Yiftach's Vow/2

Yiftach's Vow

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Sanctified His Daughter

Yiftach did not offer his daughter as a sacrifice but rather consecrated her life to service of Hashem.

Sources:Ibn EzraDevarim 29:20About R. Avraham ibn Ezra (cited in RambanVayikra 27:29About R. Moshe b. Nachman), R. Yosef KimchiSefer HaGalui s.v. תןAbout R. Yosef Kimchi, RadakShofetim 11:31Shofetim 11:37-40About R. David Kimchi, RalbagShofetim 11:1Shofetim 11:30-40Shofetim 12:1-7About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelShofetim 11:30-40About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – According to these commentators, the וי"ו of the word "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ" is a disjunctive and means "or" rather than "and."¹  As such, Yiftach's vow "וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" comprised two possibilities. Depending on what was to exit his house, he swore either to sanctify it to Hashem, or to offer it as a sacrifice.²

"וְהָיָה לַי"י" – what does this include? According to these sources, Yiftach's daughter was to remain celibate and never marry,³ and moreover, live in seclusion from the rest of society.⁴   Ibn Ezra adds that she was to spend her days in prayer and thanksgiving to Hashem.

"וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר" – Radak notes that the verse does not say that Yiftach sacrificed his daughter but rather that he kept his vow ("וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר"), allowing for the possibility that she was simply sanctified.

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" / "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ" – According to this approach, the verses' emphasis on the virginity of Yiftach's daughter is logical as this was what was demanded of her by the vow.  R"Y Kimchi points out that had she been going to her death, she would have cried about the loss of her life, a much greater sorrow.

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – Ralbag explains that since Yiftach's daughter was forced to lived in seclusion the whole year round, four days a year were set aside for women to visit and comfort her.  According to Abarbanel, even during that time the women did not actually see each other, but only conversed and lamented together.  Ramban, though, attacks this reading questioning how it could possibly be set as custom that people mourn someone's dedicating themselves to worship of Hashem!

Why was Yiftach upset? According to this position, Yiftach might not be bothered by the concept that his daughter was to devote herself to Hashem, but by the consequences of that fact, that he would no longer be able to see his only, beloved child, and that she would miss out on the joys of marriage.  Though he had anticipated the possibility that a human might emerge from his house, he did not think that it would be his daughter.⁵

Yiftach's daughter's reaction to her fate – Yiftach's daughter encourages her father to keep his vow, a reaction that makes sense if she heard that she was to consecrated, but not if she were about to be sacrificed.

Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's actions – No where does the text criticize Yiftach for his vow, implying that there was nothing wrong with it, as this reading suggests.

Portrait of Yiftach – According to this position, Yiftach is a positive character who would never commit child sacrifice.  He does not act impulsively, but thinks before speaking.⁶

Spiritual level of the nation

Cultural influences – It is possible that the above portrait of the nature of Yiftach's daughter's consecration is at least partially influenced by these exegetes' exposure to the practices of Christian monasticism. See Abarbanel who explicitly draws a connection, but in the opposite direction, saying "And from this the nation of Edom learned to make convents for women who enter there and never leave all their days...".⁷

Purpose of the story

Sacrificed his Daughter

When Yiftach made his vow, he did not think of the possibility that it would be a human who would emerge from his house and assumed that he was vowing to offer an animal sacrifice to Hashem.

Sources:Josephus, Bavli TaanitTaanit 4aAbout the Bavli, Bereshit Rabbah60:3About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaBechukotai 5About the Tanchuma, RambanVayikra 27:29About R. Moshe b. Nachman,⁸ Hoil MosheShofetim 11:31Shofetim 11:39About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi, R. Michael Hattin

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – According to this position, these two phrases refer to the same deed.  The words "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" explain what the term "וְהָיָה לַי"י" entails; being for Hashem means being offered as a sacrifice.⁹

Where did Yiftach err? According to most of these sources, Yiftach's sin lay in not thinking before he spoke, and being careless in the wording of his vow.  He formulated it in general terms ("וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי") so that it was all inclusive, not thinking of the possibility that something might emerge from his home that was not fit for sacrifice.¹⁰

Why was Yiftach upset? Yiftach's horrified reaction is understandable, as he had never fathomed that his daughter (or any human, for that matter) would become the object of his vow.

Why not annul the vow?

• Pride – Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma assert that even though the high priest, Pinchas, could have annulled Yiftach's vow,¹¹ due to a power play neither leader would humble themselves to approach the other, leaving Yiftach's daughter to her unfortunate fate.¹²
• Ignorance – Ramban, instead, asserts that Yiftach mistakenly assumed that  his vow was like that of a king in the midst of battle who declares that upon victory, his enemy will be "חרם לה'" (killed for Hashem).  Such a vow can not be annulled. Yiftach, in his ignorance, did not realize that his oath was not at all comparable and that no vow to offer an unsuitable sacrifice should be fulfilled.

Yiftach's daughter's reaction – It is surprising that Yiftach's daughter would be so amenable to her father keeping his vow, if it meant her death.  This leads Tanchuma to suggest that she actually argued with her father, trying to show him how human sacrifice is prohibited. When this was unsuccessful, she turned to the elders to try and annul the vow, but again to no avail.¹³  All of this, however, is conjecture and negates the simple sense of Yiftach's daughter's words, "do unto me according to what has escaped your mouth."

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" / "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ" – It is not clear why the verses need to emphasize the fact that Yiftach's daughter never married, nor why she would request two months to cry over that fact.  Her upcoming death should have been the much greater tragedy!

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – According to this position, the women lamented over the unjust fate that befell Yiftach's daughter.

Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's actions – According to these sources, Hashem punished Yiftach for both his vow and for fulfilling it. One might have expected the text to explicitly condemn Yiftach for fulfilling his vow

Portrait of Yiftach

Spiritual level of the nation – Seder Eliyahu Rabbah says that the whole nation's spiritual level was low, and Yiftach as a leader belonged in that category.

Purpose of the story

Sacrificed His Daughter

Yiftach gave his daughter as a sacrifice to Hashem.  This position subdivides regarding whether Yiftach originally thought that a human might be the object of his vow or not:

Mistaken Outcome

When Yiftach made his vow, he did not think of the possibility that it would be a human who would emerge from his house and assumed that he was vowing to offer an animal sacrifice to Hashem.

Sources:Bavli TaanitTaanit 4aAbout the Bavli, Bereshit Rabbah60:3About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaBechukotai 5About the Tanchuma, perhaps RambanVayikra 27:29About R. Moshe b. Nachman¹⁴

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – According to this position, these two phrases refer to the same deed.  The words "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" explain what the term "וְהָיָה לַי"י" entails; being for Hashem means being offered as a sacrifice.¹⁵

Where did Yiftach err? According to most of these sources, Yiftach's sin lay in not thinking before he spoke, and being careless in the wording of his vow.  He formulated it in general terms ("וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי") so that it was all inclusive, not thinking of the possibility that something might emerge from his home that was not fit for sacrifice.¹⁶

Why was Yiftach upset? Yiftach's horrified reaction is understandable, as he had never fathomed that his daughter (or any human, for that matter) would become the object of his vow.

Why not annul the vow?

• Pride – Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma assert that even though the high priest, Pinchas, could have annulled Yiftach's vow,¹⁷ due to a power play neither leader would humble themselves to approach the other, leaving Yiftach's daughter to her unfortunate fate.¹⁸
• Ignorance – Ramban, instead, asserts that Yiftach mistakenly assumed that  his vow was like that of a king in the midst of battle who declares that upon victory, his enemy will be "חרם לה'" (killed for Hashem).  Such a vow can not be annulled. Yiftach, in his ignorance, did not realize that his oath was not at all comparable and that no vow to offer an unsuitable sacrifice should be fulfilled.

Yiftach's daughter's reaction – It is surprising that Yiftach's daughter would be so amenable to her father keeping his vow, if it meant her death.  This leads Tanchuma to suggest that she actually argued with her father, trying to show him how human sacrifice is prohibited. When this was unsuccessful, she turned to the elders to try and annul the vow, but again to no avail.¹⁹  All of this, however, is conjecture and negates the simple sense of Yiftach's daughter's words, "do unto me according to what has escaped your mouth."

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" / "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ" – It is not clear why the verses need to emphasize the fact that Yiftach's daughter never married, nor why she would request two months to cry over that fact.  Her upcoming death should have been the much greater tragedy!

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – According to this position, the women lamented over the unjust fate that befell Yiftach's daughter.

Hashem's Evaluation of Yiftach's actions – According to these sources, Hashem punished Yiftach for both his vow and for fulfilling it. One might have expected the text to explicitly condemn Yiftach for fulfilling his vow

Portrait of Yiftach

Spiritual level of the nation – Seder Eliyahu Rabbah says that the whole nation's spiritual level was low, and Yiftach as a leader belonged in that category.

Purpose of the story

Intentional Outcome

Yiftach made his vow with full knowledge that a human might be the one to exit his home, and with full intentions of sacrificing him/her if that were the case.

Sources:Josephus5 7:10About Josephus Antiquities of the Jews, Hoil MosheShofetim 11:31Shofetim 11:39About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi, R. Michael Hattin

Yiftach's plan – According to this approach, Yiftach's original vow was to sacrifice a human.  It's unclear, however, why Yiftach seems surprised about the fact that his daughter came out.  Who else was he thinking will greet him if she was his only child?

"וְהָיָה לַי"י וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ עֹלָה" – These words mean literally to sacrifice to Hashem.  Hoil Moshe explains the fact the verse doesn't say explicitly she was sacrificed rather "וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר", because it is a cruel and distressing act.  He notes that in the Ancient Near East many people would vow such things especially when they were in battles or in a case of misfortune.

"וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל בְּתוּלֶיהָ" – Hoil Moshe reads that Yiftach's daughter asked for two months to cry that she did not have a chance to bear children and be a mother.

"לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת יִפְתָּח" – The young virgins would go to the grave of Yiftach's daughter to cry on it, because she didn't have any children to cry on her grave.

Evaluation of Yiftach's action – It is surprising that the verses don't note not to follow Yiftach's action, which seems to outright contradict the prohibition of killing and giving one's seed to Molekh.

Spiritual level of the nation

Annulling the vow – Yiftach had no desire to annul the vow, as he realized when he vowed it, that most chances are she will come out.

Purpose of the story – The story comes to teach us the low level of the nation, that even their leader brought a human sacrifice and murdered his daughter.

¹ R. Yosef Kimchi brings Shemot 21:17, "וּמְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ" as another example of this usage.  It is prohibited to curse either your father or your mother.

² Yiftach realized in advance that it was possible that something would exit his house that was not fitting for sacrifice so he vowed that in such a scenario the object would instead be consecrated.

³ Thus the verses emphasize, "וְהִיא לֹא יָדְעָה אִישׁ".

⁴ Ramban questions why being for God need mean living a life of chastity and seclusion; after all Shemuel too was "given to Hashem" but was involved in society, allowed to marry, and served in the Mishkan.  Ralbag explains that Shemuel differed from Yiftach's daughter since, as a male, he had other ways of serving Hashem.  If Yiftach's daughter were to marry, on the other hand, she wouldn't be able to devote herself exclusively to Hashem because she would have to also serve her husband.

⁵ One might question why the possibility never occurred to him; after all it would be natural that his daughter might want to greet him as he returned from the dangers of battle.

⁶ Throughout the chapter, Ralbag consistently attempts to view Yiftach in a similarly positive light. Thus, for example, he claims that the phrase "בֶּן אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה" does not mean that YIftach was the son of a whore, but that this was an epithet given to his mother by her angry tribesmen after she married into a different tribe. He also defends Yiftach's war with Ephraim which caused the death of 42,000 people, claiming that they deserved it for being ungrateful and threatening to burn down Yiftach's house.

⁷ For an in depth analysis of the issue, see J. Berman, "Medieval Monasticism and the Evolution of Jewish Interpretation to the Story of Jephthah’s Daughter," JQR 95:2, (2005): 228-256.

^{8 8}

^{9 9}

^{10 10}

^{11 11}

^{12 12}

^{13 13}

¹⁴ This passage is one of the additions made by Ramban to his commentary after arriving in the Land of Israel.  See Ramban's Updates for a full discussion and comparison tables of the original commentary and its updated form. 
Ramban is not explicit as to the intentions of Yiftach as he focuses on the question of why the vow was not nullified rather than how Yiftach made it.  In contrast to the assumption here that Ramban agrees with the Midrashic sources that Yiftach made a general vow, see J. Schwartzmann, "הנדר של יפתח: טיפולוגיה של הפרשנות המסורתית", Beit Mikra 50:3 (2005): 261-280, who thinks that Ramban assumes that Yiftach's original intention was to sacrifice only a human.

¹⁵ Accordingly, the "וי"ו" of the word "וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ" is a conjunctive, meaning "and".

¹⁶ The midrashic sources all focus on the fact that Yiftach should have realized that an impure animal might exit his house, not that he should have thought of the possibility that his daughter might emerge.  In fact, they go so far as to suggest that in Hashem's anger over Yiftach's careless formulation, Hashem punished him that it was not a dog or the like which greeted him, but his own daughter!

¹⁷ Yiftach could have substituted money or a pure animal for his daughter.  according to Resh Lakish, even this would not have been necessary.

¹⁸ Bereshit Rabbah and Tanchuma write that they were both punished for this act.

¹⁹ The midrash reads the verse, "הַרְפֵּה מִמֶּנִּי שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים וְאֵלְכָה וְיָרַדְתִּי עַל הֶהָרִים" metaphorically to mean that she asked for two months to consult with the nation's mountains = elders.