What is the meaning of Judges 11:23?

Now since the LORD, the God of Israel

• Jephthah begins by naming “the LORD” (YHWH) as “the God of Israel,” grounding the argument in God’s covenant identity (Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 10:17).

• The phrase establishes absolute authority: if the covenant God speaks or acts, His verdict is final (1 Samuel 2:30).

• By opening this way, Jephthah reminds the Ammonite king that the dispute is ultimately theological, not merely political (1 Samuel 17:45).

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has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel

• The verb “has driven out” points to a historical fact: God already removed the Amorites when Israel arrived, as recorded in Numbers 21:21-24 and reaffirmed in Joshua 24:8.

• This recalls the promise in Exodus 23:28-30 that God Himself would clear the land.

• The emphasis is on God’s direct action, not Israel’s military prowess (Psalm 44:2-3).

• By mentioning “His people,” Jephthah underlines the covenant relationship in which God gives land as an inheritance (Deuteronomy 4:37-38).

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should you now possess it?

• The question is rhetorical and confrontational: if God expelled the Amorites, what right does Ammon claim? (Judges 11:12-27 recounts the whole legal case.)

• Jephthah implies that to contest Israel’s possession is to contest God’s decision (Psalm 2:8-12).

• The word “now” stresses that centuries have passed since the conquest; God’s grant still stands (Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 2:19).

• Practical takeaway: what God assigns is not up for renegotiation, whether land then or promises now (Romans 11:29).

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summary

Judges 11:23 is Jephthah’s concise legal brief: the covenant LORD acted in history to expel the Amorites and install Israel, therefore any claim against that divine settlement lacks authority. The verse teaches God’s sovereignty over nations, the permanence of His gifts, and the folly of challenging what He has decreed.