Jephthah and Five Others

“Jephthah overcomes an embarrassing beginning to become one of the next six ‘judges’ in Israel.  Leader of a band of ruffians, Jephthah is called upon to liberate Israel from various enemies, principally the Ammonites.  Jephthah’s greatest personal tragedy is the sacrificing of his own daughter pursuant to a rash oath.

During the period of these six leaders, it is apparent that the fabric of Israel’s unity has worn thin.  Intertribal jealousy finally leads to war between the Ephraimites and the men of Manasseh in Gilead.  It is also apparent that, among the various tribes, different dialects are beginning to develop by this time, to the point of becoming a strategic factor in the civil conflict.”

Read: Judges chapters 10, 11, 12

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.