Hebrew Parsing (Judges 11)

================================================================ HEBREW PARSING — Judges 11 Vow Narrative + Controls Source: hebrew_parser.py (ETCBC/BHSA via Text-Fabric) ================================================================

=== Judges 11:29 — Spirit of the LORD === וַתְּהִי עַל־יִפְתָּח רוּחַ יְהוָה וַיַּעֲבֹר אֶת־הַגִּלְעָד וְאֶת־מְנַשֶּׁה וַיַּעֲבֹר אֶת־מִצְפֵּה גִלְעָד וּמִמִּצְפֵּה גִלְעָד עָבַר בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

KEY: וַתְּהִי (Qal.Wayq.3fs היה "be") + עַל־יִפְתָּח + רוּחַ יְהוָה KEY: wayyiqtol chain — עבר (pass over) × 3, the movement across Gilead/Manasseh

=== Judges 11:30 — Vow Formula === וַיִּדַּר יִפְתָּח נֶדֶר לַיהוָה וַיֹּאמַר אִם־נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן בְּיָדִי

Word Lemma Parsing Gloss וַיִּדַּר נדר Verb.Qal.Wayq.3ms vowed [cognate-accusative] יִפְתָּח יפתח Jephthah נֶדֶר נדר Noun.ms.Abs a vow לַיהוָה יהוה to YHWH וַיֹּאמַר אמר Verb.Qal.Wayq.3ms and said אִם אם Conj if נָתוֹן נתן Verb.Qal.InfAbs giving [emphatic inf.abs.] תִּתֵּן נתן Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms thou wilt give אֶת־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן the sons of Ammon בְּיָדִי into my hand

STRUCTURE: vow-formula narrative frame (wayyiqtol × 2) + protasis head אִם + inf.abs.+impf.

=== Judges 11:31 — THE VOW APODOSIS (CENTRAL) === וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי לִקְרָאתִי בְּשׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וְהָיָה לַיהוָה וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ עוֹלָה

Word Lemma Parsing Gloss וְהָיָה היה Verb.Qal.Perf.3ms weqatal it shall be הַיּוֹצֵא יצא Verb.Qal.Ptcp.ms.Abs the one going out אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא יצא relative + Impf.3ms who will go out מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי from doors of my house לִקְרָאתִי קרא Qal.InfCon+1s to meet me בְּשׁוּבִי שׁוב Qal.InfCon+1s in my returning בְשָׁלוֹם מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן in peace from Ammon וְהָיָה היה Qal.Perf.3ms weqatal and shall be לַיהוָה יהוה to/for YHWH וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ עלה Verb.Hiphil.Perf.1s.+3ms and I will offer him/it up עוֹלָה עלה Noun.fs.Abs (as) burnt-offering

STRUCTURE: weqatal APODOSIS chain × 3 — וְהָיָה … וְהָיָה לַיהוָה … וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ עֹלָה GRAMMAR NOTE: Default force of third weqatal וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ after two conjunctive weqatals is ALSO conjunctive ("and I will offer it up"). Disjunctive "or" reading is a grammatically admissible but MARKED reading — waw polyfunctionality documented in W-O'C §39.2 and exemplified at Exo 21:15, 17 (noun-level "father OR mother"). Hebrew has a dedicated unambiguous disjunctive particle אוֹ ('o) but Jdg 11:31 does NOT use it. Neither LXX A-text (καί) nor B-text (asyndeton) read disjunction.

