Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

Jephtah clearly did not intend to kill his daughter. The community thought
his action gross, and whailed her, instead of rejoicing at the supposed
sacrifice. Killing might be implied, but consecration is equally plausible.

The case of Isaac is not the same, but critically different: there was
divine will to sacrifice a human. In case of Jephtah, not even God foresaw
the consequences of the vow - unless you subscribe to the notions of
omniscience and complete predeterminacy. The victory over Ammon was granted
not because God wanted a sacrifice of Jephtah's only daughter.

In short, Jephtah intended to sacrifice an animal, and foolishly put the
formal obligation of a vow above sanctity of life. Rabbis universally void
unintended vow. Sacrifices and vows could be only intentional. God did not
look to catch Jephtah by his word.

Jephtah's actions is an example of murder, not of human sacrifice. By your
logic, religiously inspired serial killer makes sacrifices. Whatever Jephtah
"thought" about his actions, taking them for sacrifice, they were not.

Vadim Cherny


> My point what that it is an example of human scrafice, foolish or not.  It
is no different from Abraham and Issac except there is no divine
intervention to stop it.
>
> There is no overt critism of Jephthah in the text.  His *foolish* vow won
Isreal a great military victory over Ammon and established Jephthah as King
of Gilead.  Jephthah only made the vow after the *spirit of Yahweh* came
over him.  So
> it is not clear that the intent of the writer was to show Jephthah as
foolish.
>
> > The whole point of the story is that Jephtah took a foolish vow. This is
why
> > his daughter was whailed. He did not mean to sacrifice his daughter. A
> > fool's example is no argument. Besides, note how carefully the author
avoids
> > saying that she died. One possible implication is that she was
consecrated:
> > why stress her virginity otherwise?
> >
> > Vadim Cherny
> >
> >
> > > Not even Judges 11:29 - Jephthah's Vow?
> > > >
> > > > There are no human sacrifices in Judaism. Point.
> > > > Execution of guilty person is not sacrifice, but an act
> > > of purifying the
> > > > community.
> > > >
> > > > Vadim Cherny
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > I think your points are well taken.  2 Sam 21 is a
> > > story of
> > > > > human sacrafice.  Yahweh causes a famine in response to
> > > > > Saul's crime. The famine causes widespread suffering.
> > > The
> > > > > death of Saul's sons and grandsons satisfies God as the
> > > > > Saul's crime is atoned for, and the famine ends.  Since
> > > > > Saul is dead, he cannot atone for his own sins, so it
> > > be
> > > > > dealt with (or visited) by God upon Saul's sons and
> > > > > grandsons.  David has correctly understood the issues
> > > and
> > > > > dealth with them in a manner that effects the end of
> > > the
> > > > > famine.
> > > > >
> > > > > This is the only point I was trying to make - in the
> > > OT,
> > > > > there are cases of later generations being dealt with
> > > by
> > > > > God in negative fashion to atone for the sins of
> > > earlier
> > > > > generations.  Most people would describe this as
> > > > > punishment.  I dare if I were killed and impaled on a
> > > pole
> > > > > for an entire barley season to atone for a sin my
> > > > > grandfather committed, I would describe it as
> > > punishment.
> > > > >
> > > > > Jack Tladatsi
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > Jack Tladatsi
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
> Jack Tladatsi
>
>