Jephthah (Jephtha) (26 magg 1087 anni a. C. – 20 dic 1081 anni a. C.)

Descrizione:

Judges 10:6 - 12:7

Jephthah was from the tribe of Gilead-Manasseh; his father was named Gilead and his mother a prostitute, a fact which led his half-brothers to drive him away to the land of Tob. Due to his leadership and warrior-ship, he amassed a large following of gangsters in Tob.

The Israelites had forsaken God by serving a number of false gods: "the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines." God punished them by giving them into the hand of the Philistines and Ammonites who oppressed them for 18 years.

The Israelites sent for Jephthah, asking him to be their leader in battle. He agreed, and, in exchange for defeating the Ammonites, made a vow to sacrifice whatever would come out of the door of his house first. When his daughter - his only child - came out the door first, he deeply regretted his vow, but still carried it out.

Jephthah later fought with the Gileadites against the Epharaimites who had refused to help him fight the Ammonites. The Gildeadites captured the fords of the Jordan River, and required everybody who crossed over to pronounce the term "Shibboleth". If they could not pronounce it properly, it indicated that they belonged to the tribe of Ephraim; 42,000 Ephraimites died at the hands of the Gileadites.

Jephthah only served as judge over Israel for six years, but was able to bring Israel peace with the Philistines and Ammonites for another 24 years.

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