So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them: After Jephthah finishes his vow, he goes to fight the Ammonites. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered So seems to begin a new episode. New International Version prefers to say “Then.” Crossed over renders the same Hebrew verb translated “passed through/on” in verse 11.29. If possible, the same verb should be used in both contexts. Good News Translation thinks this verb means “crossed the river” here, which is a possible reading. The text simply says Jephthah went over to where the Ammonites were in Gilead in order to fight against them. For fight see verse 1.1.

And the LORD gave them into his hand: Jephthah is victorious because of the LORD’s help. For gave … into his hand, see verse 1.2. As elsewhere, we might say “and the LORD gave him victory over them” or “and the LORD helped him defeat the Ammonites.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• Then Jephthah went out to meet the Ammonite troops in battle, and with the LORD’s help, he was victorious.

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 .