Jephthah came to Mizpah to his house; and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances: and she was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
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.