In this passage, the elders of Gilead summon Jephthah to assist them in repelling the Ammonites, who have come to attack Israel. Jephthah succeeds in persuading the elders to make him their head and commander. Now the king of the Ammonites wants to defeat the Israelites and reclaim land that allegedly belonged to the Ammonites. Jephthah, though, tells the Ammonite king the story of Israel's conquest of that territory - in particular, God gave it into their hands. The Ammonite king, though, refuses to listen to Jephthah's story and the battle is joined; Jephthah leads Israel to a great victory - by the strength of the Lord. Unfortunately he makes a rash vow to guarantee his success and eventually honors it by sacrificing his daughter.
The account that Jephthah provided regarding Israel's conquest of the disputed territory is rather interesting, as Jephthah implied that God - due to His greatness compared to that of Chemosh, the god of the Ammonites - was able to give them that land. Perhaps Israel at that time was so spiritually confused that they did not deny the existence of foreign gods such as Chemosh; they simply believed that God was stronger than the foreign gods. One must wonder how God reacted to Jephthah's account...
2. Jephthah and Ephraim
In this passage, the Ephraimites expresses their displeasure with Jephthah for failing to solicit their assistance in his battle with the Ammonites. Jephthah, though, notes that they had actually refused to help him; nevertheless, civil war ensues and Jephthah leads the Gileadites in crushing the Ephraimites. While the Ephraimites are in full retreat, the Gileadites impose a test for everyone who attempts to cross the Jordan: those who can say "Shibboleth" are allowed to cross; unfortunately the Ephraimites can only say "Sibboleth" and so they are killed by the Gileadites. It is then noted that Jephthah leads Israel for six years before his death.
As expected, Wikipedia has an interesting article on the concept of shibboleth. One must wonder if God directed the Gileadites to impose this test on the Ephraimites. Also, did any of the retreating Ephraimites see their fellow tribesmen fail the Gileadites' test, realize their inability to cross the Jordan at that point, and attempt to cross the river at another point? A larger point that should be made is that this sad story highlights the internal divisions that racked Israel at that time; every tribe had to fend for itself.
3. Ibzan, Elon and Abdon
In this passage, Ibzan of Bethlehem leads Israel for seven years before his death. He is succeeded by Elon the Zebulunite, who leads Israel for ten years before his death. He is then succeeded by Abdon son of Hillel, who leads Israel for eight years before his death.
The reigns of these three judges seem to have been rather uneventful, which is noteworthy in Judges. Now one must wonder why none of them led Israel for more than ten years. Did they die of natural causes?
