SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:40
De aquí fue la costumbre en Israel que de año en año iban las doncellas de Israel a endechar a la hija de Jefté, galaadita, cuatro días en el año.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 40. That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite , etc.] Either the death of her, as some, or her virginity, as others; though the word used may signify to talk and discourse with her, to hold a confabulation with her, and comfort her, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; to bring her some news, and tell her some diverting stories, to cheer and refresh her in her solitude. De Dieu observes, that the word signifies in the Arabic language to “praise”, or speak in commendation of a person or thing; and indeed in this sense it seems to be used in this book, ( Judges 5:11), “they shall rehearse”, that is, with praise and thanksgiving, “the righteous acts of the Lord”; and so the daughters of Israel went every year to the place where the daughter of Jephthah was, to speak in the praise of her, of her heroism, in so cheerfully submitting to her father’s vow, and expressing such gratitude and joy at the same time for victory over the enemies of Israel; and this they did in her presence and while she lived, to keep up her spirits; or it may be, in some public place, and even after her death, in memory of her, and to celebrate her praise. Epiphanius says f248 , that in his time, at Sebaste, formerly called Samaria, they deified the daughter of Jephthah, and kept a feast for her every year. The meeting of the daughters of Israel, so long as the custom lasted, which perhaps was only during the life of Jephthah’s daughter, was four days in a year; but whether they were four days running, or once in a quarter of a year, is not certain; the latter seems most probable.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 29-40 - Several important lessons are to be learned from Jephthah's vow. 1 There may be remainders of distrust and doubting, even in the hearts of true and great believers. 2. Our vows to God should not be as purchase of the favour we desire, but to express gratitude to him. 3 We need to be very well-advised in making vows, lest we entangl ourselves. 4. What we have solemnly vowed to God, we must perform, in it be possible and lawful, though it be difficult and grievous to us 5. It well becomes children, obediently and cheerfully to submit to their parents in the Lord. It is hard to say what Jephthah did in performance of his vow; but it is thought that he did not offer his daughter as a burnt-offering. Such a sacrifice would have been a abomination to the Lord; it is supposed she was obliged to remai unmarried, and apart from her family. Concerning this and some othe such passages in the sacred history, about which learned men ar divided and in doubt, we need not perplex ourselves; what is necessar to our salvation, thanks be to God, is plain enough. If the reade recollects the promise of Christ concerning the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and places himself under this heavenly Teacher, the Holy Ghos will guide to all truth in every passage, so far as it is needful to be understood __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
מימים 3117 ימימה 3117 תלכנה 1980 בנות 1323 ישׂראל 3478 לתנות 8567 לבת 1323 יפתח 3316 הגלעדי 1569 ארבעת 702 ימים 3117 בשׁנה׃ 8141