=== Judges 11:34 — Daughter Emerges; YECHIDAH Akedah Echo === וַיָּבֹא יִפְתָּח הַמִּצְפָּה אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וְהִנֵּה בִתּוֹ יֹצֵאת לִקְרָאתוֹ בְתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלוֹת וְרַק הִיא יְחִידָה אֵין־לוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ בֵּן אוֹ־בַת

KEY: יֹצֵאת (Qal.Ptcp.fs.Abs "going out" — feminine counterpart of Jdg 11:31 הַיּוֹצֵא) KEY: יְחִידָה (Adj.fs.Abs "only one") — loaded lexical echo of Gen 22:2 יְחִידְךָ KEY: אוֹ־בַת — "or daughter" — uses explicit disjunctive אוֹ (contrast with 11:31 where waw is used, not אוֹ — so if Jdg 11:31 had meant "or" the author had the particle available and chose not to use it)

=== Judges 11:35 — Jephthah Tears Clothes === וַיְהִי כִרְאוֹתוֹ אוֹתָהּ וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֲהָהּ בִּתִּי הַכְרֵעַ הִכְרַעְתִּנִי וְאַתְּ הָיִיתְ בְּעֹכְרָי וְאָנֹכִי פָּצִיתִי־פִי אֶל־יְהוָה וְלֹא אוּכַל לָשׁוּב

KEY: הַכְרֵעַ הִכְרַעְתִּנִי — Hiphil inf.abs.+Hiphil perf.2fs+1s "thou hast utterly bowed me down" — tautological inf.abs. intensification in lament register KEY: פָּצִיתִי־פִי אֶל־יְהוָה — Qal.Perf.1s פצה "I have opened my mouth unto YHWH" KEY: וְלֹא אוּכַל לָשׁוּב — "I cannot go back/turn" — Jephthah's own self- assessment of the vow's irrevocability (BUT note: this is his subjective understanding, not a divine declaration; Lev 5:4-5 rash-oath guilt-offering and Lev 27:1-8 redemption schedule both provide Torah off-ramps he did not invoke)

=== Judges 11:36 — Daughter's Consent === וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אָבִי פָּצִיתָה אֶת־פִּיךָ אֶל־יְהוָה עֲשֵׂה לִי כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא מִפִּיךָ אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ יְהוָה נְקָמוֹת מֵאֹיְבֶיךָ מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

KEY: עֲשֵׂה (Qal.Impv.2ms) + לִי — do to me — same verb עשׂה as 11:39 climax KEY: כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא מִפִּיךָ — "according as it went out from thy mouth" Parallel to Num 30:2 "all that proceedeth out of his mouth" (legal frame) KEY: עָשָׂה לְךָ יְהוָה נְקָמוֹת — "YHWH has done vengeance for thee" — covenant vindication frame (not "YHWH demands") — the emphasis is on payment-of- vow, not on human-sacrifice requirement

=== Judges 11:37 — Daughter's Request to Mourn bethulim === וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל־אָבִיהָ יֵעָשֶׂה לִּי הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה הַרְפֵּה מִמֶּנִּי שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים וְאֵלְכָה וְיָרַדְתִּי עַל־הֶהָרִים וְאֶבְכֶּה עַל־בְּתוּלַי אָנֹכִי וְרֵעוֹתָי

KEY: יֵעָשֶׂה (Verb.Niphal.Impf.3ms) — "let it be done" (polite passive) KEY: עַל־בְּתוּלַי (Noun.fp.Abs.+1s בתולים) — "for MY VIRGINITY" Abstract plural בְּתוּלִים = "state of virginity" (not "virgin" = bethulah)

=== Judges 11:38 — Daughter Mourns bethulim on Mountains === וַיֹּאמֶר לֵכִי וַיִּשְׁלַח אוֹתָהּ שְׁנֵי חֳדָשִׁים וַתֵּלֶךְ הִיא וְרֵעוֹתֶיהָ וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל־בְּתוּלֶיהָ עַל־הֶהָרִים

KEY: וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל־בְּתוּלֶיהָ (Qal.Wayq.3fs + bethulim+3fs) — "she wept over her virginity-state" (narrator repeats noun from v.37 verbatim)

=== Judges 11:39 — FULFILLMENT + WX-QATAL (CENTRAL) === וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים וַתָּשָׁב אֶל־אָבִיהָ וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת־נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר וְהִיא לֹא־יָדְעָה אִישׁ וַתְּהִי־חֹק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל

Word Lemma Parsing Gloss וַיְהִי היה Qal.Wayq.3ms and it came to pass מִקֵּץ שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים at end of two months וַתָּשָׁב שׁוב Qal.Wayq.3fs and she returned אֶל־אָבִיהָ to her father וַיַּעַשׂ עשׂה Qal.Wayq.3ms AND HE DID [neutral verb] לָהּ ל Prep+3fs to her אֶת־נִדְרוֹ נדר Noun.ms.Abs.+3ms his vow אֲשֶׁר נָדָר נדר Qal.Perf.3ms which he had vowed [cognate-accusative] וְהִיא היא PersPron.3fs and she [fronted — WX-QATAL] לֹא יָדְעָה ידע Qal.Perf.3fs had not known [stative perfect] אִישׁ אישׁ Noun.ms.Abs a man וַתְּהִי היה Qal.Wayq.3fs and it became חֹק חק Noun.ms.Abs a statute בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל in Israel

CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS ON JDG 11:39: 1. וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ אֶת־נִדְרוֹ — "he did to her his vow." The narrator uses colorless עשׂה ("do/make") + dative construction, avoiding: - H2076 זבח (slaughter/sacrifice) — absent - H7819 שׁחט (slaughter technically) — absent - H8313 שׂרף (burn) — absent - H5927 Hiphil עלה ("offer up") + עלה ("burnt offering") — absent, though this is exactly the verb-cluster Jephthah himself used in 11:31 AND that 2 Kgs 3:27 uses of Mesha's identical act ("wayya'alehu olah"). - הֶעֱבִיר בָּאֵשׁ (pass through fire) — absent The lexical restraint is conspicuous against every canonical control for reported human immolation (see raw-data/verse-list.txt). The narrator names the act only by reference back to the vow-utterance, not by sacrificial verb.

1. וְהִיא לֹא־יָדְעָה אִישׁ — WX-QATAL (waw + fronted subject-pronoun + qatal). This is NOT a wayyiqtol sequential clause. It BREAKS the wayyiqtol chain between וַיַּעַשׂ and וַתְּהִי. WX-QATAL signals circumstantial / backgrounded / stative-resultant information (W-O'C §39.2.3; GKC §156). Grammatical verdict from library entry (syntax-wx-qatal-circumstantial.md): "The clause is NOT a statement that her virginity continued after the vow's execution through a subsequent lifetime of celibacy (which would be the sequential reading); it is a background state-description framing the fulfillment of the vow." Whatever else it means, it is the narrator's interpretive gloss on "doing the vow" expressed in SEXUAL/MARITAL terms, not mortality terms.

2. Feminine-subject + ידע + אישׁ euphemism: Gen 24:16 Rebekah (alive); Num 31:17-18, 35 Midianite women (alive or killed — explicitly spelled out); Jdg 21:12 Jabesh-Gilead virgins (alive); 1 Kgs 1:4 Abishag (alive) — EVERY OT occurrence of the feminine "lo yada ish" formula describes LIVING women's sexual status. No OT occurrence describes a dead woman.

=== Judges 11:40 — Annual Rite === מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה תֵּלַכְנָה בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַנּוֹת לְבַת־יִפְתָּח הַגִּלְעָדִי אַרְבַּעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה

KEY: לְתַנּוֹת (Verb.Piel.InfCon תנה) — dis legomenon; ONLY other OT occurrence is Jdg 5:11 יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת יְהוָה — "they recount/rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD" (CELEBRATIVE). LXX splits: Jdg 5:11 → διηγέομαι "recount"; Jdg 11:40 → θρηνεῖν "lament" — two different tonal renderings of one Hebrew verb. KEY: ל + בַת־יִפְתָּח — dative "TO/FOR the daughter" — ל of interest/benefit, not עַל of object-of-mourning. Contrast בכה על (weep over, dead-focused idiom) in 11:37-38 vs. תנה ל in 11:40 (recount to/for). KEY: מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה — "from days to days" distributive idiom = "yearly" (cf. Exo 13:10; 1 Sam 1:3; 1 Sam 2:19 — all CULTIC/PILGRIMAGE contexts)

=== Judges 5:11 — letannot control === מִקּוֹל מְחַצְצִים בֵּין מַשְׁאַבִּים שָׁם יְתַנּוּ צִדְקוֹת יְהוָה

KEY: יְתַנּוּ (Verb.Piel.Impf.3mp) — "they recount/rehearse" The ONLY other canonical Piel of תנה. Context = celebration of YHWH's saving deeds. LXX = διηγέομαι (recount, narrate).

