Hakim-hakim 9:22--11:28
Konteks9:22 Abimelech commanded 1 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 2 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 3 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 4 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 5 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 6 bandits in 7 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 8
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 9 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 10 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 11 squeezed out the juice, 12 and celebrated. They came to the temple 13 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? 14 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 15 9:29 If only these men 16 were under my command, 17 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 18 “Muster 19 your army and come out for battle!” 20
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 21 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 22 reporting, “Beware! 23 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 24 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 25 9:32 Now, come up 26 at night with your men 27 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 28 9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” 29
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 30 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 31 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 32 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 33 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 34 of the land. A unit 35 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 36 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 37 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 38 you insulted? 39 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 40 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 41 ran from him. Many Shechemites 42 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 43 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 44
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 45 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 46 9:43 he took his men 47 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 48 he attacked and struck them down. 49 9:44 Abimelech and his units 50 attacked and blocked 51 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled 52 the city and spread salt over it. 53
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 54 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 55 of the temple of El-Berith. 56 9:47 Abimelech heard 57 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 58 9:48 He and all his men 59 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 60 took an ax 61 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 62 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 63 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 64 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 65 All the people 66 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 67 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 68 9:51 There was a fortified 69 tower 70 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone 71 down on his 72 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 73 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 74 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 75
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 76 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 77 on them.
10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 78 Tola son of Puah, grandson 79 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 80 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 81 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 82 – they are in the land of Gilead. 83 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 84 They worshiped 85 the Baals and the Ashtars, 86 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 87 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 88 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 89 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 90 and turned them over to 91 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 92 the Israelites that eighteenth year 93 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 94 Israel suffered greatly. 95
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 96 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 97 when they oppressed you? 98 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 99 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 100 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 101 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 102 but deliver us today!” 103 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 104 and worshiped 105 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 106
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 107 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders 108 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge 109 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 110 11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 111 him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, 112 because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left 113 his half-brothers 114 and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. 115
11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, 116 the leaders 117 of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back 118 from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, 119 “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 120 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 121 but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 122 Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 123 of all who live in Gilead.” 124 11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! 125 If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, 126 I will be your leader.” 127 11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, 128 if we do not do as you say.” 129 11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement 130 before the Lord in Mizpah.
11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have 131 you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole 132 my land when they 133 came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. 134 Now return it 135 peaceably!”
11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal 136 the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left 137 Egypt, Israel traveled 138 through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us 139 to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. 140 Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. 141 So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel 142 went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; 143 they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” 144 11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He 145 assembled his whole army, 146 camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took 147 all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. 148 11:23 Since 149 the Lord God of Israel has driven out 150 the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? 151 11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. 152 11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? 153 11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, 154 but you are doing wrong 155 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded 156 the message sent by Jephthah. 157
[9:22] 1 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
[9:22] sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175).
[9:23] 2 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
[9:23] 3 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 4 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 5 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
[9:25] 6 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
[9:25] sn Putting bandits in the hills. This piracy certainly interrupted or discouraged trade, and probably deprived Abimelech of tariffs or tribute. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 277; G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 253.
[9:25] 7 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 8 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 9 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
[9:26] 10 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
[9:27] 12 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
[9:28] 14 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
[9:28] 15 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 17 tn Heb “in my hand.”
[9:29] sn If only these men were under my command. One might assume from v. 26b that the men were already at his disposal, but perhaps that was not one of the terms of the agreement. Another possibility is that v. 26 is a general summary statement, with vv. 27-29 then detailing how the alliance with Gaal came about.
[9:29] 18 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”
[9:29] 19 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
[9:29] 20 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
[9:30] 21 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[9:31] 22 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
[9:31] 24 tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.
[9:31] 25 tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).
[9:32] 27 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
[9:32] 28 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:33] 29 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
[9:34] 30 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
[9:34] 31 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:36] 32 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
[9:36] 33 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
[9:37] 34 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
[9:37] 36 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
[9:38] 37 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
[9:38] 38 tn Heb “the people.”
[9:39] 40 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
[9:40] 41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:40] 42 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
[9:41] 43 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
[9:41] 44 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
[9:42] 45 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:42] 46 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
[9:43] 47 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:43] 48 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
[9:43] 49 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
[9:44] 50 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
[9:44] 51 tn Heb “stood [at].”
[9:45] 53 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”
[9:45] sn The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (BibOr), 15, 53. Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment.
[9:46] 54 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
[9:46] 55 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
[9:46] 56 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
[9:47] 57 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
[9:47] 58 tn Heb “were assembled.”
[9:48] 59 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:48] 60 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
[9:48] 61 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
[9:48] 62 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
[9:48] 63 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
[9:49] 64 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:49] 65 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
[9:49] 66 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
[9:50] 68 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
[9:51] 70 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
[9:53] 71 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
[9:53] 72 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
[9:54] 73 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:54] 74 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:55] 75 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
[9:56] 76 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
[10:1] 78 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[10:1] 80 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
[10:2] 81 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[10:4] 82 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
[10:4] 83 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
[10:6] 84 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
[10:6] 85 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
[10:6] 86 sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
[10:6] 87 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:6] 88 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
[10:6] 89 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
[10:7] 90 tn Or “the
[10:7] 91 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
[10:8] 92 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
[10:8] 93 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
[10:9] 94 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
[10:9] 95 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
[10:10] 96 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:12] 97 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
[10:12] 98 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the
[10:13] 100 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:14] 101 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
[10:15] 102 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
[10:15] 103 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
[10:16] 104 tn Heb “from their midst.”
[10:16] 105 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:16] 106 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
[10:17] 107 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
[10:18] 108 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
[10:18] 109 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
[11:1] 110 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
[11:2] 112 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
[11:3] 115 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
[11:5] 116 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
[11:5] 118 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
[11:6] 119 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
[11:7] 120 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
[11:8] 121 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).
[11:8] 122 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
[11:8] 123 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
[11:8] 124 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
[11:9] 125 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:9] 126 tn Heb “places them before me.”
[11:9] 127 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
[11:10] 128 tn Heb “The
[11:10] 129 sn The
[11:11] 130 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the
[11:12] 131 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
[11:13] 132 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
[11:13] 133 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
[11:13] 134 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:13] 135 tc The translation assumes a singular suffix (“[return] it”); the Hebrew text has a plural suffix (“[return] them”), which, if retained, might refer to the cities of the land.
[11:15] 136 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
[11:16] 137 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
[11:17] 139 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
[11:17] 140 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[11:17] 141 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
[11:18] 142 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:18] 143 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:19] 144 tn Heb “to my place.”
[11:20] 145 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
[11:20] 146 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
[11:21] 147 tn That is, took as its own possession.
[11:22] 148 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:23] 150 tn Or “dispossessed.”
[11:23] 151 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
[11:24] 152 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the
[11:25] 153 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation.
[11:25] sn Jephthah argues that the Ammonite king should follow the example of Balak, who, once thwarted in his attempt to bring a curse on Israel, refused to attack Israel and returned home (Num 22-24).
[11:27] 154 tn Or “sinned against you.”
