The Meaning of Judges 11:2 Explained

Judges 11:2

KJV: And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

YLT: and the wife of Gilead beareth to him sons, and the wife's sons grow up and cast out Jephthah, and say to him, 'Thou dost not inherit in the house of our father; for son of another woman art thou.'

Darby: And Gilead's wife also bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they thrust Jephthah out, and said to him, "You shall not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of another woman."

ASV: And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of another woman.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Gilead's  wife  bare  him sons;  and his wife's  sons  grew up,  and they thrust out  Jephthah,  and said  unto him, Thou shalt not inherit  in our father's  house;  for thou [art] the son  of a strange  woman. 

What does Judges 11:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 11:1-11 - Turning To A Rejected Leader
The life of Jephthah is a great consolation to those whose birth has been irregular. The sin of his parents was not allowed permanently to injure his career. He is also distinctly mentioned in Hebrews 11:1-40 as one of the heroes of faith. See Ezekiel 18:14-17.
Driven from his home, Jephthah took to the life of a bandit-chieftain, probably in much the same fashion as David in after-years when he protected, for payment, the cattle of the Hebrew grazers from Ammonite forays. See 1 Samuel 25:15. Jephthah's wife apparently had died; but his sweet and noble daughter grew up amid that wild horde, and they were all in all to each other. As David influenced a similar band, so did this father and child lift the tone and morale of their followers, until the story of it filled the land and brought the, elders, who years before had sided with Jephthah's brethren, to entreat him to lead the fight for freedom. What a beautiful suggestion of our Lord! He came to His own and they crucified Him. He comes to us and we at first refuse Him. But His love never faileth. Being reviled, He blesses; being persecuted, He endures; being defamed, He entreats, 1 Corinthians 4:12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 11

1  The covenant between Jephthah and the Gileadites, that he should lead
12  The treaty of peace between him and the Ammonites is in vain
29  Jephthah's vow
32  His conquest of the Ammonites
34  He performs his vow on his daughter

What do the individual words in Judges 11:2 mean?

And bore wife of Gilead to him sons and when grew up sons of his wife and they drove out - Jephthah and said to him no You shall have inheritance in house of our father for the son of woman another you [are]
וַתֵּ֧לֶד אֵֽשֶׁת־ גִּלְעָ֛ד ל֖וֹ בָּנִ֑ים וַיִּגְדְּל֨וּ בְֽנֵי־ הָאִשָּׁ֜ה וַיְגָרְשׁ֣וּ אֶת־ יִפְתָּ֗ח וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ לֹֽא־ תִנְחַ֣ל בְּבֵית־ אָבִ֔ינוּ כִּ֛י בֶּן־ אִשָּׁ֥ה אַחֶ֖רֶת אָֽתָּה

וַתֵּ֧לֶד  And  bore 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
אֵֽשֶׁת־  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
גִּלְעָ֛ד  of  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
ל֖וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
בָּנִ֑ים  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וַיִּגְדְּל֨וּ  and  when  grew  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.
בְֽנֵי־  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הָאִשָּׁ֜ה  of  his  wife 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וַיְגָרְשׁ֣וּ  and  they  drove  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּרַשׁ 
Sense: to drive out, expel, cast out, drive away, divorce, put away, thrust away, trouble, cast up.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יִפְתָּ֗ח  Jephthah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִפְתָּח 
Sense: a son of Gilead and a concubine and the judge who defeated the Ammonites; after the victory because of a vow taken before the battle he sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering.
וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לוֹ֙  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לֹֽא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִנְחַ֣ל  You  shall  have  inheritance 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָחַל  
Sense: to get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess.
בְּבֵית־  in  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִ֔ינוּ  of  our  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
בֶּן־  the  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אִשָּׁ֥ה  of  woman 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אַחֶ֖רֶת  another 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
אָֽתָּה  you  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.