Hakim-hakim 2:22

2:22 Joshua left those nations ¹  to test ²  Israel. I wanted to see ³  whether or not the people ⁴  would carefully walk in the path ⁵  marked out by ⁶  the Lord, as their ancestors ⁷  were careful to do.”

Hakim-hakim 6:15

6:15 Gideon ⁸  said to him, “But Lord, ⁹  how ¹⁰  can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” ¹¹ 

Hakim-hakim 6:20

6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, ¹²  and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. ¹³ 

Hakim-hakim 11:9

11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! ¹⁴  If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, ¹⁵  I will be your leader.” ¹⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 13:13

13:13 The Lord’s messenger told ¹⁷  Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. ¹⁸ 

[2:22]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn The words “I [i.e., the Lord] wanted to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:22]  ⁵ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:22]  ⁶ tn “The words “marked out by” are interpretive.

[2:22]  ⁷ tn Or “fathers.”

[6:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:15]  ⁹ tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”) in v. 13.

[6:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with what.”

[6:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in my father’s house.”

[6:20]  ¹² tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”

[6:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he did so.”

[11:9]  ¹⁴ tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[11:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “places them before me.”

[11:9]  ¹⁶ 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.

[13:13]  ¹⁷ tn Or “said to.”

[13:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “To everything I said to the woman she should pay attention.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes “to everything,” probably because Manoah’s wife did not tell her husband everything the angel had said to her (cf. vv. 3-5 with v. 7). If she had, Manoah probably would not have been so confused about the child’s mission.