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The beginning of the story of Yiftaḥ, or Jephthah, is read as the haftara for Parashat Ḥuqqat.[1] The full story of Yiftaḥ in the TaNaKh can be found in Judges 11:1-12:7. However, in most practices the end of the story is not read. This is probably because it is horrific — because of Yiftaḥ’s foolish vow, he sacrifices his own daughter! Unlike the story of Isaac, there is no angel, no last-minute salvation. The knife falls, the girl dies. That would be bad enough, but the daughter of Yiftaḥ isn’t even named in the text!
The text of Biblical Antiquities, traditionally albeit incorrectly attributed to Philo of Alexandria, is one of the more interesting and under-studied deuterocanonical works. Almost certainly written in Hebrew but preserved in its entirety only in Latin, it is an example of the genre of “rewritten Bible,” a proto-midrashic genre also found in texts such as Jubilees. It is the earliest source for a substantial number of legends that became part of the midrashic canon — from Abraham’s casting into the furnace to Dinah’s marriage to Job. And it has a unique tendency to elaborate on the stories of women in the Bible.
In the case of Yiftaḥ’s daughter, Biblical Antiquities gives her three things she deserves: agency, a song, and a name. Agency, because she is a willing participant in the process of sacrifice, encouraging her father to go through with it and leaving the sages speechless. A song, because she laments the fact she will die a virgin. And a name — in the Latin text, Seila. In the Hebrew, Sheila, “asked for.”
The lament of Sheila bat Yiftaḥ is also found, along with several other texts from Biblical Antiquities, in the Divrei Yeraḥmiel. It is unclear whether this is a preservation of the original Hebrew or a re-translation back from the Latin, but I tend towards the former in this specific case. I’ve vocalized and cantillated this text, and included a translation of the Hebrew as well as the Latin, so the parallels and differences can be seen. Text in red indicates text directly found in Sefer Shoftim (Judges).
Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.
| Source (Latin) | Translation of Latin (English) | Source (Hebrew) | Translation of Hebrew (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
Et venit Iepta, et expugnavit filios Ammon, et tradidit eos Dominus in manus eius, et percussit civitates eorum quadraginta. Et reversus est Iepta cum pace, et exierunt mulieres in obviam ei in choris. Et erat ei unigenita filia, que in choris exiit prius de domo obviam patri suo. |
And Jepta came and fought against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into his hand, and he smote forty of their cities. And Jepta returned in peace, and the women came out to meet him with dances. And he had an only daughter who came out of the house first to meet her father with dances. |
וַיַּ֗ךְ יִפְתַּ֣ח אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמּוֹן֮ וַיִּכָּנְע֣וּ מִפְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַ֠יָּ֠שׇׁב יִפְתָּ֨ח מִצְפָּ֜תָה וְהִנֵּ֨ה כׇל־הַבְּתוּל֤וֹת וְהַנָּשִׁים֙ יָצְא֣וּ לִקְרָאת֔וֹ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹל֑וֹת וַתֵּ֩צֵא֩ בִּתּ֨וֹ רִאשׁוֹנָ֜ה[2] כ׳ ראשוני לִקְרָאת֗וֹ וְרַק֙ הִ֣יא יְחִידָ֔ה אֵֽין־ל֥וֹ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ בֵּ֖ן אוֹ־בַֽת׃ |
