She said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me according to that which has proceeded out of your mouth, because Yahweh has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, even on the children of Ammon.
When Jephthah returned home from battle, his only child, a daughter, greeted him gleefully (Judges 11:34). The writer’s description of her recalls Miriam’s joy and dancing after the Lord gave the Israelites victory over their Egyptian pursuers (Exodus 15:20). But her joy became Jephthah’s sorrow (Judges 11:35). He falsely blamed her for his sorrow (cf. 1 Kings 18:17-18). Really he was responsible for it because of his vow to God (Judges 11:30-31). "Given my word" is wordplay (Judges 11:35-36). Jephthah’s name means "he opens," and "given my word" is literally "opened my mouth." Jephthah evidently believed that to go back on his vow to God would involve a denial of his integrity, his very name. He felt he would be denying everything he believed in and stood for.