Hakim-hakim 5:8

5:8 God chose new leaders, ¹ 

then fighters appeared in the city gates; ² 

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, ³ 

among forty military units ⁴  in Israel.

Hakim-hakim 7:14

7:14 The other man said, ⁵  “Without a doubt this symbolizes ⁶  the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Hakim-hakim 8:23

8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”

Hakim-hakim 11:37

11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. ⁷  For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” ⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 14:13

14:13 But if you cannot solve it, ⁹  you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes.” They said to him, “Let us hear your riddle.” ¹⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 19:29

19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. ¹¹  Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. ¹² 

Hakim-hakim 20:6

20:6 I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces ¹³  throughout the territory occupied by Israel, ¹⁴  because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity ¹⁵  in Israel.

[5:8]  ¹ tn Or “warriors.” The Hebrew text reads literally, “He chose God/gods new.” Some take “Israel” as the subject of the verb, “gods” as object, and “new” as an adjective modifying “gods.” This yields the translation, “(Israel) chose new gods.” In this case idolatry is the cause of the trouble alluded to in the context. The present translation takes “God” as subject of the verb and “new” as substantival, referring to the new leaders raised up by God (see v. 9a). For a survey of opinions and a defense of the present translation, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40.

[5:8]  ² tn The translation of this difficult line is speculative because the second word, לָחֶם (lakhem), appears only here. The line in the Hebrew text literally reads, “Then [?] gates.” Interpretations and emendations of the Hebrew text abound (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40). The translation assumes a repointing of the form as a Qal participle לֹחֵם (lokhem) from the verbal root לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) and understands a substantival use (“fighter”). “Fighter” is a collective reference to the military leaders or warriors mentioned in the preceding line and in v. 9. (For other occurrences of the Qal of לָחַם, see Pss 35:1; 56:2-3.)

[5:8]  ³ tn Heb “A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) introduces an oath of denial (see GKC 472 §149.e).

[5:8]  ⁴ tn Traditionally “forty thousand,” but this may be an instance where Hebrew term אֶלֶף (’elef) refers to a military unit. This is the view assumed by the translation (“forty military units”).

[7:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[7:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”

[11:37]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”

[11:37]  ⁸ tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity – I and my friends.”

[14:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “you are unable to tell me.”

[14:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Give your riddle so we can hear it.”

[19:29]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.”

[19:29]  ¹² tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.”

[20:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “her”; the referent is more naturally stated in English as “the pieces.”

[20:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel.”

[20:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a wicked and disgraceful [thing].”