Hakim-hakim 13:8-9

13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, ¹  “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God ²  to visit ³  us again, so he can teach ⁴  us how we should raise ⁵  the child who will be born.” 13:9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. ⁶  God’s angelic messenger visited ⁷  the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.

Hakim-hakim 13:11

13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met ⁸  the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” ⁹  He said, “Yes.” ¹⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 13:22

13:22 Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, because we have seen a supernatural being!” ¹¹ 

[13:8]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:8]  ² tn Heb “the man of God.”

[13:8]  ³ tn Heb “come to.”

[13:8]  ⁴ tc The LXX has “enlighten,” understanding the Hebrew to read וִיאִירֵנוּ (vi’irenu, “to give light”) rather than the reading of the MT, וְיוֹרֵנוּ (vÿyorenu, “to teach”).

[13:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “what we should do for.”

[13:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “God listened to the voice of Manoah.”

[13:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “came to.”

[13:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “came to.”

[13:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “the woman.”

[13:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I [am].”

[13:22]  ¹¹ tn Or “seen God.” Some take the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) as the divine name (“God”) here, but this seems unlikely since v. 21 informs us that Manoah realized this was the Lord’s messenger, not God himself. Of course, he may be exaggerating for the sake of emphasis. Another option, the one followed in the translation, understands Manoah to be referring to a lesser deity. The term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is sometimes used of an individual deity other than the Lord (see BDB 43 s.v. 2.a). One cannot assume that Manoah was a theologically sophisticated monotheist.