Hakim-hakim 7:24

Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites

7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. ¹  Take control of the fords of the streams ²  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” ³  When all the Ephraimites had assembled, ⁴  they took control of the fords ⁵  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.

Hakim-hakim 9:28

9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? ⁶  Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? ⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 14:15

14:15 On the fourth ⁸  day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. ⁹  If you refuse, ¹⁰  we will burn up ¹¹  you and your father’s family. ¹²  Did you invite us here ¹³  to make us poor?” ¹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 16:18

16:18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, ¹⁵  she sent for ¹⁶  the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me ¹⁷  his secret.” ¹⁸  So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands.

Hakim-hakim 18:2

18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, ¹⁹  capable men ²⁰  from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. ²¹ 

Hakim-hakim 19:30

19:30 Everyone who saw the sight ²²  said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since ²³  the Israelites left the land of Egypt! ²⁴  Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”

Hakim-hakim 21:10

21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors ²⁵  against Jabesh Gilead. ²⁶  They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords ²⁷  the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.

[7:24]  ¹ tn Heb “to meet Midian.”

[7:24]  ² tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”

[7:24]  ³ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).

[7:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”

[7:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “they captured the waters.”

[9:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”

[9:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ⁸ tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (rÿvi’i, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (shÿvi’i, “seventh”). Some ancient textual witnesses (e.g., LXX and the Syriac Peshitta) read “fourth,” here, which certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse (cf. “for three days”) and with v. 17. Another option is to change שְׁלֹשֶׁת (shÿloshet, “three”) at the end of v. 14 to שֵׁשֶׁת (sheshet, “six”), but the resulting scenario does not account as well for v. 17, which implies the bride had been hounding Samson for more than one day.

[14:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”

[14:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lest.”

[14:15]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text expands the statement: “burn up with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:15]  ¹² tn Heb “house.”

[14:15]  ¹³ tc The translation assumes the Hebrew form הֲלֹם (halom, “here,” attested in five Hebrew mss and supported by the Targum), instead of the inexplicable הֲלֹא (halo’), a negative particle with interrogative particle prefixed to it.

[14:15]  ¹⁴ tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.

[16:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[16:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “she sent and summoned.”

[16:18]  ¹⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere, לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the Kethib, לָהּ (lah, “to her”).

[16:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[18:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “The Danites sent from their tribe five men, from their borders.”

[18:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”

[18:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “They came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, and spent the night there.”

[19:30]  ²² tn The words “the sight” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[19:30]  ²³ tn Heb “from the day.”

[19:30]  ²⁴ tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the following additional words: “And he instructed the men whom he sent out, ‘Thus you will say to every male Israelite: “There has never been anything like this from the day the Israelites left Egypt till the present day.”’”

[21:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”

[21:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “there.”

[21:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the edge of the sword.”