Unknown endings in Tanach: An analysis of the ambiguous fates of Yiftach’s daughter and Vashti

Abstract

The daughter of Yiftach and Queen Vashti are two seemingly unrelated Tanach figures, coming from different nations and time periods. Yiftach’s daughter first appears in chapter 11 of Judges; she lived during the era of the leadership of the Judges and was part of Bnei Yisrael. Vashti is introduced in chapter one of Megillat Esther and was the Queen of Persia during the time of the Purim story. While the lives of these two women appear to be quite different, their fates are presented similarly. Both stories involve a negative event occurring to a female character by the hands of a male relative. These stories conclude with an ambiguous verse noting that something significant occurred to these characters, yet the exact events are not detailed. Regarding Yiftach’s daughter it is written, “It happened at the end of two months, that she [Yiftach’s daughter] returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed,” (Judges 11:39). A corresponding phenomenon is seen in the completion of Vashti’s story. Vashti’s ending is not explicitly mentioned in the text of Megillat Esther, yet it is clear that something was done to her. It is written in Esther, “After these things, when the wrath of King Achashverosh had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed upon her” (Esther 2:1). Both Yiftach’s daughter and Vashti do not reappear at any point after these respective verses. In each of these stories, one could come to the conclusion that the female character was either killed or banished. The aim of this work is to analyze both stories to reveal these two approaches and uncover any similarities between these two events.