Hakim-hakim 1:21

1:21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. ¹  The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. ² 

Hakim-hakim 2:22

2:22 Joshua left those nations ³  to test ⁴  Israel. I wanted to see ⁵  whether or not the people ⁶  would carefully walk in the path ⁷  marked out by ⁸  the Lord, as their ancestors ⁹  were careful to do.”

Hakim-hakim 3:10

3:10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him ¹⁰  and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. ¹¹ 

Hakim-hakim 4:7

4:7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. ¹²  I will hand him over to you.”

Hakim-hakim 4:16

4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died ¹³  by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! ¹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 4:18

4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, ¹⁵  my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera ¹⁶  stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him.

Hakim-hakim 4:20

4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’”

Hakim-hakim 6:2

6:2 The Midianites ¹⁷  overwhelmed Israel. ¹⁸  Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters ¹⁹  for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.

Hakim-hakim 6:9

6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power ²⁰  and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you.

Hakim-hakim 6:18

6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back ²¹  with a gift ²²  and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

Hakim-hakim 6:33

Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation

6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east ²³  assembled. They crossed the Jordan River ²⁴  and camped in the Jezreel Valley.

Hakim-hakim 7:7

7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army ²⁵  and I will hand Midian over to you. ²⁶  The rest of the men should go home.” ²⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 7:14

7:14 The other man said, ²⁸  “Without a doubt this symbolizes ²⁹  the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Hakim-hakim 7:23

7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. ³⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 8:20-22

8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! ³¹  Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, ³²  because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, ³³  “Come on, ³⁴  you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” ³⁵  So Gideon killed ³⁶  Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.

Gideon Rejects a Crown but Makes an Ephod

8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” ³⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 9:13

9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ ³⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 9:19

9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family ³⁹  today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! ⁴⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 9:29

9:29 If only these men ⁴¹  were under my command, ⁴²  I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, ⁴³  “Muster ⁴⁴  your army and come out for battle!” ⁴⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 9:31

9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, ⁴⁶  reporting, “Beware! ⁴⁷  Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming ⁴⁸  to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. ⁴⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 9:36

9:36 Gaal saw the men ⁵⁰  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.” ⁵¹ 

Hakim-hakim 11:29

A Foolish Vow Spells Death for a Daughter

11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁵²  Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went ⁵³  to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. ⁵⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 11:34

11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out ⁵⁵  to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. ⁵⁶  She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.

Hakim-hakim 11:39

11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. ⁵⁷  Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. ⁵⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 13:11

13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met ⁵⁹  the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” ⁶⁰  He said, “Yes.” ⁶¹ 

Hakim-hakim 13:19

13:19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord. The Lord’s messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched. ⁶² 

Hakim-hakim 14:2

14:2 When he got home, ⁶³  he told his father and mother, “A Philistine girl in Timnah has caught my eye. ⁶⁴  Now get her for my wife.”

Hakim-hakim 14:5

14:5 Samson went down to Timnah. When he approached ⁶⁵  the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. ⁶⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 15:5

15:5 He lit the torches ⁶⁷  and set the jackals loose in the Philistines’ standing grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

Hakim-hakim 15:8

15:8 He struck them down and defeated them. ⁶⁸  Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.

Hakim-hakim 15:10

15:10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking ⁶⁹  us?” The Philistines ⁷⁰  said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.”

Hakim-hakim 16:7

16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh ⁷¹  bowstrings ⁷²  that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Hakim-hakim 18:18

18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole ⁷³  the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

Hakim-hakim 20:1

Civil War Breaks Out

20:1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba ⁷⁴  and from the land of Gilead ⁷⁵  left their homes ⁷⁶  and assembled together ⁷⁷  before the Lord at Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 20:39-40

20:39 the Israelites counterattacked. ⁷⁸  Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; ⁷⁹  they struck down ⁸⁰  about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.” 20:40 But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. ⁸¹ 

[1:21]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:21]  ² sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).

