348 Bernard P. Robinson the appeal of the story? Is it perhaps the pathos of the setting? In particular, is it the sense that human folly is apt to bring in its train tragic consequences for oneself and/or others? 10, Gretna Road Bernard P. ROBINSON Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 7PE United Kingdom SUMMARY In Judges 11 Jephthah is an anti-hero, his rash vow and its implementation being for the Book of Judges symptoms of the defects of pre-monarchical Israel. The daughter is probably sacrificed; the alternative view, that she is consigned to perpetual virginity, has insufficient support in the text. The story speaks still to present-day readers, challenging them not to make ill-considered judgments that may have disastrous consequences; inviting them too to detect a divine purpose working through human beings in their failings as well as their strengths.