Judges 11:6-10

Judges 11:6

And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

Jephthah who was banished by the leaders of Gilead now come to him and ask him to be their captain which is the commander of their forces so they may mount a good campaign against the Ammonites.  This is why it is dangerous to treat people badly because those same people may come back into your life to play a strategic role as in this case.

Judges 11:7

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

Now Jephthah responds to the elders by bringing up their treatment of him in the past.  They wanted nothing to do with him and his family and now Jephthah asks them questions about their treatment of him.  He asks them “did not ye hate me…” The word hate may also be understood as “foe or enemy.”  They saw Jephthah as the enemy and as a result they expelled him from his father’s house.  The word “expel” may also be understood as “thrust out or driven out.”  So they just did not ask him to leave but they literally drove him out.  Being that they threw him out of his house, he asks them why do you come to me when you are in distress with the Ammonites?

Judges 11:8

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

It seems the elders had diverted the conversation from the questions that Jephthah asked.  They have turned to him when they were in trouble because they knew that he was a good fighter and would make a good commander to lead them since they probably had no one with any military prowess to lead their army.  They not only offered him to be commander of their army but also to be head over all the area of Gilead.  Gilead was located about 13 miles (21 km) east of the Jordan River.

Judges 11:9

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

He then restates the offer that they made him to be their commander.  Jephthah now brings in a fact that the elders were missing.  He brought in the fact that if he would fight the Ammonites, it would not be his military genius that would win the battle but it would be the Lord who would deliver the defeat over the Ammonites.  Once that would be accomplished, then would they keep their promise to make him their head especially if the threat of the Ammonites had been neutralized?  Sometimes when things are safe again, people will renege on their promises made in distress.

Judges 11:10

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.