Shoftim Chapter 11 | Yiftah and Midyan

After the turning point in Chapter 10 regarding the relationship between the Israelites and God, the leaders of Gilad struggle to find someone to lead them into battle. In their distress, they turn to Yiftach (who is not portrayed in the verses as an especially prominent figure) and ask him to be their leader. Yiftach's response is: “Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” (11:7). It’s hard not to draw a parallel between Yiftach’s response to the elders of Gilad and God’s words to the Israelites in the previous chapter: After worshiping idols, why do you turn to Me now in your time of trouble? Turn to the idols you worship for help! This parallel may emphasize the idea that the difficulty in finding a leader for battle fulfills God’s statement from the previous chapter — now, God does not appoint a judge for the Israelites.

The story of Yiftach’s war against the Amonites is puzzling in several ways: a significant portion of the verses is devoted to Yiftach’s speech to the king of Amon, while the battle itself is described in only two verses (!), in contrast to previous stories in the book where battles are depicted at length. Additionally, Yiftach’s speech is quite confusing: he addresses the king of Amon but elaborates extensively on the history of Israel’s war with the Moavites, which seems irrelevant to the discussion with the king of Amon. Ultimately, God delivers the Amonites into Yiftach’s hands. Rav Amnon Bazak, in a lecture given at Yeshivat Har Etzion in 2017 (a recording is available here), raises the following question: Why does God help Yiftach achieve victory, considering the previous chapter where He declared openly that He would not save Israel. He suggests that God supported Yiftach’s victory not for the sake of Israel but for the sake of His honor: after Yiftach’s speech, an Israelite defeat would have resulted in a desecration of God’s name. In his lecture, Rav Bazak delves into the different parts of Yiftach’s speech to the Amonites and suggests that the emphasis on Moav served as a sophisticated rhetorical message.