The Bible is an Eastern Book - Judges 11:30-40 - Vow Unto the Lord - pt-2

Judges: I'll put them for you in a nutshell, in my own words. You see, there was a war between Ammonites and Israelites at one time. The leader under the Israelites was a man called Jephthah.  He went to the battle against the Ammonites, he made a vow to God. Lord, if you give me victory over the Ammonites, when I come back from the  victorious, anything that comes to meet me, I'll  give that. Whatsoever comes to meet me, I'll give that unto you as a burnt sacrifice.

That I'll is s a vow. All right, God granted the victory to this man. When he was coming back home, his only daughter, this man had only daughter, no son, no other daughter, she came with rejoicing to meet her victorious dad.

And she brought instruments of music to meet him on the road. And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, he said. By the way, you put down there, he rent his mantle, not clothes. Wherever you read, rent the clothes, you put down mantle, mantle. Nobody rents clothes.

They rent a mantle, you see. He rent his mantle. Why, why? Renting a mantle is an outward sign of inward anger or sorrow. In this case, not anger, but sorrow.

Because he made a vow to God that anybody who comes  to meet him, that he will give as a burnt sacrifice. He had got only one daughter. And she came to meet him.

And when he saw her, he was troubled, he was sorry that since she came, he must give her to God as a burnt sacrifice. So, he rent his  clothes, he rent his mantle to demonstrate the sorrow of his heart. And the girl knew what he meant.

You see, he said, Alas, my daughter, I opened my mouth unto the Lord, I cannot go back. She understood what he meant. He didn't explain to her.