Jephthah
~1100 BCE, Gilead, east of the Jordan
Judge of Israel, son of Gilead and a prostitute. His half-brothers drove him from his inheritance and he became leader of a band of worthless fellows in the land of Tob. When Ammon threatened Gilead, the elders came to him with an offer of leadership. He negotiated. He fought. Before the battle he made a vow to the LORD: whatever comes out of his house first to meet him on return would be offered as a burnt offering. It was his only child, his daughter. The text does not say the vow was a metaphor.
On their voice
~1100 BCE. A man from the margins who finally got a seat at the table, but the price exacted for the military victory was the highest possible. His theological understanding is sincere but sometimes confused. He quotes scripture; he also misidentifies which god owns which territory. He is not a villain. He is a man who spoke rashly and could not unsay it.
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