[2:22]  ³ tn The words “Joshua left those nations” are interpretive. The Hebrew text of v. 22 simply begins with “to test.” Some subordinate this phrase to “I will no longer remove” (v. 21). In this case the Lord announces that he has now decided to leave these nations as a test for Israel. Another possibility is to subordinate “to test” to “He said” (v. 20; see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 111). In this case the statement recorded in vv. 20b-21 is the test in that it forces Israel to respond either positively (through repentance) or negatively to the Lord’s declaration. A third possibility (the one reflected in the present translation) is to subordinate “to test” to “left unconquered” (v. 21). In this case the Lord recalls that Joshua left these nations as a test. Israel has failed the test (v. 20), so the Lord announces that the punishment threatened earlier (Josh 23:12-13; see also Judg 2:3) will now be implemented. As B. G. Webb (Judges [JSOTSup], 115) observes, “The nations which were originally left as a test are now left as a punishment.” This view best harmonizes v. 23, which explains that the Lord did not give all the nations to Joshua, with v. 22. (For a grammatical parallel, where the infinitive construct of נָסָה [nasah] is subordinated to the perfect of עָזַב [’azav], see 2 Chr 32:31.)

[2:22]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text includes the phrase “by them,” but this is somewhat redundant in English and has been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:22]  ⁵ tn The words “I [i.e., the Lord] wanted to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:22]  ⁷ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:22]  ⁸ tn “The words “marked out by” are interpretive.

[2:22]  ⁹ tn Or “fathers.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “was on him.”

[3:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his hand was strong against Cushan-Rishathaim.”

[4:7]  ¹² tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”

[4:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “fell.”

[4:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “was left.”

[4:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).

[4:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”

[6:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”

[6:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.

[6:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).

[6:18]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:18]  ²² tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.

[6:33]  ²³ tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”

[6:33]  ²⁴ tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[7:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.

[7:7]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.

[7:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”

[7:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[7:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”

[7:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Midian.”

[8:20]  ³¹ tn Or “Arise!”

[8:20]  ³² tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”

[8:21]  ³³ tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:21]  ³⁴ tn Or “Arise.”

[8:21]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”

[8:21]  ³⁶ tn Heb “arose and killed.”

[8:22]  ³⁷ tn Heb “hand.”

[9:13]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.

[9:19]  ³⁹ tn Heb “house.”

[9:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”

[9:29]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “people.”

[9:29]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “Make numerous.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.

[9:31]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Look!”

[9:31]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ 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).

[9:36]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”

[11:29]  ⁵² tn Heb “was on.”

[11:29]  ⁵³ tn Heb “passed through.”

[11:29]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”

[11:34]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”

[11:34]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”

[11:39]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.

[11:39]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”

[13:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “came to.”

[13:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the woman.”

[13:11]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “I [am].”

[13:19]  ⁶² tc Heb “Doing an extraordinary deed while Manoah and his wife were watching.” The subject of the participle is missing. The translation assumes that the phrase “the Lord’s messenger” was lost by homoioteleuton. If the text originally read לַיהוָה מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה (layhavah mal’akh yÿhvah), the scribe’s eye could have jumped from the first יְהוָה to the second, accidentally omitting two of the three words. Later the conjunction וּ (shureq) would have been added to the following מַפְלִא (mafli’) for syntactical reasons. Another possibility is that a pronominal subject (הוּא, hu’) has been lost in the MT due to haplography.

[14:2]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and he went up.”

[14:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”

[14:5]  ⁶⁵ tc The MT reads, “Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they approached…” Verse 6b states that Samson did not tell his parents about his encounter with the lion (vv. 5b-6a), but v. 5a gives the impression they would have seen the entire episode. One could assume that Samson separated from his parents prior to the lion’s attack, but the Hebrew text does not indicate this. It seems more likely that the words “with his father and his mother” were accidentally copied into the text, perhaps under the influence of v. 4a, where the same phrase appears. An original singular verb (“he approached”) may have been changed to the plural form (“they approached”) after the words “his father and his mother” were accidentally added to the text.

[14:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and look, a young lion of the lions was roaring to meet him.”

[15:5]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “He set fire to the torches.”

[15:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “He struck them, calf on thigh, [with] a great slaughter.” The precise meaning of the phrase “calf on thigh” is uncertain.

[15:10]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “come up against.”

[15:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:7]  ⁷¹ tn Or “moist.”

[16:7]  ⁷² tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.

[18:18]  ⁷³ tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”

[20:1]  ⁷⁴ sn Dan was located in the far north of the country, while Beer Sheba was located in the far south. This encompassed all the territory of the land of Canaan occupied by the Israelites.

[20:1]  ⁷⁵ sn The land of Gilead was on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

[20:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “went out.”

[20:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and the assembly was convened as one man.”

[20:39]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “turned in the battle.”

[20:39]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “And Benjamin began to strike down wounded ones among the men of Israel.”

[20:39]  ⁸⁰ tn The words “they struck down” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[20:40]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Benjamin turned after him and, look, the whole city went up toward the sky.”