never marrying and remaining a virgin - as opposed to grieving the fact that she was going to die.

I found a website that explains it better than I did - hope it clarifies a bit. (This chapter troubled me the first time I read it, too.)

Ignore the author's snark if you can, because despite the tone, the facts are solid:
http://scottthong.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/judges-11-debunking-the-myth-that-jephthah-burns-his-daughter-as-a-human-sacrifice-to-god/

Re: Actually, she wasn't killed

[wolfpurplemoon]

That's interesting, thankyou!

Re: Actually, she wasn't killed

[mary mangan (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond - I'm sure you're inundated with all kinds of comments / feedback here.