Placing the victims of father and daughter In Judges 11, the soldier Jephthah is faced with his impulsive promise to offer a sacrifice to God for a victory in battle . The victim of this sacrifice turns out to be his only child: his daughter. Feminist critic Phyllis Trible argues how Jephthah and his daughter are both victims: Jephthah because of his shortsightedness and his daughter because of the resulting circumstances. Trible cites Judges 11:34 as evidence of making the daughter an unfortunate victim by evoking pity in the reader and Jephthah with heavy-handed language: “She was his only daughter; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (Trible 1984, 101) Meanwhile, Esther Fuchs discusses how the ambiguity of her daughter's fate "expresses and suppresses, presents and erases" her while Jephthah's backstory and dramatic behavior ensure he is the "center of attention ". (Fuchs 1989, 35) Both feminist criticisms are strong, but Trible's argument is the most solid and scripturally supported while giving the unnamed daughter a strong impact in the limited time the reader sees her. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Trible describes his goal in his argument as studying the verse “with care for its central female character, the unnamed daughter of Jephthah.” (Trible 1984, 93) Given his position, Trible examines how the act of killing is approached: publicly on the battlefield and privately as a sacrifice. On the battlefield, Jephthah is depicted as a great warrior. In Judge 11:29-32, the Lord YHWH comes to the soldier, yet it is the Lord who is at the mercy of Jephthah's promise. Upon realizing that his daughter was about to be sacrificed, Jephthah throws himself to the ground, tearing his clothes and proclaiming that she is guilty of leaving home to greet him after his battle. Jephthah's overly dramatic and melancholy statements seem unmanly when compared to his daughter's response: "My Father, you have opened your mouth to Yahweh; do to me whatever proceeds from your mouth, for Yahweh has delivered you from your enemies." , by the Ammonites.” (Judges 11:36) Tribble labels the daughter's dialogue as “direct speech” – defined as the daughter speaking authoritatively on a topic – that is outside her sphere of influence. With this information, Jephthah's daughter is informed of her father's decision and fate, but highlights her consequences for making such a promise to YHWH. As a result, the daughter has free will in her destiny. However, her father grants agency by allowing her to have time with her friends to mourn her virginity. Ultimately, the story goes back to Jephthah: the central topic of Esther Fuchs. Although the reader is supposed to sympathize with both characters, Fuchs argues how the Scriptures erase the daughter to the point of making her a footnote and a minor character. . This point is supported by what is known about her: she is Jephthah's only daughter, a virgin, and perhaps the only person in the house mentioned explicitly. From Trible's piece, all that is said about Jephthah's family is that his mother is a prostitute and his father's identity is not known. With a contested lineage, Fuchs argues how the Judge's verse makes him the center of the narrative. Consequently, the daughter “is yet another of the forgotten women of the Bible…abused and consigned to oblivion” and “marginalized” (Fuchs 1989, 35-36). Jephthah's daughter is introduced only after his return from battle. His importance is minimal due to his father's foolish vow; it was never mentioned in the earlier moments of the verse. When.