1. Judges 11:34 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does the redundancy of her being Jephthah's only child emphasize?

Judges 11:34 (ESV)

34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

The second half of the verse includes the redundancy, “She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.” The double mention of her solitariness emphasizes Jephthah’s hopelessness: the death of his daughter would end his family line.