Hakim-hakim 8:16

8:16 He seized the leaders ¹  of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. ² 

Hakim-hakim 11:5

11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, ³  the leaders ⁴  of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back ⁵  from the land of Tob.

Hakim-hakim 11:8-11

11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, ⁶  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ⁷  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ⁸  of all who live in Gilead.” ⁹  11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! ¹⁰  If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, ¹¹  I will be your leader.” ¹²  11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, ¹³  if we do not do as you say.” ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 21:16

21:16 The leaders ¹⁶  of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? ¹⁷  After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.

[8:16]  ¹ tn Heb “elders.”

[8:16]  ² tc The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”

[11:5]  ³ tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”

[11:5]  ⁴ tn Or “elders.”

[11:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”

[11:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”

[11:9]  ¹⁰ tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[11:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “places them before me.”

[11:9]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “The Lord will be the one who hears between us.” For the idiom שָׁמַע בַּיִן (shama’ bayin, “to hear between”), see Deut 1:16.

[11:10]  ¹⁴ sn The Lord will judge…if we do not do as you say. The statement by the leaders of Gilead takes the form of a legally binding oath, which obligates them to the terms of the agreement.

[11:11]  ¹⁵ 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 Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.

[21:16]  ¹⁶ tn Or “elders.”

[21:16]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “What should we do for the remaining ones concerning wives?”