================================================================ HEBREW PARSING — Vow Parallels (CONTROLS) ================================================================

=== Numbers 21:2 — Hormah vow-apodosis control === וַיִּדַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶדֶר לַיהוָה וַיֹּאמַר אִם־נָתֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה בְּיָדִי וְהַחֲרַמְתִּי אֶת־עָרֵיהֶם

Protasis: אִם + inf.abs. נָתֹן + Impf.2ms תִּתֵּן Apodosis: וְהַחֲרַמְתִּי (Hiphil.Perf.1s + weqatal חרם "utterly destroy") NOTE: SAME syntactic frame as Jdg 11:30-31 — but Num 21 uses SINGLE weqatal apodosis. Jephthah's is a TRIPLE weqatal chain.

=== 1 Samuel 1:11 — Hannah's vow (controlling parallel) === וַתִּדֹּר נֶדֶר וַתֹּאמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אִם־רָאֹה תִרְאֶה בָּעֳנִי אֲמָתֶךָ וּזְכַרְתַּנִי וְלֹא־תִשְׁכַּח אֶת־אֲמָתֶךָ וְנָתַתָּה לַאֲמָתְךָ זֶרַע אֲנָשִׁים וּנְתַתִּיו לַיהוָה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו וּמוֹרָה לֹא־יַעֲלֶה עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ

Apodosis: וּנְתַתִּיו לַיהוָה כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו ו+Qal.Perf.1s+3ms נתן + ל + YHWH + "ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE"

CRITICAL LEXICAL CONTRAST vs JEPHTHAH: - Hannah: וּנְתַתִּיו לַיהוָה (natan = "I will give/assign him") + כָּל־יְמֵי חַיָּיו ("all the days of his life" = LIFELONG) + Nazarite-separation marker ("no razor upon his head") - Jephthah: וְהָיָה לַיהוָה (hayah = "shall be to YHWH" — plain existence) + וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ עֹלָה ("and I will offer him up [as] burnt-offering") + NO life-duration clause + NO separation/consecration marker

The two vows employ DIFFERENT lexical registers: - Hannah's lexicon = NATAN + LIFELONG DURATION = dedication/lifelong service (cf. Levites wholly "given" natan-ed in Num 3:9; 8:16; 8:19) - Jephthah's lexicon = HAYAH LA-YHWH + Hiphil ALAH + OLAH-noun = SACRIFICIAL cultic collocation (cf. Gen 8:20; 22:2, 13; Lev 17:8 — Hiphil alah + olah is the technical burnt-offering phrase)

If Jephthah had intended Hannah-style lifelong-dedication, the available lexicon was natan + kol yemei chayyav. He did not use it. His chosen phrasing tracks the sacrificial register, not the dedication register.

=== 1 Samuel 1:28 — Hannah's fulfillment === וְגַם אָנֹכִי הִשְׁאִלְתִּהוּ לַיהוָה כָּל־הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר הָיָה הוּא שָׁאוּל לַיהוָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ שָׁם לַיהוָה

KEY: הִשְׁאִלְתִּהוּ (Hiphil.Perf.1s + 3ms שׁאל) — "I have lent him" KEY: שָׁאוּל לַיהוָה — "he is lent/asked to YHWH" (pun on "Samuel/Shaul") The fulfillment makes Samuel LIVE and SERVE (cf. 1 Sam 2:11, 18 — the child ministered before YHWH), NOT be sacrificed.

=== Genesis 22:2 — Akedah === וַיֹּאמֶר קַח־נָא אֶת־בִּנְךָ אֶת־יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַבְתָּ אֶת־יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ־לְךָ אֶל־אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעֹלָה עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ

LEXICAL NOTE: וְהַעֲלֵהוּ לְעֹלָה = SAME cultic collocation Hiphil עלה + עולה as Jephthah's וְהַעֲלִיתִהוּ עֹלָה in Jdg 11:31. Plus the Gen 22 use of יְחִידְךָ ("thine only [son]") is what Jdg 11:34 evokes with its unique use of יְחִידָה ("she [was his] only child"). Akedah = archetypal ARRESTED sacrifice (ram substitutes).

=== 2 Kings 3:27 — Mesha sacrifice CONTRAST === וַיִּקַּח אֶת־בְּנוֹ הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר־יִמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ עֹלָה עַל־הַחֹמָה

KEY: וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ עֹלָה (Verb.Hiphil.Wayq.3ms+3ms עלה + עלה "burnt-offering") "AND HE OFFERED HIM UP [AS] BURNT-OFFERING"

Diagnostic contrast with Jdg 11:39: when the OT narrator reports an actual case of human immolation in burnt-offering mode, the Hiphil עלה + עולה collocation IS USED. Jdg 11:39 has plain עשׂה (wayya'as) — no sacrificial vocabulary. The narrator's lexical restraint at Jdg 11:39 is conspicuous.

=== Jeremiah 7:31 — Divine Disavowal === וּבָנוּ בָּמוֹת הַתֹּפֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם לִשְׂרֹף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל־לִבִּי

KEY: לִשְׂרֹף אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם — "to burn their sons and daughters in the fire" (verb שׂרף "burn" used — sacrificial lexicon) KEY: אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוִּיתִי (Piel.Perf.1s צוה "I did not command") KEY: וְלֹא עָלְתָה עַל־לִבִּי (Qal.Perf.3fs עלה) "neither came it up into my heart" — YHWH's express disavowal of human sacrifice as something He ever commanded or even conceived.

This forecloses ANY reading in which YHWH accepted/commanded Jephthah's daughter as a literal burnt offering. Regardless of whether Jephthah's vow was understood by himself as literal sacrifice, YHWH's verdict on such offerings in Jer 7:31 is unambiguous: not commanded, not conceived, not accepted.

=== Genesis 24:16 — Rebekah lo yada ish === וְהַנַּעֲרָ טֹבַת מַרְאֶה מְאֹד בְּתוּלָה וְאִישׁ לֹא יְדָעָהּ

KEY: בְּתוּלָה (Noun.fs.Abs) "a virgin" + וְאִישׁ לֹא יְדָעָהּ (WX-QATAL: ו + אִישׁ + Qal.Perf.3ms+3fs) "and a man had not known her" Rebekah is ALIVE; the lo-yada-ish formula describes her living sexual- status. Strongest parallel to Jdg 11:39 WX-QATAL.

=== 1 Kings 1:4 — Abishag lo yada === וְהַנַּעֲרָה יָפָה עַד־מְאֹד וַתְּהִי לַמֶּלֶךְ סֹכֶנֶת וַתְּשָׁרְתֵהוּ וְהַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא יְדָעָהּ

KEY: וְהַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא יְדָעָהּ — WX-QATAL of virginal attachment (Abishag ALIVE and serving David throughout his remaining lifetime). Structural parallel to Jdg 11:39 — BUT note: Abishag lives on and serves (vv. continuing into 1 Kings 2). The construction describes ONGOING living state, not a death-event aftermath.

