Hakim-hakim 2:10

2:10 That entire generation passed away; ¹  a new generation grew up ²  that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel. ³ 

Hakim-hakim 2:15

2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, ⁴  the Lord did them harm, ⁵  just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. ⁶  They suffered greatly. ⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 4:18

4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, ⁸  my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera ⁹  stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him.

Hakim-hakim 5:8

5:8 God chose new leaders, ¹⁰ 

then fighters appeared in the city gates; ¹¹ 

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, ¹² 

among forty military units ¹³  in Israel.

Hakim-hakim 6:17-18

6:17 Gideon ¹⁴  said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, ¹⁵  then give me ¹⁶  a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back ¹⁷  with a gift ¹⁸  and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

Hakim-hakim 6:20

6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, ¹⁹  and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. ²⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 7:21

7:21 They stood in order ²¹  all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. ²² 

Hakim-hakim 8:6

8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give ²³  bread to your army?” ²⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 9:3-4

9:3 His mother’s relatives ²⁵  spoke on his behalf to ²⁶  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ²⁷  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ²⁸  they said, “He is our close relative.” ²⁹  9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous ³⁰  men as his followers. ³¹ 

Hakim-hakim 9:9

9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ ³² 

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!’ ³³ 

Hakim-hakim 10:11

10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

Hakim-hakim 10:18

10:18 The leaders ³⁴  of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge ³⁵  against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

Hakim-hakim 11:9

11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! ³⁶  If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, ³⁷  I will be your leader.” ³⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 14:14

14:14 He said to them,

“Out of the one who eats came something to eat;

out of the strong one came something sweet.”

They could not solve the riddle for three days.

Hakim-hakim 16:11

16:11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used, ³⁹  I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Hakim-hakim 19:19

19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, ⁴⁰  and the young man who is with your servants. ⁴¹  We lack nothing.”

Hakim-hakim 20:3

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 20:22

20:22 The Israelite army ⁴²  took heart ⁴³  and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before.

Hakim-hakim 20:27

20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days;

[2:10]  ¹ tn Heb “All that generation were gathered to their fathers.”

[2:10]  ² tn Heb “arose after them.”

[2:10]  ³ tn Heb “that did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel.” The expressions “personally experienced” and “seen” are interpretive.

[2:15]  ⁴ tn The expression “to fight” is interpretive.

[2:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord’s hand was against them for harm.”

[2:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “just as he had said and just as he had sworn to them.”

[2:15]  ⁷ tn Or “they experienced great distress.”

[4:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).

[4:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:8]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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”).

[6:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”

[6:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “perform for me.”

[6:18]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:18]  ¹⁸ 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.

[6:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”

[6:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he did so.”

[7:21]  ²¹ tn Heb “each in his place.”

[7:21]  ²² tn Or “fled.”

[8:6]  ²³ tn Or perhaps, “sell.”

[8:6]  ²⁴ 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.

[9:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

[9:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and all these words.”

[9:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

[9:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “our brother.”

[9:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “empty and reckless.”

[9:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “and they followed him.”

[9:9]  ³² tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.

[9:13]  ³³ 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.

[10:18]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the people, the officers.”

[10:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”

[11:9]  ³⁶ tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[11:9]  ³⁷ tn Heb “places them before me.”

[11:9]  ³⁸ 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.

[16:11]  ³⁹ tn Heb “with which no work has been done.”

[19:19]  ⁴⁰ tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.

[19:19]  ⁴¹ tc Some Hebrew mss and ancient witnesses read the singular, “your servant,” which would refer to the Levite. If one retains the plural, then both the Levite and his wife are in view. In either case the pronominal suffix emphasizes their dependence on the old man for shelter.

[20:22]  ⁴² tn Heb “The people, the men of Israel.”

[20:22]  ⁴³ tn Or “encouraged one another.”