And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, but in many languages it will be more natural to omit it, as in Good News Translation. Made a vow is a very emphatic expression in Hebrew, which is literally “vowed a vow.” A vow is a solemn promise or oath, which can be made in the name of some authority. In this case Jephthah makes a vow to the LORD, setting forth a condition. Translators should use an expression for vow from their language which fits this context, for example, “Jephthah swore an oath to the LORD.”

And said introduces the content of Jephthah’s vow. In some languages this clause will not be needed, since their verb for vow can introduce a direct quote (see Good News Translation).

If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand: Jephthah begins his vow to the LORD with a condition that is similar to Gideon’s in verse 6.36. He promises to fulfill his vow if the LORD will give him victory over the Ammonites. Thou wilt give renders yet another emphatic expression in Hebrew, literally “giving you will give.” Translators should try to express the emphasis here, for example, “If you truly give….” For give … into my hand, see verse 1.2.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .