When I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?"I'm not sure what the Ephraimites were thinking this day. They come to Jephthah angry that he did not summon them to fight against Ammon, but he says he did call them and they did not answer. From the text, I can't tell who's telling the truth here.
Whoever was correct, this is clearly a situation that got out of hand because of bad communication. If Jephthah didn't call the Ephraimites as he said he had, then he used this as an excuse to kill tens of thousands. If he did call them, and they didn't respond, then they have no right to be coming up now to punish him for doing what they would not. I can't tell who's correct, but if either side had taken a step back, many deaths could have been prevented.
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