Hakim-hakim 1:3

1:3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, ¹  “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. ²  Then we ³  will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.

Hakim-hakim 1:24

1:24 the spies spotted ⁴  a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.”

Hakim-hakim 2:7

2:7 The people worshiped ⁵  the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men ⁶  who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed ⁷  all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 2:11-13

A Monotonous Cycle

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ⁹  the Lord by worshiping ¹⁰  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ¹¹  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ¹²  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ¹³ 

Hakim-hakim 2:16-17

2:16 The Lord raised up leaders ¹⁴  who delivered them from these robbers. ¹⁵  2:17 But they did not obey ¹⁶  their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped ¹⁷  them. They quickly turned aside from the path ¹⁸  their ancestors ¹⁹  had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. ²⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 3:7

Othniel: A Model Leader

3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. ²¹  They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ²² 

Hakim-hakim 3:18

3:18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. ²³ 

Hakim-hakim 3:24

3:24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s ²⁴  servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, “He must be relieving himself ²⁵  in the well-ventilated inner room.” ²⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 5:2-3

5:2 “When the leaders took the lead ²⁷  in Israel,

When the people answered the call to war –

Praise the Lord!

5:3 Hear, O kings!

Pay attention, O rulers!

I will sing to the Lord! ²⁸ 

I will sing ²⁹  to the Lord God of Israel!

Hakim-hakim 5:8-9

5:8 God chose new leaders, ³⁰ 

then fighters appeared in the city gates; ³¹ 

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, ³² 

among forty military units ³³  in Israel.

5:9 My heart went out ³⁴  to Israel’s leaders,

to the people who answered the call to war.

Praise the Lord!

Hakim-hakim 5:11-15

5:11 Hear ³⁵  the sound of those who divide the sheep ³⁶  among the watering places;

there they tell of ³⁷  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ³⁸  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

5:12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!

Get up, Barak!

Capture your prisoners of war, ³⁹  son of Abinoam!

5:13 Then the survivors ⁴⁰  came down ⁴¹  to the mighty ones; ⁴² 

the Lord’s people came down to me ⁴³  as ⁴⁴  warriors.

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, ⁴⁵ 

they follow ⁴⁶  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ⁴⁷  the ones who march carrying ⁴⁸  an officer’s staff.

5:15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah,

the men of Issachar ⁴⁹  supported ⁵⁰  Barak;

into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. ⁵¹ 

Among the clans of Reuben there was intense ⁵²  heart searching. ⁵³ 

Hakim-hakim 5:19

5:19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought,

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, ⁵⁴ 

but ⁵⁵  they took no silver as plunder.

Hakim-hakim 5:23-24

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ⁵⁶  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ⁵⁷  messenger;

‘Be sure ⁵⁸  to call judgment down on ⁵⁹  those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, ⁶⁰ 

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ ⁶¹ 

5:24 The most rewarded ⁶²  of women should be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite!

She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.

Hakim-hakim 5:29

5:29 The wisest of her ladies ⁶³  answer;

indeed she even thinks to herself,

Hakim-hakim 6:3

6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, ⁶⁴  the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. ⁶⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 7:19

7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp ⁶⁶  at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. ⁶⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 8:1

8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us ⁶⁸  when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him.

Hakim-hakim 8:6

8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give ⁶⁹  bread to your army?” ⁷⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 8:11

8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads ⁷¹  east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. ⁷² 

Hakim-hakim 8:14-16

8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth ⁷³  and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. ⁷⁴  8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! ⁷⁵  Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” ⁷⁶  8:16 He seized the leaders ⁷⁷  of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. ⁷⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 8:33

Israel Returns to Baal-Worship

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ⁷⁹  their god.

Hakim-hakim 9:2

9:2 “Tell ⁸⁰  all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want ⁸¹  to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” ⁸² 

Hakim-hakim 9:7

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news, ⁸³  he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, ⁸⁴  “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

Hakim-hakim 9:35

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.

Hakim-hakim 9:37

9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center ⁸⁵  of the land. A unit ⁸⁶  is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” ⁸⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 9:46

9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem ⁸⁸  heard the news, they went to the stronghold ⁸⁹  of the temple of El-Berith. ⁹⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 10:6

The Lord’s Patience Runs Short

10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. ⁹¹  They worshiped ⁹²  the Baals and the Ashtars, ⁹³  as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, ⁹⁴  Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. ⁹⁵  They abandoned the Lord and did not worship ⁹⁶  him.

Hakim-hakim 10:10

10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped ⁹⁷  the Baals.”

Hakim-hakim 10:14

10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” ⁹⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 10:16

10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned ⁹⁹  and worshiped ¹⁰⁰  the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. ¹⁰¹ 

Hakim-hakim 10:18

10:18 The leaders ¹⁰²  of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge ¹⁰³  against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

Hakim-hakim 11:5

11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, ¹⁰⁴  the leaders ¹⁰⁵  of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back ¹⁰⁶  from the land of Tob.

