The word which Jeph'thah used in making his vows was frequently employed in ancient Is'ra-el in the dedication of lands, tithes, or other valuable possessions to the LORD. The object offered in such a ceremony was thought to be so entirely devoted to the LORD that it could belong to no one else. Such an offering did not necessarily require the slaying and burning of the object offered, and certainly would not require the murder of a human being in defiance of one of the Ten Commandments. For these reasons it may well be that Jeph'thah's vow was fulfilled without staining his hands with the blood of his own precious child.
Soon after Jeph'thah's victory over the Am'mon-ites, certain men of the tribe of E'phra-im showed a very ugly spirit. They were jealous of the honor to which Jeph'thah had risen, of the superior courage displayed by the Gil'e-ad-ites, and of their triumph over such powerful foes. Twice before this tribe had shown a haughty, envious spirit toward other tribes of Is'ra-el; first, when the land was allotted by Josh'u-a, and then when Gid'e-on won a great victory over the Ca'naan-ites of the north.
Because of the superior blessing conferred upon their ancestor E'phra-im by his grandfather Ja'cob, the E'phra-im-ites were ambitious to rule over the tribe of Ma-nas'seh, and regarded them as their inferiors. The Gil'e-ad-ites were descendants of a powerful family of Ma-nas'seh, and therefore were especially envied by the men of E'phra-im.
The E'phra-im-ites took advantage of Jeph'thah's victory to show their hatred for the clan which was rising so rapidly among the tribe of Ma-nas'seh. They pretended that their rank had been ignored because they were not asked to take part in the war against the Am'mon-ites, and threatened to destroy Jeph'thah by burning his house. A large company crossed the Jor'dan and prepared for the civil war at Za'phon, which was a small town in the territory of the tribe of Gad. Jeph'thah disproved their charges by reminding them that they had refused to join him in battle, that there was no just cause for their complaint, and that they should be grateful because the land was free from all oppressors.
The men of Gil'e-ad resented the proud attitude of the E'phra-im-ites, and engaged them in a fierce battle. Thousands of them were slain, and the others were forced to flee in confusion. Those who escaped from the battle sought to flee across the Jor'dan to their own territory, but were trapped by a clever plan of the Gil'e-ad-ites.
Jeph'thah placed guards at the fords of the Jor'dan to intercept all the E'phra-im-ites who tried to escape into their own land. In order to tell the tribal membership of those who wished to cross the river, they were required to pronounce the Hebrew word "Shib'bo-leth," which means "an ear of corn." The E'phra-im-ites could not pronounce this word as the tribes east of the Jor'dan did, but could only say "Sib'bo-leth," and in this way was known that they were enemies.
The entire length of Jeph'thah's rule was six years. Peace and prosperity prevailed among the tribes east of the Jor'dan after the defeat of the Am'mon-ites and the civil war with the E'phra-im-ites.
