Jephthah’s Vow in Judges 11

Matt, Derek, and Alastair dive into the difficult and unsettling text of Jephthah’s vow in Judges 11.

The crew covers recent and old interpretations of the troubled passage, asking if certain texts can or should be “smoothed over” with typology, how we should handle texts with seeming contradictions, and how to poise ourselves in the face of scripture’s ethical dilemmas?

Resources mentioned:

City of God by Augustine

Timestamps

0:00
Intro + overview of the story of Jephthah’s vow, and its reference in Hebrews
4:30
Complex details and recent interpretations of the text
9:31
Possible influences of Mariology
12:02
Biblical theological imagery in the text and its placement in Judges
18:51
If Samson can be commended in Hebrews for his meager faith, can we say the same of Jephthah?
21:09
Augustine’s interpretation of Jephthah’s vow in City of God and the temptation to let typology “smooth over” difficult and uncomfortable texts
33:10
The seemingly tragic conflict between the irreversibility of vows and the prohibition of the sacrifice of persons in scripture + Conclusion

Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Caleb Wait for keeping us organized. Special thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.

Biblical Interpretation Biblical Theology
Difficult Passages of Scripture
Mere Fidelity is a listener-supported venture, and we can only grow as our supporters make it possible. Support Us on Patreon