Hakim-hakim 11:7-11

11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave ¹⁰⁷  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, ¹⁰⁸  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ¹⁰⁹  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ¹¹⁰  of all who live in Gilead.” ¹¹¹  11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! ¹¹²  If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, ¹¹³  I will be your leader.” ¹¹⁴  11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, ¹¹⁵  if we do not do as you say.” ¹¹⁶  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 ¹¹⁷  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 12:6

12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” ¹¹⁸  If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word ¹¹⁹  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 14:17

14:17 She cried on his shoulder ¹²⁰  until the party was almost over. ¹²¹  Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. ¹²²  Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ¹²³ 

Hakim-hakim 14:19

14:19 The Lord’s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes ¹²⁴  and gave them ¹²⁵  to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. ¹²⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 16:2

16:2 The Gazites were told, ¹²⁷  “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town ¹²⁸  and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. ¹²⁹  They relaxed ¹³⁰  all night, thinking, ¹³¹  “He will not leave ¹³²  until morning comes; ¹³³  then we will kill him!”

Hakim-hakim 16:8

16:8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried and they tied him up with them.

Hakim-hakim 16:23

Samson’s Death and Burial

16:23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.”

Hakim-hakim 16:30

16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard ¹³⁴  and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life. ¹³⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 18:8

18:8 When the Danites returned to their tribe ¹³⁶  in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen ¹³⁷  asked them, “How did it go?” ¹³⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 20:2-3

20:2 The leaders ¹³⁹  of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered ¹⁴⁰  four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers. 20:3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!”

Hakim-hakim 20:37

20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash ¹⁴¹  to Gibeah. They ¹⁴²  attacked ¹⁴³  and put the sword to the entire city.

Hakim-hakim 20:48--21:1

20:48 The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns ¹⁴⁴  and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, ¹⁴⁵  the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path. ¹⁴⁶ 

600 Brides for 600 Brothers

21:1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.”

Hakim-hakim 21:16

21:16 The leaders ¹⁴⁷  of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? ¹⁴⁸  After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “Judah said to Simeon, his brother.”

[1:3]  ² tn Heb “Come up with me into our allotted land and let us attack the Canaanites.”

[1:3]  ³ tn Heb “I.” The Hebrew pronoun is singular, agreeing with the collective singular “Judah” earlier in the verse. English style requires a plural pronoun here, however.

[1:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “saw.”

[2:7]  ⁵ tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[2:7]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “elders,” which could be interpreted to mean “leaders.”

[2:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the old men who outlived him, who had seen.”

[2:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “the great work of the Lord which he had done for Israel.”

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[2:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ¹² tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[2:13]  ¹³ tn Some English translations simply transliterate the plural Hebrew term (“Ashtaroth,” cf. NAB, NASB), pluralize the transliterated Hebrew singular form (“Ashtoreths,” cf. NIV), or use a variation of the name (“Astartes,” cf. NRSV).

[2:13]  sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Astarte.

[2:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or more traditionally, “judges” (also in vv. 17, 18 [3x], 19). Since these figures carried out more than a judicial function, also serving as rulers and (in several instances) as military commanders, the translation uses the term “leaders.”

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and they delivered them from the hand of the ones robbing them.”

[2:17]  ¹⁶ tn Or “did not listen to.”

[2:17]  ¹⁷ tn Or “bowed before.”

[2:17]  ¹⁸ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:17]  ¹⁹ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “…walked, obeying the Lord’s commands. They did not do this.”

[3:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[3:7]  ²² sn The Asherahs were local manifestations of the Canaanite goddess Asherah.

[3:18]  ²³ tn Heb “the tribute payment.”

[3:24]  ²⁴ tn Heb “his.”

[3:24]  ²⁵ tn Heb “covering his feet” (i.e., with his outer garments while he relieves himself).

[3:24]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew expression translated “well-ventilated inner room” may refer to the upper room itself or to a bathroom attached to or within it.

[5:2]  ²⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת (bifroa’ pÿra’ot) is uncertain. Numerous proposals are offered by commentators. (For a survey of opinions, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 223-27.) The next line refers to the people who responded to Barak’s summons to war, so a reference to the leaders who issued the summons would provide a natural poetic parallel. In v. 9 the leaders (חוֹקְקֵי, khoqÿqey) of the people and these same volunteers stand in poetic parallelism, so it is reasonable to assume that the difficult Hebrew term פְּרַעוֹת (pÿra’ot, v. 2a) is synonymous with חוֹקְקֵי (khoqÿqey) of v. 9 (see Lindars, 227).

[5:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I, to the Lord, I, I will sing!” The first singular personal pronoun is used twice, even though a first person finite verbal form is employed.

[5:3]  ²⁹ tn Or “make music.”

[5:8]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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”).

[5:9]  ³⁴ tn The words “went out” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:11]  ³⁵ tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:11]  ³⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.

[5:11]  ³⁷ tn Or perhaps “repeat.”

[5:11]  ³⁸ tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.

[5:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)

[5:13]  ⁴⁰ tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).