And Yiftaḥ struck down the Ammonites and conquered them before Israel, and Yiftaḥ returned to Mitzpah and look, all the virgins and women went out to greet him with drum and with dance,[3] Judges 11:34 and his daughter went out first to greet him, and she was alone, he had no other son or daughter.[4] Judges 11:34 |
Et videns eam Iepta, resolutus est et dixit: Iuste vocatum est nomen tuum Seila, ut offeraris in sacrificium. Et nunc quis dabit cor meum in statera, eti animam meam in pondere, et stabo et videbo quis preponderabit, utrum epulatio que facta est an tristicia que contingit mihi. Et quia in cantico votorum aperui os meum Domino meo, non possum revocare illud. |
And when Jepta saw her, he was enfeebled, and said, “Justly is your name Seila, that you should be offered for sacrifice. And now, who will weigh my heart on the balance, and my soul on the scales? And I will stand and see what will prevail, whether the feasting that has occurred or the sorrow that affects me. And since I have opened my mouth to my Lord in a song of vows, I cannot revoke it.” |
וַיְהִ֨י כִרְאוֹתָ֜הּ וַיִּקְרַ֣ע אֶת־בְּגָדָ֗יו וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֲהָ֤הּ בִּתִּי֙ הַכְרֵ֣עַ הִכְרַעְתִּ֔נִי וְאַ֖תְּ הָיִ֣ית בְּעֹֽכְרָ֑י וּמִי־יִתֵּ֨ן לִבִּ֤י בְּפֶ֙לֶס֙ וְנִשְׁמָתִ֣י בְּמֹאזְנַ֔יִם אֲקַיֵּ֨ם וְאֶרְאֶ֜ה מִ֣י יַכְרִ֗יעַ כִּ֤י הִדְאַבְתִּ֙ינִי֙[5] כ׳ הדבאתיני בְּמִשְׁתֶּ֤ה שִׂמְחַת֙ נִצְח֣וֹן מִלְחֲמוֹתַ֔י וְאָנֹכִ֗י פָּצִ֤יתִי פִי֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א אוּכַ֖ל לָשֽׁוּב׃ |
And when he saw her, he tore his clothes, and he said, “Alas, my daughter, you’ve bent me down, down, and you have become my calamity![6] Judges 11:35 And would that my heart be on the balance and my soul on the scale! I will fulfill[7] The blue text is a lacuna in the Hebrew, filled in based on the text as found in the Biblical Antiquities. and see who will go down, for you have aggrieved me at the feast of the celebration of the victory of my wars, and as for me, I opened my mouth to the Cause, and I cannot return!” |
Et dixit ei Seila filia eius: Et quis est qui contristetur moriens, videns populum liberatum? |
And his daughter Seila said to him: “And who is it who would be sad dying, seeing the people liberated?” |
וַתֹּ֨אמֶר ל֜וֹ שְׁאֵילָ֣ה בִּתּ֗וֹ עַל־מָה֙ דָּאַ֔בְתָּ עַ֖ל מִיתָתִ֑י אַחֲרֵ֡י אֲשֶׁר֩ עָשָׂ֨ה לְךָ֧ יְהֹוָ֛ה נְקָמ֖וֹת מֵאֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃ |
And Sheila[8] Literally, “request” or “ask,” a name for Yiftaḥ’s daughter found in the Biblical Antiquities and in Jerahmeel and nowhere else. Unrelated to the English name of the same spelling, which derives from the Irish Síle. his daughter said to him, “For what do you grieve over my death, after the Cause did vengeance for you over your enemies?”[9] Judges 11:36 |
Aut inmemor es que facta sunt in diebus patrum nostrorum, quando pater filium inponebat in holocaustum, et non contradixit ei, sed epulans consensit illi, et erat qui offerebatur paratus, et qui offerebat gaudens. |
Or are you forgetting what occurred in the days of our fathers, when the father was offering the son in a whole-offering, and he did not speak against him, but festively consented to it, and he who was offered was ready, and he who offered rejoiced? |
אַ֣ךְ ׀ זְכֹר־נָ֣א אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָאָ֛ב הֶעֱלָ֥ה אֶת־הַבֵּ֖ן לְעֹלָ֑ה וְנִתְרַצּ֕וּ הַמַּקְרִ֖יב וְהַנִּקְרָֽב׃ |
But pray remember our ancestors, the father who offered up the son as a whole-offering, and they both consented, the offerer and the offered. |
Et nunc omnia que orasti non destruas, |
And now, do not destroy all that you prayed for, |
