Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.” New Living Translation When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” English Standard Version And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.” Berean Standard Bible As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” King James Bible And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. New King James Version And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.” New American Standard Bible So when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Oh, my daughter! You have brought me disaster, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” NASB 1995 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” NASB 1977 And it came about when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” Legacy Standard Bible So it happened that when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me. But I have opened my mouth to vow to Yahweh, and I cannot take it back.” Amplified Bible And when he saw her, he tore his clothes [in grief] and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me great disaster, and you are the cause of ruin to me; for I have made a vow to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” Christian Standard Bible When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” Holman Christian Standard Bible When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” American Standard Version And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; for I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I cannot go back. Contemporary English Version "Oh no!" Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, "I made a sacred promise to the LORD, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart." English Revised Version And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. GOD'S WORD® Translation When he saw her, he tore his clothes in grief and said, "Oh no, Daughter! You've brought me to my knees! What disaster you've brought me! I made a foolish promise to the LORD. Now I can't break it." Good News Translation When he saw her, he tore his clothes in sorrow and said, "Oh, my daughter! You are breaking my heart! Why must it be you that causes me pain? I have made a solemn promise to the LORD, and I cannot take it back!" International Standard Version When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and cried out, "Oh no! My daughter! You have terribly burdened me! You've joined those who are causing me trouble, because I've given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it. Majority Standard Bible As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, ?No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.? NET Bible When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, "Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! You have brought me disaster! I made an oath to the LORD, and I cannot break it." New Heart English Bible And it happened, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter. You have brought me very low. You have become a stumbling block in my sight. And you are among those who trouble me. For I have given my word to the LORD, and I can't break it." Webster's Bible Translation And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot go back. World English Bible When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me; for I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd it comes to pass, when he sees her, that he tears his garments and says, “Aah! My daughter, you have caused me to bend greatly, and you have been among those troubling me; and I have opened my mouth to YHWH, and I am not able to turn back.” Young's Literal Translation And it cometh to pass, when he seeth her, that he rendeth his garments, and saith, 'Alas, my daughter, thou hast caused me greatly to bend, and thou hast been among those troubling me; and I -- I have opened my mouth unto Jehovah, and I am not able to turn back.' Smith's Literal Translation And it will be when he saw her, and he will tear his garments, and will say, Alas, my daughter bowing down, thou didst bow me down, and thou art in my trouble: and I opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I shall not be able to turn back. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd when he saw her, he rent his garments, and said: Alas! my daughter, thou hast deceived me, and thou thyself art deceived: for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do no other thing. Catholic Public Domain Version And upon seeing her, he tore his garments, and he said: “Alas, my daughter! You have cheated me, and you yourself have been cheated. For I opened my mouth to the Lord, and I can do nothing else.” New American Bible When he saw her, he tore his garments and said, “Ah, my daughter! You have struck me down and brought calamity upon me. For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot take it back.” New Revised Standard Version When he saw her, he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low; you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become today one of those that ruin me; for I have made a promise to God, and I cannot go back on it. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And when he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said: “Oh, my daughter! You have destroyed me and you are today what has destroyed me! Behold, I opened my mouth to God and I cannot go back!” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said: 'Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And it came to pass when he saw her, that he rent his garments, and said, Ah, ah, my daughter, thou hast indeed troubled me, and thou wast the cause of my trouble; and I have opened my mouth against thee to the Lord, and I shall not be able to return from it. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jephthah's Tragic Vow…34And when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her. 35As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.” 36“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.”… Cross References 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 5:4-5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. / It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Psalm 15:4 who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath, Matthew 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ / But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; / or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ... Deuteronomy 23:21-23 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. / But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. / Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth. James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment. 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.” Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows. Acts 5:1-4 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. / With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet. / Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? ... Genesis 22:2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 1 Samuel 14:24-28 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food. / Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. / And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. ... Matthew 14:7-9 so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. / Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” / The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted Leviticus 27:2-8 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons, / if the valuation concerns a male from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. / Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. ... Mark 6:23-26 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!” / Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?” And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.” / At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.” ... Treasury of Scripture And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you are one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot go back. rent his clothes Genesis 37:29,30,34,35 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes… Genesis 42:36-38 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me… 2 Samuel 13:30,31 And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left… have opened Leviticus 27:28,29 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD… Numbers 30:2-5 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth… Psalm 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. I cannot Judges 21:1-7 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife… 1 Samuel 14:44,45 And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan… Matthew 14:7-9 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask… Jump to Previous Alas Clothes Daughter Low Mouth Opened Rent Tore Trouble TroublerJump to Next Alas Clothes Daughter Low Mouth Opened Rent Tore Trouble TroublerJudges 11 1. The covenant between Jephthah and the Gileadites, that he should lead12. The treaty of peace between him and the Ammonites is in vain 29. Jephthah's vow 32. His conquest of the Ammonites 34. He performs his vow on his daughter. As soon as he saw her This phrase marks a pivotal moment of recognition and realization for Jephthah. The Hebrew root for "saw" is "ra'ah," which often implies not just physical sight but also understanding or perceiving. In this context, it signifies the moment Jephthah comprehends the full implications of his vow. Historically, this moment is laden with emotional weight, as it reflects the sudden shift from triumph to tragedy. Jephthah's victory over the Ammonites is overshadowed by the personal cost of his vow, highlighting the theme of unforeseen consequences in human decisions. he tore his clothes and said, 'Oh no, my daughter!' You have brought me to my knees You have brought great misery upon me For I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back Persons / Places / Events 1. JephthahA judge of Israel, known for his vow to God and his subsequent actions. He was a mighty warrior and the son of Gilead, but his mother was a prostitute, which led to his initial rejection by his family. 2. Jephthah's Daughter The unnamed daughter of Jephthah, who becomes the subject of his tragic vow. Her obedience and acceptance of her fate are notable. 3. Mizpah The place where Jephthah lived and where he made his vow to the Lord. It is significant as a site of assembly and decision-making in Israel. 4. The Vow Jephthah made a vow to the Lord that if he were given victory over the Ammonites, he would offer as a burnt offering whatever came out of the doors of his house to meet him upon his return. 5. The Ammonites The enemies of Israel at the time, whom Jephthah was called to fight against. Their oppression of Israel led to Jephthah's rise as a leader. Teaching Points The Weight of Our WordsJephthah's account reminds us of the power and responsibility of our words, especially when making promises to God. We should be cautious and thoughtful about the commitments we make. The Cost of Rash Decisions Jephthah's vow was made in haste and without full consideration of the potential consequences. This teaches us to seek wisdom and discernment before making significant decisions. Faithfulness to God Despite the tragic outcome, Jephthah's commitment to fulfilling his vow demonstrates a deep sense of duty and faithfulness to God, which is a challenging yet important aspect of our spiritual walk. The Role of Sacrifice The account invites reflection on the nature of sacrifice in our lives. While Jephthah's sacrifice was literal, we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices, such as our time, talents, and resources, in service to God. Trust in God's Provision Like Abraham, who trusted God to provide a ram in place of Isaac, we are encouraged to trust in God's provision and guidance, even in difficult situations.(35) He rent his clothes.--Comp. Joshua 7:6. By one of the curious survivals which preserve customs for centuries after the meaning is gone out of them, every Jew on approaching to Jerusalem for the first time has to submit to the krie--i.e., to a cut made in his sleeve, as a sort of symbol of rending his clothes. Thou hast brought me very low.--Literally, crushing, thou hast crushed me. I have opened my mouth unto the Lord.--A vow was not deemed binding unless it had been actually expressed in words (Numbers 30:2-3; Numbers 30:7; Deuteronomy 23:23). There were two kinds of vows among the Hebrews--the simple vow, neder (Leviticus 27:2-27), and the "devotion," or "ban," cherem (Leviticus 27:28-29). Anything devoted to Jehovah by the cherem was irredeemable, and became "a holy of holies" (kodesh kadashim) to Him, and was to be put to death (Leviticus 27:29). . . . Verse 35. - Thou hast brought me very low - literally, thou hast thoroughly bowed me down, i.e. with sorrow. I cannot go back. A forcible illustration of the evil of rash vows. He who makes them is so placed that he must sin. If he breaks his vow, he has taken God's name in vain; if he keeps it, he breaks one of God's commandments. So it was with Saul (1 Samuel 14:24, 39-45), with Herod (Mark 6:23); so it has often been since with those who have made unauthorised vows, and who in attempting to keep them have fallen into deadly sin.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew As soon asוַיְהִי֩ (way·hî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be [Jephthah] saw כִרְאוֹת֨וֹ (ḵir·’ō·w·ṯōw) Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see her, אוֹתָ֜הּ (’ō·w·ṯāh) Direct object marker | third person feminine singular Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case he tore וַיִּקְרַ֣ע (way·yiq·ra‘) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7167: To rend his clothes בְּגָדָ֗יו (bə·ḡā·ḏāw) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 899: A covering, clothing, treachery, pillage and said, וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “No! אֲהָ֤הּ (’ă·hāh) Interjection Strong's 162: Alas! Not my daughter! בִּתִּי֙ (bit·tî) Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 1323: A daughter You have brought me to my knees! הַכְרֵ֣עַ (haḵ·rê·a‘) Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute Strong's 3766: To bend the knee, to sink, to prostrate You וְאַ֖תְּ (wə·’at) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person feminine singular Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you have brought great misery upon me, בְּעֹֽכְרָ֑י (bə·‘ō·ḵə·rāy) Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | first person common singular Strong's 5916: To roil water, to disturb, affict for I וְאָנֹכִ֗י (wə·’ā·nō·ḵî) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular Strong's 595: I have given my word פָּצִ֤יתִי־ (pā·ṣî·ṯî-) Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Strong's 6475: To rend, open to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the LORD יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel and cannot וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō) Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no take it back.” לָשֽׁוּב׃ (lā·šūḇ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again Links Judges 11:35 NIVJudges 11:35 NLT Judges 11:35 ESV Judges 11:35 NASB Judges 11:35 KJV Judges 11:35 BibleApps.com Judges 11:35 Biblia Paralela Judges 11:35 Chinese Bible Judges 11:35 French Bible Judges 11:35 Catholic Bible OT History: Judges 11:35 It happened when he saw her that (Jd Judg. 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