And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
The elders of Gilead sealed their agreement with Jephthah by invoking the Lord as witness between them that they would act according to his terms. Their pledge was a formal confirmation, binding them to keep the conditions Jephthah had laid down for his leadership. This covenant belongs to the deliverance in which Jephthah rescued Israel from the Ammonites. That deliverance came after the people repented and turned back to God, setting the context for the elders' appeal and oath.
The elders of Gilead sealed their agreement with Jephthah by invoking the Lord as witness between them that they would act according to his terms. Their pledge was a formal confirmation, binding them to keep the conditions Jephthah had laid down for his leadership. This covenant belongs to the deliverance in which Jephthah rescued Israel from the Ammonites. That deliverance came after the people repented and turned back to God, setting the context for the elders' appeal and oath.