כֵּ֚ן עֲשֵֽׂה־לִ֣י אָבִ֔י כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר יָצָ֥א מִפִּֽיךָ׃ | |
fac autem unam peticionem quam peto a te antequam moriar, et postulationem minimam exoro, priusquam reddam animam meam: ut vadam in montes et maneam in collibus et ambulem in petris, ego et convirgines mee, et effundam in eis lacrimas meas et referam tristicias iuventutis mee. Plorabunt me ligna campi, et plangent me bestie campestres, quia non sum tristis in hoc quod moriar, nec dolet mihi quod reddo animam meam, sed quoniam in oracione preoccupatus est pater meus, et spontaneam me obtuli in sacrificium, |
But do one request that I ask you before dying, and one small petition I entreat before I return my soul: that I may go up into the mountains, and dwell upon the hills, and walk upon the rocks, I and my fellow virgins, and I will pour out my tears therein and recount the sorrows of my youth. The trees of the field will mourn me, and the beasts of the plain will bewail me, for I am not sad in that I will die, nor does it pain me that I return my soul, but since my father was preoccupied in his prayer, and I willingly offered myself as a sacrifice, |
אַ֣ךְ ׀ שְׁאֵלָ֣ה אַחַ֣ת ׀ אֶשְׁאָלְךָ֡ בְּטֶ֣רֶם אָ֠מ֠וּת הַרְפֵּ֨ה מִמֶּ֜נִּי שְׁנַ֣יִם חֳדָשִׁ֗ים וְאֶתְפַּלְלָה֮ לַאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָשִׁ֣יב אֶת־נַפְשִׁי֒ וְאֵֽלְכָה֙ וְיָרַדְתִּ֣י עַל־הֶהָרִ֔ים וְאָלִ֨ינָה בַּגְּבָע֜וֹת וְאֶדְרְכָ֣ה בַּסְּלָעִ֗ים וְאֶבְכֶּה֙ עַל־בְּתוּלַ֔י אֲנִ֖י וְרֵעוֹתָ֑י וְאֶשְׁפְּכָ֨ה עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם דִּמְעוֹתַ֗י וַאֲקָרֵר֙ דַּאֲגַ֣ת יַלְדוּתַ֔י וְיִבְכּ֣וּנִי ׀ עֲצֵ֣י הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה וְיִסְפְּד֙וּנִי֙ חַיּ֣וֹת שָׂדַ֔י כִּ֨י לֹ֤א דָּאַ֙בְתִּי֙ בְּמִ֣יתָתִ֔י וְלֹ֤א יִדְאָבֵ֙נִי֙ מְשִׁיבֵ֣י נַפְשִׁ֔י בְּפִצַּת־פִּ֣י אָבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְדָרַ֛נִי לִזְבֹּ֖חַ לַיהֹוָֽה׃ |
But one question I will ask you before I die: allow me two years,[11] Judges 11:37 so I may pray to the One to whom I return my soul, and I may go and descend onto the mountains,[12] Judges 11:37 and lodge in the hills and tread on the rocks, and weep over my virginity, I and my friends,[13] Judges 11:37 and I may spill my tears upon them, and cool the sorrow of my youth, and the trees of the field may weep of me, and the beasts of the veld may mourn me, for I do not grieve my death, nor does returning my soul aggrieve me on account of the opening of my father’s mouth, who swore to sacrifice me to the Cause. |
timeo ne non sit acceptabilis mors mea, aut in vano perdam animam meam. |
I fear that my death may me unacceptable, or that in vain I lose my soul.” |
אַ֣ךְ ׀ כִּ֣י יָרֵ֗אתִי אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹ֥א יִתְקַבֵּ֛ל קׇרְבַּ֥ן נַפְשִׁ֖י לְרָצ֑וֹן וּתְהִ֥י מִיתָתִ֖י חִנָּֽם׃ |
Rather, what frightens me is that the offering of my soul will not be received in desire, and my death will be worthless.” |
Et dixit ad eam pater eius: Vade. Et profecta est Seila filia Iepte, et narravit sapientibus populi, et nemo potuit respondere ad verbum eius. Et post venit in montem Stelac, et Dominus cogitavit super eam noctu, et dixit: Ecce nunc conclusi linguam sapientium populi mei in generatione ista, ut non possent respondere filie Iepte ad verbum eius, et complebitur verbum meum, nec destrueretur consilium meum quod cogitaveram, et ipsam vidi magis sapientem pre patre suo, et sensatam virginem pre omnibus qui nunc sunt sapientes. Et nunc detur anima eius in peticione eius, et erit mors eius preciosa ante conspectum meum omni tempore, |