[5:13]  ⁴¹ tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.

[5:13]  ⁴² sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.

[5:13]  ⁴³ sn The speaker may be Deborah here.

[5:13]  ⁴⁴ tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.

[5:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (’amaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).

[5:14]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:14]  ⁴⁷ tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Or possibly “who carry.”

[5:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:15]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “was true to.”

[5:15]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “at his feet.”

[5:15]  ⁵² tn Heb “great was.”

[5:15]  ⁵³ tc The great majority of Hebrew mss have “resolves of heart,” but a few mss read “searchings of heart,” which is preferable in light of v. 16.

[5:19]  ⁵⁴ map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.

[5:19]  ⁵⁵ tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive.

[5:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”

[5:23]  ⁵⁷ tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

[5:23]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.

[5:23]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “[to] curse.”

[5:23]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”

[5:23]  ⁶¹ tn Or “along with the other warriors.”

[5:24]  ⁶² tn Or “blessed.”

[5:29]  ⁶³ tn Or “princesses.”

[6:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”

[6:3]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (vÿ’alu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ’alayv).

[7:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”

[7:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “that were in their hands.”

[8:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “by not summoning us.”

[8:6]  ⁶⁹ tn Or perhaps, “sell.”

[8:6]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your army bread?” Perhaps the reference to the kings’ “palms” should be taken literally. The officials of Succoth may be alluding to the practice of mutilating prisoners or enemy corpses (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 155).

[8:6]  sn The officials of Succoth are hesitant to give (or sell) food to Gideon’s forces because they are not sure of the outcome of the battle. Perhaps they had made an alliance with the Midianites which demanded their loyalty.

[8:11]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”

[8:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.

[8:14]  ⁷³ tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”

[8:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”

[8:15]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:15]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”

[8:15]  sn Gideon changes their actual statement (see v. 6) by saying exhausted men rather than “army.” In this way he emphasizes the crisis his men were facing and highlights the insensitivity of the men of Succoth.

[8:16]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “elders.”

[8:16]  ⁷⁸ 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.”

[8:33]  ⁷⁹ sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.

[9:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”

[9:2]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “What good is it to you?”

[9:2]  ⁸² tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”

[9:7]  ⁸³ tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

[9:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

[9:37]  ⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “head.”

[9:37]  ⁸⁷ tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.

[9:46]  ⁸⁸ sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.

[9:46]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.

[10:6]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[10:6]  ⁹² tn Or “served;” or “followed.”

[10:6]  ⁹³ sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).

[10:6]  ⁹⁴ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:6]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”

[10:10]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[10:14]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”

[10:16]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “from their midst.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰¹ 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”).

[10:18]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “the people, the officers.”

[10:18]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”

[11:5]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”

[11:5]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “elders.”

[11:5]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”

[11:7]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”

[11:8]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”

[11:9]  ¹¹² tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[11:9]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “places them before me.”

[11:9]  ¹¹⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁷ 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.

[12:6]  ¹¹⁸ 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]  ¹¹⁹ 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.

[14:17]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “on him.”

[14:17]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “the seven days [during] which they held the party.” This does not mean she cried for the entire seven days; v. 15 indicates otherwise. She cried for the remainder of the seven day period, beginning on the fourth day.

[14:17]  ¹²² tn Heb “because she forced him.”

[14:17]  ¹²³ tn Heb “she told the riddle to the sons of her people.”

[14:19]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”

[14:19]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”

[14:19]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”

[16:2]  ¹²⁷ tc Heb “To the Gazites, saying.” A verb is missing from the MT; some ancient Greek witnesses add “it was reported.”

[16:2]  ¹²⁸ 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]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “and they lay in wait for him all night in the city gate.”

[16:2]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “were silent.”

[16:2]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “saying.”

[16:2]  ¹³² tn The words “He will not leave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:2]  ¹³³ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

[16:30]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “he stretched out with strength.”

[16:30]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “And the ones whom he killed in his death were many more than he killed in his life.”

[18:8]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “They came to their brothers.”

[18:8]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “brothers.”

[18:8]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “What you?”

[20:2]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “the cornerstones”; or “the supports.” The word is used of leaders in only three other texts – 1 Sam 14:38; Isa 19:13; Zech 10:4.

[20:2]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The words “which numbered” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[20:37]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “hurried and put off [their hiding place].”

[20:37]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “the men hiding in ambush.”

[20:37]  ¹⁴³ tn Or “deployed.” The verb normally means “to lead” or “to draw.”

[20:48]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “to the sons of Benjamin.”

[20:48]  ¹⁴⁵ tc The translation is based on the reading מֵעִיר מְתִים (me’ir mÿtim, “from a city of men,” i.e., “an inhabited city”), rather than the reading מֵעִיר מְתֹם (me’ir mÿtom, “from a city of soundness”) found in the Leningrad Codex (L).

[20:48]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “Also all the cities that were found they set on fire.”

[21:16]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “elders.”

[21:16]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “What should we do for the remaining ones concerning wives?”