=== Leviticus 27:2 — Vow-Valuation === דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אִישׁ כִּי יַפְלִא נֶדֶר בְּעֶרְכְּךָ נְפָשֹׁת לַיהוָה

KEY: כִּי יַפְלִא נֶדֶר — "when [a man] makes a singular/special vow" Verb H6381 פלא (Hiphil "make special/extraordinary") + cognate accusative נֶדֶר KEY: בְּעֶרְכְּךָ נְפָשֹׁת לַיהוָה — "by thy ערך (valuation) persons [shall be] to YHWH" H6187 ערך is the priest-assigned monetary valuation; Lev 27:3-8 details the age/sex-graded tariff (female 5-20 yr = 10 shekels; 20-60 yr = 30 shekels). This is Torah's built-in off-ramp for person-vows.

=== Leviticus 27:28 — Cherem Law === אַךְ כָּל־חֵרֶם אֲשֶׁר יַחֲרִם אִישׁ לַיהוָה מִכָּל־אֲשֶׁר לוֹ מֵאָדָם וּבְהֵמָה וּמִשְּׂדֵה אֲחֻזָּתוֹ לֹא יִמָּכֵר וְלֹא יִגָּאֵל

KEY: כָּל־חֵרֶם אֲשֶׁר יַחֲרִם — CHEREM (H2764 noun + Hiphil H2763 verb) - IS NOT a regular neder - IS NOT redeemable (לֹא יִגָּאֵל) - Belongs to the category of judicial-ban (Josh 7 Achan; 1 Sam 15 Amalek)

=== Leviticus 27:29 — Cherem of Persons === כָּל־חֵרֶם אֲשֶׁר יָחֳרַם מִן־הָאָדָם לֹא יִפָּדֶה מוֹת יוּמָת

KEY: לֹא יִפָּדֶה — "shall not be redeemed" (Niphal H6299 פדה) KEY: מוֹת יוּמָת — "shall surely be put to death" (tautological inf.abs. + Hophal H4191 מות)

IMPORTANT: Lev 27:28-29 is CHEREM (judicial ban), NOT ordinary NEDER. Jephthah vowed a נֶדֶר, not a חֵרֶם. The non-redeemable-death-penalty provision of Lev 27:28-29 does NOT apply to private votive pledges; it applies to public judicial ban on Molech-worshipers (Lev 20:2-5), apostate cities (Deut 13:15), and Amalek/Canaan-type conquest-devotions. A private person-vow (neder) falls under Lev 27:1-8 — ALWAYS redeemable via the priest-administered ערך (valuation). The Targum Jonathan gloss on Jdg 11:39 (via Clarke 28231) takes exactly this position: Jephthah's fault lay in NOT CONSULTING PHINEHAS, who would have applied Lev 27:1-8 redemption.

=== Numbers 30:2 — Vow-Payment Absolutism + Num 30:3-5 Father's Annulment === Num 30:2: If a man vow a vow unto the LORD... he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. Num 30:3-5: A woman's vow, made "in her father's house in her youth," is SUBJECT to her father's annulment on the day he hears it. If he disallows it, "the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her" (v. 5).

NOTE: This provides a THIRD off-ramp Jephthah could have invoked AS FATHER. Yet the narrator records NO annulment and NO priest-consultation. Num 30 applies to the class of vow (woman in father's house) of which the daughter is subject — BUT Jephthah is the VOWER, not the daughter. His own oath falls under Num 30:2 (a man's vow) which he interprets as irrevocable.

=== Deuteronomy 12:31 — Categorical Prohibition === לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂה כֵן לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי כָּל־תּוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵא עָשׂוּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם כִּי גַם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵיהֶם יִשְׂרְפוּ בָאֵשׁ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם

KEY: לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂה כֵן לַיהוָה — "THOU SHALT NOT DO SO UNTO YHWH" Explicit prohibition against applying Canaanite-style child immolation to YHWH-worship. Jephthah's act, on the literal reading, would be this exact prohibited act.

=== Deuteronomy 18:10 — Pass-Through-Fire Prohibition === לֹא־יִמָּצֵא בְךָ מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ־וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ

KEY: מַעֲבִיר (Hiphil.Ptcp.ms עבר) בְּנוֹ־וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ "one causing his son or his daughter to pass through the fire" Categorical prohibition, no exception for private vow-motivated use.