| Meaning |
{
"name": "Jephthah",
"also_known_as": ["Jephtha"],
"type": "Biblical figure",
"tribe": "Manasseh",
"role": "Judge of Israel",
"period": "Late 12th century BCE",
"key_events": [
{
"event": "Exile and return",
"description": "Jephthah was the son of a prostitute; his half-brothers expelled him from his father's home, and he lived among the Ammonites."
},
{
"event": "Leadership of the Gileadites",
"description": "He was later called upon by the leaders of Gilead to defend Israel against the Ammonite threat."
},
{
"event": "Vow and battle",
"description": "Before battle, Jephthah vowed to offer as a burnt offering whatever came out of his house to greet him upon his victorious return. He defeated the Ammonites."
},
{
"event": "Tragic fulfillment of the vow",
"description": "His daughter, his only child, came out to greet him, leading to a tragic fulfillment of his vow."
}
],
"biblical_references": [
"Judges 11",
"Judges 12:1-7"
],
"legacy": "Jephthah is remembered both for his military leadership and the controversial nature of his vow, which raises ethical and theological discussions in biblical scholarship."
} |
