Bible Discussion Thread

The Basic English bible has a wrong translation of Judges 11:31. Jdg 11:31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD 'S, and I will offer it the vow up for a burnt offering. The word "it " was never to be used in reference to any male or female. "A substitute or pronoun of the neuter gender, sometimes called demonstrative, and standing for any thing except males and females " - Webster 's definition for the word "it. " God 's Word makes it very clear that the vows were to be made by sacrificing an animal on the alter unto the LORD. Lev 7:16 But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: Lev 22:21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted there shall be no blemish therein. And as we read further on, it was Jephthah 's daughter who was the first person to come out of his house to greet him. Some people will think that he offered his daughter up as a burnt sacrifice, this is wrong because we are not to perform human sacrifice unto the LORD. The sacrifice was in dedicating her solely unto the LORD for His purposes in the temple. This means she had to stay a virgin for the rest of her life, thus she wept because of her virginity, knowing that she will never be married unto any other but unto the LORD. Jdg 11:38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. Jdg 11:39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: He dedicated her unto the LORD for His services and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, Jdg 11:40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. They were lamenting her virginity.

The type of mourning exhibited by Jephthah, his daughter, and her friends could not be over her virginity. There were others in scripture who remained virgins and did not mourn. Paul and Daniel, for example. Verse 39 is also very clearly states "At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her." HCSB. A vow cannot be burned. The verse clearly references "it" to be his daughter by the saying "about her."