Bible Strands
Judges 11:30
Jephthah made this vow to the LORD: “If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jephthah addresses the LORD while advancing against the Ammonites, immediately after the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him. He initiates a conditional vow before the battle commences.
The words — The Hebrew נֶדֶר (neder) denotes a formal vow, and אִם (im) introduces the conditional clause. These terms establish the structure of Jephthah’s proposal as a stipulated exchange rather than an open petition.
The thread — Conditional vows appear when Jacob pledges to make Yahweh his God if He provides protection and provision (Genesis 28:20) and when Hannah prays for a son if God remembers her affliction (1 Samuel 1:11). The practice is regulated in Numbers 30:2, which commands strict fulfillment of pledges made to the LORD.
Why it lands — The text records a military leader offering a conditional bargain to secure victory, presenting human attempts to negotiate divine action without commentary. It asks the reader to observe how biblical figures frame faith as transactional stipulations before examining how Scripture treats such vows.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Cross-references
- Genesis 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear,
- 1 Samuel 1:11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
- Numbers 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.
- Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.