And her father said: Go. And Seila Jepte’s daughter set off, and told the sages of the people, and none could respond to her word. And afterwards she went to Mt. Stelac, and the Lord thought of her by night and said: “Look, I have shut up the tongues of My people’s sages in this generation, so none will be able to respond to the word of Jepta’s daughter, and My word will be fulfilled, nor will My counsel that I had thought up be destroyed, and I saw her wiser than her father, and a virgin more sensible than all who are now wise. And now let her soul be given in her petiton, and her death will be precious before My sight for all time, |
וַיַּ֩עַשׂ֩ לָ֨הּ כֵּ֜ן אָבִ֗יהָ וַתֵּ֤לֶךְ הִיא֙ וְרֵ֣עוֹתֶ֔יהָ וַתְּסַפֶּר֙ לְחַכְמֵ֣י עַמָּ֔הּ וְאֵ֣ין ׀ מֵֽשִׁיב־לָ֣הּ דָּבָ֗ר וַתַּ֮עַל֮ לְהָרֵ֣י תְּלַג֒ וַיִּזְכְּרֶ֣הָ יְהֹוָ֣ה בַּלַּ֡יְלָה וַ֠יֹּ֠אמֶר הִ֨נֵּה־נָ֤א סָכַ֙רְתִּי֙ אֶת־פִּי֙ חַכְמֵ֣י עַמִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָנ֥וּ דָּבָ֖ר לְבַת־יִפְתָּ֑ח וְעַתָּ֗ה יֻתַּ֤ן נַפְשָׁהּ֙[14] כי׳ נפשי כִּשְׁאֵ֣לָתָ֔הּ וְהַמָּ֤וְתָה שֶׁלָּהּ֙ יָקָ֣ר בְּעֵינַ֔י כִּ֛י חׇכְמַ֥ת הַחׇכְמ֖וֹת לָֽהּ׃ |
And her father did so to her, and she went out with her friends,[15] Judges 11:38 and told the sages of her people, and none responded to her with a word, and she went up to the mountains of Tlag,[16] The Aramaic word for snow. Targum Onkelos for Deut. 3:9 translates “Senir,” the Amorite name for Hermon, as “the mountain of snow.” and the Cause remembered her at night and said, “Look here, I have shut the mouths of My people’s sages who could not respond a word to Yiftaḥ’s daughter; and now let her soul be given per her request, and her death is precious in My eyes,[17] Find Psalms 116:15 for the wisdom of wisdoms is hers. |
et abiens decidet in sinum matrum suarum. |
And, passing away, she will fall into her mother’s bosom. |
וְתָּבֹ֖א שְׁאֵלָ֣ה בַּת־יִפְתָּ֑ח וְתִּשְׁטַ֖ח בְּחֵ֥יק אִמָּֽהּ׃ |
And Sheila daughter of Yiftaḥ will go and lay in her mother’s bosom.”[18] A feminine and perhaps more logical variant of the more common expression “bosom of one’s fathers” to refer to eternal rest. |
Et ut venit filia Iepte in montem Stelac, cepit plorare, et hic est trenus eius, in quo plangens ploravit se antequam recederet et dixit: Audite montes trenum meum, et intendite colles lacrimas oculorum meorum, et testes estote petre in planctu anime mee. Ecce quomodo accusamur, sed non in vano recipiatur anima mea. |
And when Jepta’s daughter came to Mt. Stelac, she began to mourn. And thus was her lamentation in which she mourned, wailing, before she departed, and said: “Hear, mountains, my lamentation, and attend, hills, to the tears of my eyes, and be witnesses, rocks, in the keening of my soul. Look how we are arraigned! But not in vain do I return my soul. |
וַתֵּ֨לֶךְ וַתִּבְכֹּ֜ה בְּהָרֵ֣י תְּלַ֗ג וַתִּסְפֹּד֮ וַתֹּאמַר֒ שִׁמְע֨וּ הָרִ֜ים מִסְפֵּ֣ד תַּאֲנוֹתַ֗י וְהַקְשִׁ֤יבוּ גְּבָעוֹת֙ אֶת־דִּמְעֵ֣י עֵינַ֔י וְצוּרֵ֧י הַסְּלָעִ֛ים תָּעִ֖ידוּ בִּבְכִ֣י נַפְשִׁ֑י אֵיכָ֗ה נִמְסְרָ֤ה נַפְשִׁי֙ לַמָּ֔וֶת וְלֹ֥א לְחִנָּ֖ם נַפְשִֽׁי׃ |
And she went and wept in the mountains of Tlag, and she mourned and said: “Hear, mountains, the mourning of my copulations, and hearken, hills, to the tears of my eyes, and crags of the rock, witness the weeping of my soul! How my soul is given to death — but not worthless is my soul! |
