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Judges 11:29-40 tells the story of Jephthah's victory over the Ammonites. Before the battle he promises, "whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Did people keep pets (or animals) in their homes in that day? Otherwise, what was Jephthah anticipating would come out of the door of his house to meet him after the battle?

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The NET Bible includes this translator's note:




An answer to a similar question at Jewish Life and Learning points out that Jephthah likely lived in a pillared house which was designed to shelter animals in side rooms on the first floor. It seems likely that prized animals would be allowed to move freely in and out of the house during the day while being stabled in the house at night. Presumably Jephthah assumed one of his valued animals would be wandering out of the house as he returned home.

There's also a clear indication of sacrificial animals being kept in the house in 1 Samuel 28:20-25 (ESV):


Another indication that people had close relationships with their animals at home is found in 2 Samuel 12:2-3 (ESV):



Jephthah certainly sheltered animals in his house, but they probably weren't pets as we use the term.

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The phrase "burnt offering" actually means ascension offering. In his commentary on Judges, James Jordan explains that such devotion did not automatically entail death. Jepthah could have redeemed his daughter with money (Lev. 27:28-29) because the Lord would never accept human blood. But he didn't redeem her. Why not? She would be a living sacrifice, devoted to unmarried service at the Tabernacle (Ex. 38:8; 1 Sam. 2:22), the "mountain of God," and thus spends two months bewailing her virginity. (This also puts the sin of Eli's son into a better context.) She took the curse of sterility in Israel's place, but the women visited her annually, just like Samuel's mother visited him (1 Sam. 2:19). Also, her being Jepthah's only child, his desire for a dynasty was foiled.

Jordan's Judges commentary is excellent. This discussion begins on page 204. Download PDF here.

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