The painful parting of a young woman from her home toward an irreversible fate begins with a brief approval of her request. Her father, Jephthah, grants her complete freedom to go and do as she wishes during a final two-month period [מצודת דוד]. She journeys into the mountains to mourn. Her tears are not shed for her companions, but rather for her own unfulfilled future, grieving the reality that she will never marry or raise a family [רש״י].
The ultimate outcome of her father's vow is viewed through two entirely different lenses. A straightforward reading of the events suggests that she was not put to death, but instead condemned to a life of absolute seclusion and perpetual virginity. She lived the rest of her days in an isolated house. Over time, a custom developed where the young women of Israel would travel for four days each year to speak with her, offering comfort and sharing in the sorrow of her isolation. It is even possible that they never saw her face, but only heard her voice from within her place of confinement [אברבנאל].
In sharp contrast, the tradition of the sages describes a deeply tragic reality in which Jephthah actually offered his daughter as a physical sacrifice. This horrifying outcome was the result of a severe misunderstanding of the laws of vows. He mistakenly believed that a human being could be offered on an altar just like an animal, or that such a vow could be financially redeemed. This disaster was further fueled by a battle of pride between Jephthah and Phinehas the priest, who possessed the authority to legally cancel the vow. As the leader of Israel, Jephthah expected the priest to come to him. However, Phinehas felt that the man who needed the vow annulled should be the one to seek him out. Because of their stubborn pride, an innocent young woman lost her life. God punished both leaders severely for their arrogance: Jephthah was struck with a terrible disease that caused his limbs to fall off while he was still alive, and Phinehas was stripped of the holy spirit [אברבנאל].