Proficiscantur verba mea in celos, et scribantur lacrime mee ante conspectum firmamenti, ut pater non expugnet filiam quam devovit sacrificare, et ut princeps illius unigenitam audiat in sacrificio promissam. |
Let my words be set forth in heaven, and my tears written in sight of the firmament, that a father did not overcome the daughter he had vowed to sacrifice, and that a prince accepted his only one was promised in sacrifice. |
יִתְכַּפְּר֤וּ דְּבָרַי֙ בַּשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְיִתְכַּתְּב֥וּ דִּמְעוֹתַ֖י בָּרָקִ֑יעַ כִּ֠י לֹא־רִחַ֨ם[19] כ׳ נלחם הָאָ֜ב אֶת־הַבַּ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָדַ֤ר אוֹתָהּ֙ לְהַקְרִ֔יב וְגַ֤ם אֶל־שָׂרָיו֙ לֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔ע כִּ֕י אָמַ֖ר יְחִידָת֥וֹ לְהַקְרִֽיב׃ |
May my words be atoned for in heaven, and may my tears be written in the firmament, for the father had no mercy on the daughter, he who vowed to offer her, nor to his officers did he listen, for he said to offer his only one. |
Ego autem non sum saturata thalamo meo, nec repleta sum coronis nuptiarum mearum. Non enim vestita sum in splendore sedens in genicio[20] This word, found three times in the text, is an emendation first suggested by P. M. Bogaert, professor emeritus of Old Testament at the Catholic University of Louvain. In the manuscripts it is written as genua (knees) or virginitate (virginity), neither of which make much sense. It is derived from the Greek γῠναικεῖον, “gynaeceum,” the women’s chamber. mea, et non sum usa moscho[21] In manuscripts written Moysi “Moses,” a clearly nonsensical reading. The emendation to moscho “musk” was first suggested by J. B. Pitra. odoris mei. |
But I have not been satisfied in my marriage-bed, nor have I sated my wedding garland, nor have I been clothed in splendor, sitting in my gynaeceum, nor have I used my fragrant musk, |
וְאָנֹכִ֗י לֹ֤א רָאִ֙יתִי֙ מֵחֻ֣פָּתִ֔י וְלֹא־נִמְלְאָ֞ה כֶּ֣תֶר נְשׂוּאַ֗י וְלֹ֨א לָבַ֤שְׁתִּי פְּאֵרִי֙ עֲדָיֵ֣י כַלָּ֔ה הַיּוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת בִּבְתוּלֶ֑יהָ וְלֹ֥א הֻקְטַ֛רְתִּי בְּמ֥וֹר וְאֹ֖הֶל רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֽוֹחַ׃ |
And as for me, I have not looked from my bridal-chamber, nor has my wedding-crown been filled, nor have I worn my splendor, the ornaments of a bride dwelling in her virginity, nor have I been perfumed with sweet-smelling myrrh and aloe. |
nec fronduit anima mea oleo unctionis quod preparatum est mihi. |
nor has my soul grown verdant in the anointing oil that was prepared for me. |
וְלֹ֥א נִמְשַׁ֖חְתִּי בְּשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר נָכ֥וֹן לִֽי׃ |
Nor have I been anointed with the anointing oil which was prepared for me. |
O mater, in vano peperisti unigenitam tuam, quoniam factus est infernus thalamus meus, et genicio mea super terram, et confectio omnis olei quam preparasti mihi effundetur, et albam quam nevit mater mea tinea comedet eam, et flores corone quam intexuit nutrix mea in tempore marcescent, et stratoriam quam texuit in genicio mea de iacinctino et purpuram meam vermis corrumpat. Et referentes me convirgines mee in gemitum per dies plangant me. |
Oh, mother, in vain did you bear your only one, for hell has become my marriage-bed, and my gynaeceum on earth! And let all the confection of oil that you prepared for me be poured out, and the white-clothes that my mother sewed let the moth eat, and let the flowers of the garland that my nurse interwove wither, and the bedding that she wove of hyacinth and purple in my gynaeceum, let the worms infect. And may my fellow virgins reference me in groaning, all day bewailing me. |
