שופטים, פרק י״א, פסוק ל״ד

Jephthah returns from the battlefield not merely as a celebrated and victorious military commander, but as a father coming home. Upon his arrival, his daughter comes out to welcome him, greeting him joyfully with musical instruments [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון].

The narrative carefully emphasizes her unique status in his life. In biblical accounts, a child is sometimes described as an only child to indicate they are preferred or primary, even if the father has other children from different wives or concubines. This is similar to how Isaac was considered an only child despite the existence of Ishmael. Therefore, the description here specifically stresses that she is quite literally his one and only daughter [מלבי״ם].

To underscore this reality, it is noted that there was no other son or daughter. Commentators offer two main ways to understand this detail [רד״ק]. The first approach explains that Jephthah had no other biological children of his own. It is possible that his wife had children from a previous marriage whom Jephthah raised in his home as his own. Thus, it must be clarified that biologically, she was his absolute only child [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

Alternatively, a second approach relies on a traditional reading that shifts the focus from the father to the daughter. According to this view, the meaning is that Jephthah had no grandchildren from that specific daughter. Because she was not yet married, she had no son or daughter of her own [מנחת שי, רד״ק].