1. Judges 11:29–40 (ESV)
  2. Structure and outline

Main concern of 11:29–40

Judges 11:29–40 (ESV)

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.

The whole narrative since the start of chapter 11 has been heading toward the victory of Jephthah over the Ammonites in Judges 11:32–33. But the vow effectively overshadows the expected climax of the Lord’s victory. The vow and its execution, described in much greater detail than the battle, become the main focus and the real climax of the episode.1