אֲהָ֨הּ אִמִּ֜י לַשָּׁ֣וְא יְלִדְתִּ֗נִי הִנֵּ֣ה יְחִידָתֵךְ֮ בִּשְׁא֣וֹל חֻפָּתָהּ֒ אַ֣ךְ שָׁ֠וְא יִגַּ֨עְתְּ בִּ֜י בְּשֶׁ֣מֶן מְשַׁחְתִּ֗ינִי וּלְבָנִ֤ים הִלְבִּישׁ֙וּנִי֙[22] כ׳ הלבישיני כִּ֚י עָס־וָסָ֣ס יֹאכְלֵ֔ם וּפִרְחֵ֣י כִּתְרִי֩ בַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר גְּדָלַ֜תְנִי יִבְּל֣וּ וְיִבְשׁ֗וּ וּבְגָדַי֙ הַמְּרֻ֣קָּמִ֔ים בִּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן רִמָּ֖ה יַשְׁחִיתֵ֑ם וְעַתָּ֛ה יֵאָנְח֥וּ רֵעוֹתַ֖י כׇּל־יְמֵ֥י מִסְפְּדִֽי׃ |
Alas, Mom, in vain did you bear me. Look, your only one’s bridal-chamber is in the underworld! Only in vain did you grow weary for me, with oil anointing me; and the white-clothes that clothed me, the cloth-moth[23] Meant to reflect the unique Hebrew עס וסס. The word עס is found nowhere else, and not paralleled in the Latin, and it may well be a scribal error. will eat, and the flowers of my crown that you braided for me will wither and dry out, and my clothes embroidered in purple and scarlet the worm will destroy! And now, my friends will groan all the days of my mourning. |
Inclinate arbores ramos vestros, et plangite iuventutem meam. Venite fere silve et conculcate[24] D. J. Harrington has suggested an emendation to conululate, “moan over,” which makes more sense in context. However, the text in Jerahmeel follows the Latin as received, so here we are following the principle of lectio difficilior potior. supra virgines meas, quoniam abscisi sunt anni mei, et tempus vite mee in tenebris inveterabit. |
Incline your branches, trees, and bewail my youth! Come, forest beasts, and trample over my virginity! For cut off are my years, and the time of my life will age in darkness.” |
וְיַטּ֨וּ הָעֵצִ֜ים פֹּארוֹתָ֣ם וּבַדֵּיהֶ֗ם וְיִבְכּ֤וּ כֹּל֙ בְּתוּלַ֔י וְיָב֙וֹאוּ֙ חַֽיּוֹת־יַ֔עַר וְיִרְמְס֖וּ עַל־בְּתוּלַ֑י כִּ֤י נִגְזְרוּ֙ שְׁנוֹתַ֔י וִימֵ֥י חַיַּ֖י בְּחֹ֥שֶׁךְ יַעְתִּֽיקוּ׃ |
And let the trees incline their boughs and branches and weep all for my virginity, and let the beasts of the forest come and trample over my virginity, for cut off are my years, and the days of my life will in darkness move. |
Et his dictis reversa est Seila ad patrem suum et fecit quecumque oravit, et obtulit eam holocaustomata. Tunc omnes convenerunt virgines Israel, et sepelierunt filiam Iepte, et planxerunt eam. Et fecerunt filie Israel planctum eius, et constituerunt |
And after saying this, Seila returned to her father, and he did as he had said, and offered her as a whole-offering. Then all the virgins of Israel convened and buried Jepta’s daughter, and bewailed her. And the daughters of Israel did her bewailing, and resolved |
וַיְהִ֞י מִקֵּ֣ץ ׀ שְׁנַ֣יִם חֳדָשִׁ֗ים וַתָּ֙שׇׁב֙ אֶל־אָבִ֔יהָ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ לָ֔הּ אֶת־נִדְר֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָדָ֑ר וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ[25] כ׳ ותבאו ׀ בְּתוּלֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיִּקְבְּר֙וּהָ֙ וַיִ֣סְפְּד֔וּהָ וַתְּהִי־חֹ֖ק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
And after two years, she returned to her father, and he did to her his vow that he had vowed,[26] Judges 11:39 and the virgins[27] Note that this phrase is in the masculine or common in the Hebrew. The virgins listed here are not defined by gender. The verb form “came” is written in error as the second person plural, which appears to be but is not in the feminine. All the other verbs in the phrase are in the masculine third-person plural, to which the first verb is emended. of Israel came and buried her and mourned her. And it was a law in Israel[28] Judges 11:39 |
