Hakim-hakim 6:15

6:15 Gideon ¹  said to him, “But Lord, ²  how ³  can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” ⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 6:22

6:22 When Gideon realized ⁵  that it was the Lord’s messenger, he ⁶  said, “Oh no! ⁷  Master, Lord! ⁸  I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!”

Hakim-hakim 6:29

6:29 They said to one another, ⁹  “Who did this?” ¹⁰  They investigated the matter thoroughly ¹¹  and concluded ¹²  that Gideon son of Joash had done it.

Hakim-hakim 9:4

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 ¹³  men as his followers. ¹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 9:31

9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, ¹⁵  reporting, “Beware! ¹⁶  Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming ¹⁷  to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. ¹⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 11:27

11:27 I have not done you wrong, ¹⁹  but you are doing wrong ²⁰  by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”

Hakim-hakim 16:6

16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.” ²¹ 

[6:15]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:15]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “with what.”

[6:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “in my father’s house.”

[6:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “saw.”

[6:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:22]  ⁷ tn Or “Ah!”

[6:22]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).

[6:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”

[6:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “this thing.”

[6:29]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.

[6:29]  ¹² tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”

[9:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “empty and reckless.”

[9:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and they followed him.”

[9:31]  ¹⁵ tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.

[9:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Look!”

[9:31]  ¹⁷ tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.

[9:31]  ¹⁸ tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).

[11:27]  ¹⁹ tn Or “sinned against you.”

[11:27]  ²⁰ tn Or “evil.”

[16:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “how you can be subdued in order to be humiliated.”