Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah: After Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, he returned home. Then, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, introduces the next event in the story. However, many versions change this independent clause into a dependent temporal one. For example, Good News Translation has “When Jephthah went back home to Mizpah.” Came to his home is literally “came to his house.” For Mizpah see verse 10.17.

And behold, his daughter came out to meet him …: The audience has been waiting to hear who or what will come out first to meet Jephthah (see verse 11.31). The narrator marks this scene with the Hebrew word hinneh (behold), which calls the reader’s attention to this climax in the story. Translators should use a similar expression, such as “Suddenly” or “All of a sudden.” There may be special idioms that are appropriate, such as “Then and there” and “Right on the spot.” Jephthah’s daughter comes into the story for the first time here. Despite the fact that she remains unnamed here, her role in the story and her words of wisdom are crucial. The text does not say how old she was, but in light of what is said, she was probably nearing the age to marry. So she was a young woman, not a girl. Came out renders a Hebrew participle, a form that often occurs following the word hinneh. This grammatical construction adds liveliness to the scene, making it seem like the action is just happening. Translators should try to render this vividness here.

With timbrels and with dances: The traditional way of welcoming home the victors or celebrating a victory was with timbrels and dances (see Exo 15.20-21; verse 1 Sam 18.6-7). A timbrel was a drum-like instrument held in one hand and struck with the other. It is similar to the tambourine. It was associated mostly with women and processions or celebrations. Timbrels accompanied dances. If timbrels are unknown, we might say “playing a small drum and dancing.” It may also be helpful to add an illustration of a woman playing a timbrel and dancing.

She was his only child: This is the first of two clauses that describe Jephthah’s daughter as his only child. This detail emphasizes how special and important she was to Jephthah. In this way the storyteller heightens the tension, and emphasizes Jephthah’s pain upon seeing her. This clause begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction, but here it clearly introduces background information and may be omitted as Revised Standard Version has done.

Beside her he had neither son nor daughter is literally “there was not to him apart from him, [another] son or daughter.” Most versions understand “apart from him” to mean “apart from her” (so Revised Standard Version, New International Version). The repetition here is important for the story, stressing the girl’s value to her father and underlining the sadness of this event. Good News Translation omits this clause, losing much of the drama of this scene.

A translation model for this verse is:

• After the war Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. It was his daughter, his only child, who came out [first] to meet him. Apart from her, Jephthah had no other children. She ran out to meet him, playing her tambourine and dancing for joy.

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 .