in mense eo XIIII die mensis ut convenientes per singulos annos plangerent filiam Iepte per dies quatuor. |
In that month, on the 14th day of the month, that they would convene every year to bewail Jepta’s daughter for four days. |
מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֗ימָה תֵּלַ֙כְנָה֙ בְּנ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְתַנּ֖וֹת לְבַ֣ת יִפְתָּ֑ח אַרְבָּעָ֥ה יָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃ |
from those days on, that the daughters of Israel would come to recount Yiftaḥ’s daughter four days a year.[29] Judges 11:40, although the word “four” is conjugated differently. |
Recordings
Notes
| 1 | The full story of Yiftaḥ in the TaNaKh can be found in Judges 11:1-12:7. |
|---|---|
| 2 | כ׳ ראשוני |
| 3 | Judges 11:34 |
| 4 | Judges 11:34 |
| 5 | כ׳ הדבאתיני |
| 6 | Judges 11:35 |
| 7 | The blue text is a lacuna in the Hebrew, filled in based on the text as found in the Biblical Antiquities. |
| 8 | Literally, “request” or “ask,” a name for Yiftaḥ’s daughter found in the Biblical Antiquities and in Jerahmeel and nowhere else. Unrelated to the English name of the same spelling, which derives from the Irish Síle. |
| 9 | Judges 11:36 |
| 10 | Judges 11:36 |
| 11 | Judges 11:37 |
| 12 | Judges 11:37 |
| 13 | Judges 11:37 |
| 14 | כי׳ נפשי |
| 15 | Judges 11:38 |
| 16 | The Aramaic word for snow. Targum Onkelos for Deut. 3:9 translates “Senir,” the Amorite name for Hermon, as “the mountain of snow.” |
| 17 | Find Psalms 116:15 |
| 18 | A feminine and perhaps more logical variant of the more common expression “bosom of one’s fathers” to refer to eternal rest. |
| 19 | כ׳ נלחם |
| 20 | This word, found three times in the text, is an emendation first suggested by P. M. Bogaert, professor emeritus of Old Testament at the Catholic University of Louvain. In the manuscripts it is written as genua (knees) or virginitate (virginity), neither of which make much sense. It is derived from the Greek γῠναικεῖον, “gynaeceum,” the women’s chamber. |
| 21 | In manuscripts written Moysi “Moses,” a clearly nonsensical reading. The emendation to moscho “musk” was first suggested by J. B. Pitra. |
| 22 | כ׳ הלבישיני |
| 23 | Meant to reflect the unique Hebrew עס וסס. The word עס is found nowhere else, and not paralleled in the Latin, and it may well be a scribal error. |
| 24 | D. J. Harrington has suggested an emendation to conululate, “moan over,” which makes more sense in context. However, the text in Jerahmeel follows the Latin as received, so here we are following the principle of lectio difficilior potior. |
| 25 | כ׳ ותבאו |
| 26 | Judges 11:39 |
| 27 | Note that this phrase is in the masculine or common in the Hebrew. The virgins listed here are not defined by gender. The verb form “came” is written in error as the second person plural, which appears to be but is not in the feminine. All the other verbs in the phrase are in the masculine third-person plural, to which the first verb is emended. |
| 28 | Judges 11:39 |
| 29 | Judges 11:40, although the word “four” is conjugated differently. |
“💬 קִינַת שְׁאֵלָה בַּת יִפְתָּח | The Lamentation of Sh’élah bat Yiftaḥ — as found in Pseudo-Philo’s “Biblical Antiquities” and the Divrei Yeraḥmiel” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license.
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