H3316 H3316
Yiphtach — 'he opens'; the Gileadite judge Jephthah (Judg 11-12), and a town in Judah's lowlands (Josh 15:43)
A proper name meaning 'he opens' (from patach), borne most prominently by Jephthah the Gileadite, a warrior-judge who delivered Israel from the Ammonites despite his tragic vow (Judg 11:1-12:7). Samuel later lists Jephthah among the faithful judges God raised up (1 Sam 12:11). A single occurrence designates a different referent entirely: Iphtah, a town in Judah's Shephelah listed alongside Ashnah and Nezib (Josh 15:43). The feminine singular grammar in Joshua confirms the place-name usage. Spanish Yiftaj and French Jephte reflect the personal name, while German und-Yiphtach renders the place name in its list context.
Senses
1. Jephthah (person) — Jephthah the Gileadite — a judge of Israel whose story dominates Judges 11-12. Son of Gilead by a prostitute, he was expelled by his half-brothers, became a leader of outlaws, then was recalled to fight the Ammonites. His rash vow and its fulfillment (Judg 11:30-40) make him one of Scripture's most complex figures. Samuel remembers him among divinely appointed deliverers (1 Sam 12:11). Spanish Yiftaj, French Jephte, and German Jeftah all transliterate the name consistently across their respective traditions. 29×
AR["يِفتاحَ", "يِفتاحُ"]·ben["য়িফ্তাহ", "য়িফ্তাহকে", "য়িফ্তাহের"]·DE["Jeftah"]·EN["Jephthah"]·FR["Jephté"]·heb["יפתח"]·HI["यिप्तह", "यिप्तह-की", "यिप्तह-के", "यिप्तहको", "यिप्तहने"]·ID["Yefta"]·IT["Iefte"]·jav["Yéfta"]·KO["입다가", "입다를", "입다에게", "입다의"]·PT["Yiftach"]·RU["Ифтах", "Ифтаха", "Ифтахе", "Ифтаху"]·ES["Yiftáj"]·SW["Yeftha"]·TR["Yiftah", "Yiftah-a", "Yiftah-ı", "Yiftah-ın"]·urd["یفتاح", "یفتاح-نے", "یفتاح-کو", "یفتاح-کو۔", "یفتاح-کی", "یفتاح-کے"]
2. Iphtah (place name) — Iphtah — a town in the Shephelah (lowland) of Judah listed in Joshua's tribal allotment (Josh 15:43), grouped with Ashnah and Nezib. The feminine singular grammatical marking (N-proper-fs) distinguishes this place name from the masculine personal name. This is a hapax for the geographic sense. German und-Yiphtach and Spanish y-Jifta both render it as a simple list item, reflecting the cadastral context of Joshua's boundary descriptions. 1×
AR["وَ-يِفْتاحُ"]·ben["এবং-যিফ্তাহ"]·DE["und-Yiphtach"]·EN["and-Yiphtach"]·FR["et-Yiphtach"]·heb["ו-יפתח"]·HI["और-यिप्ताह"]·ID["dan-Yiftah"]·IT["e-Yiphtach"]·jav["lan-Yiftah"]·KO["그리고-입다"]·PT["e-Yiftah"]·RU["И-Йифтах"]·ES["y-Jiftá"]·SW["na-Ifta"]·TR["ve-Yiftah"]·urd["اور-یفتاح"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יִפְתָּח n.pr. 1. m. Jephthah, Ιεφθαε (he [God] openeth);—Ju 11:1(×2) + 26 times 11, 12, 1 S 12:11. 2. loc. in the שְׁפֵלָה Jos 15:43 (P), A 𝔊L Ιεφθα.