Hakim-hakim 12:5-6

12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River ¹  opposite Ephraim. ²  Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive ³  said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked ⁴  him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” ⁵  If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word ⁶  correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead.

Hakim-hakim 16:2

16:2 The Gazites were told, ⁷  “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town ⁸  and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. ⁹  They relaxed ¹⁰  all night, thinking, ¹¹  “He will not leave ¹²  until morning comes; ¹³  then we will kill him!”

Hakim-hakim 18:27

18:27 Now the Danites ¹⁴  took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. ¹⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 21:21

21:21 and keep your eyes open. ¹⁶  When you see ¹⁷  the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, ¹⁸  jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin.

[12:5]  ¹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:5]  ² tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

[12:5]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

[12:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “say to.”

[12:6]  ⁵ sn The inability of the Ephraimites to pronounce the word shibboleth the way the Gileadites did served as an identifying test. It illustrates that during this period there were differences in pronunciation between the tribes. The Hebrew word shibboleth itself means “stream” or “flood,” and was apparently chosen simply as a test case without regard to its meaning.

[12:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “and could not prepare to speak.” The precise meaning of יָכִין (yakhin) is unclear. Some understand it to mean “was not careful [to say it correctly]”; others emend to יָכֹל (yakhol, “was not able [to say it correctly]”) or יָבִין (yavin, “did not understand [that he should say it correctly]”), which is read by a few Hebrew mss.

[16:2]  ⁷ tc Heb “To the Gazites, saying.” A verb is missing from the MT; some ancient Greek witnesses add “it was reported.”

[16:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “And they surrounded.” The rest of the verse suggests that “the town” is the object, not “the house.” Though the Gazites knew Samson was in the town, apparently they did not know exactly where he had gone. Otherwise, they would could have just gone into or surrounded the house and would not have needed to post guards at the city gate.

[16:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they lay in wait for him all night in the city gate.”

[16:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “were silent.”

[16:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “saying.”

[16:2]  ¹² tn The words “He will not leave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

[18:27]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[21:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and look.”

[21:21]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and look, when.”

[21:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the dances.”