person · P0061
Yiftach יפתח
Yiftach is a Gileadite warrior driven from his family who is recalled when Ammon threatens Israel. He argues Israel's territorial case through a long historical message, wins after making a vow, and returns to a tragic encounter with his only child. His tenure also includes a bloody civil conflict with Ephraim.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- יפתח
- Also known as
- Jephthah
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 2810–2830 AM, late in the Judges period
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈20 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yiftach, described as a mighty warrior and the son of a zonah, was expelled by his brothers but later invited by the elders of Gilead to lead them against Ammon.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Before battle, Yiftach sent the Ammonite king a detailed historical argument that Israel had not seized Ammonite land but had conquered territory from Sihon.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The spirit of God came upon Yiftach; he vowed that whatever came from his house to meet him on his return would belong to God and be offered as an offering, and he then defeated Ammon.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Yiftach's only daughter came out to meet him; after two months in the mountains, the text says he did to her according to his vow, without explicitly describing the act in further detail.
Later interpreters sharply disagree whether she was killed or dedicated to perpetual seclusion; the biblical wording itself is terse.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Yiftach was the son of Gilead and an unnamed zonah; his half-brothers expelled him from the family inheritance.
The Hebrew zonah may be translated "prostitute" or understood in other ways; the mother's personal name is not given.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| After his expulsion he lived in the land of Tob, where a band of men gathered around him.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Yiftach judged Israel for six years, died, and was buried in one of the towns of Gilead.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The traditional placement c. 2810–2830 AM, late in the Judges period is a schematic Mesorah Atlas reconstruction from his position late in the Judges sequence and the six years assigned to his judgeship; the cited sources do not state an absolute AM range.
The cited sources establish relative chronology or regnal duration; they do not state the absolute AM range.
|
tradition reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |