Hakim-hakim 7:1--11:40
Konteks7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men 1 got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. 2 The Midianites 3 were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. 4 Israel might brag, 5 ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 6 7:3 Now, announce to the men, 7 ‘Whoever is shaking with fear 8 may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” 9 Twenty-two thousand men 10 went home; 11 ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. 12 Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. 13 When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; 14 when I say, 15 ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 16 7:5 So he brought the men 17 down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 18 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; 19 the rest of the men 20 kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army 21 and I will hand Midian over to you. 22 The rest of the men should go home.” 23 7:8 The men 24 who were chosen 25 took supplies 26 and their trumpets. Gideon 27 sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; 28 he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites 29 were camped down below 30 in the valley.
7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, 31 “Get up! Attack 32 the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 33 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave 34 and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 35 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. 36 Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. 37 The man 38 said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw 39 a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 40 7:14 The other man said, 41 “Without a doubt this symbolizes 42 the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. 43 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. 44 He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 45 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! 46 I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp 47 at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 48 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. 49 Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order 50 all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 51 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords 52 throughout 53 the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went 54 to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 55
7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. 56 Take control of the fords of the streams 57 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” 58 When all the Ephraimites had assembled, 59 they took control of the fords 60 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. 61 They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb 62 in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites 63 and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. 64
8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us 65 when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 8:2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes 66 are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 67 8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” 68 When he said this, they calmed down. 69
8:4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 70 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give 71 some loaves of bread to the men 72 who are following me, 73 because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give 74 bread to your army?” 75 8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, 76 after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh 77 your skin 78 with 79 desert thorns and briers.” 8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. 80 The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 81 8:9 He also threatened 82 the men of Penuel, warning, 83 “When I return victoriously, 84 I will tear down this tower.”
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. 85 8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads 86 east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 87 8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon 88 chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised 89 their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass 90 of Heres. 8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth 91 and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. 92 8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! 93 Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 94 8:16 He seized the leaders 95 of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 96 8:17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.
8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me 97 the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 98 8:19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, 99 as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! 100 Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, 101 because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, 102 “Come on, 103 you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” 104 So Gideon killed 105 Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.
8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 106 8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 8:24 Gideon continued, 107 “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” 108 (The Midianites 109 had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 8:25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” 110 So they 111 spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. 112 This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, 113 purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 114 8:27 Gideon used all this to make 115 an ephod, 116 which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites 117 prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it 118 there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. 119 The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 120 8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 121 8:30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 122 8:31 His concubine, 123 who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 124 8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very 125 old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith 126 their god. 8:34 The Israelites did not remain true 127 to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 8:35 They did not treat 128 the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 129 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 130 9:2 “Tell 131 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 132 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 133 9:3 His mother’s relatives 134 spoke on his behalf to 135 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 136 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 137 they said, “He is our close relative.” 138 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 139 men as his followers. 140 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 141 the seventy legitimate 142 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 143 because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar 144 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 145 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 146 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 147 and choose a king for themselves. 148 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 149 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!’ 150
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 151 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 152
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 153 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!’ 154
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 155 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 156 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 157 Otherwise 158 may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, 159 if you have properly repaid him 160 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 161 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 162 9:18 But you have attacked 163 my father’s family 164 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 165 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 166 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 167 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 168 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 169 to Beer and lived there to escape from 170 Abimelech his half-brother. 171
9:22 Abimelech commanded 172 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 173 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 174 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 175 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 176 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 177 bandits in 178 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 179
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 180 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 181 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 182 squeezed out the juice, 183 and celebrated. They came to the temple 184 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 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? 185 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 186 9:29 If only these men 187 were under my command, 188 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 189 “Muster 190 your army and come out for battle!” 191
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 192 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 193 reporting, “Beware! 194 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 195 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 196 9:32 Now, come up 197 at night with your men 198 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 199 9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” 200
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 201 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 202 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 203 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 204 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 205 of the land. A unit 206 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 207 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 208 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 209 you insulted? 210 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 211 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 212 ran from him. Many Shechemites 213 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 214 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 215
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 216 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 217 9:43 he took his men 218 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 219 he attacked and struck them down. 220 9:44 Abimelech and his units 221 attacked and blocked 222 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled 223 the city and spread salt over it. 224
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 225 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 226 of the temple of El-Berith. 227 9:47 Abimelech heard 228 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 229 9:48 He and all his men 230 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 231 took an ax 232 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 233 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 234 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 235 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 236 All the people 237 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 238 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 239 9:51 There was a fortified 240 tower 241 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone 242 down on his 243 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 244 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 245 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 246
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 247 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 248 on them.
10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 249 Tola son of Puah, grandson 250 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 251 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 252 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 253 – they are in the land of Gilead. 254 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 255 They worshiped 256 the Baals and the Ashtars, 257 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 258 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 259 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 260 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 261 and turned them over to 262 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 263 the Israelites that eighteenth year 264 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 265 Israel suffered greatly. 266
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 267 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 268 when they oppressed you? 269 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 270 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 271 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 272 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 273 but deliver us today!” 274 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 275 and worshiped 276 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 277
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 278 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders 279 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge 280 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 281 11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 282 him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, 283 because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left 284 his half-brothers 285 and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. 286
11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, 287 the leaders 288 of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back 289 from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, 290 “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 291 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 292 but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 293 Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 294 of all who live in Gilead.” 295 11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! 296 If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, 297 I will be your leader.” 298 11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, 299 if we do not do as you say.” 300 11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement 301 before the Lord in Mizpah.
11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have 302 you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole 303 my land when they 304 came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. 305 Now return it 306 peaceably!”
11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal 307 the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left 308 Egypt, Israel traveled 309 through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us 310 to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. 311 Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. 312 So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel 313 went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; 314 they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” 315 11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He 316 assembled his whole army, 317 camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took 318 all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. 319 11:23 Since 320 the Lord God of Israel has driven out 321 the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? 322 11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. 323 11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? 324 11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, 325 but you are doing wrong 326 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded 327 the message sent by Jephthah. 328
11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered 329 Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went 330 to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. 331 11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 11:31 then whoever is the first to come through 332 the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he 333 will belong to the Lord and 334 I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 11:32 Jephthah approached 335 the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 11:33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! 336 The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites. 337
11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out 338 to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. 339 She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! 340 You have brought me disaster! 341 I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” 342 11:36 She said to him, “My father, since 343 you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. 344 After all, the Lord vindicated you before 345 your enemies, the Ammonites.” 11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. 346 For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 347 11:38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave 348 for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. 349 11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. 350 Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. 351 11:40 Every year 352 Israelite women commemorate 353 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days. 354
[7:1] 1 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
[7:1] 2 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
[7:1] 3 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
[7:2] 4 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
[7:2] 5 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
[7:2] 6 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
[7:3] 7 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
[7:3] 8 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
[7:3] 9 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
[7:3] 10 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
[7:3] 11 tn Or “turned around, back.”
[7:4] 12 tn Heb “too many people.”
[7:4] 13 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
[7:4] 14 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
[7:4] 15 tn Heb also has “to you.”
[7:4] 16 tn Heb “he should not go.”
[7:5] 18 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
[7:6] 19 tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.
[7:7] 21 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
[7:7] 22 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
[7:7] 23 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
[7:8] 25 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:8] 26 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
[7:8] 27 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:8] 30 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
[7:9] 31 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:9] 32 tn Heb “Go down against.”
[7:9] 33 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
[7:11] 34 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
[7:11] 35 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
[7:12] 36 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
[7:13] 37 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
[7:13] 38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:13] 39 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
[7:13] 40 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
[7:14] 41 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[7:14] 42 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
[7:15] 43 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
[7:16] 45 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:16] sn They hid the torches inside the earthenware jars to disguise their approach and to keep the torches from being extinguished by the breeze.
[7:19] 47 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
[7:19] 48 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
[7:20] 49 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:21] 50 tn Heb “each in his place.”
[7:22] 52 tn Heb “the
[7:22] 53 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
[7:22] 54 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:24] 56 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
[7:24] 57 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
[7:24] 58 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] 59 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
[7:24] 60 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
[7:25] 61 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
[7:25] 62 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:25] 64 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).
[8:1] 65 tn Heb “by not summoning us.”
[8:2] 67 sn Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest. Gideon employs an agricultural metaphor. He argues that Ephraim’s mopping up operations, though seemingly like the inferior grapes which are missed initially by the harvesters or left for the poor, are actually more noteworthy than the military efforts of Gideon’s family.
[8:3] 68 tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”
[8:3] 69 tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”
[8:4] 70 tn Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and chasing.” The English past perfect (“had crossed”) is used because this verse flashes back chronologically to an event that preceded the hostile encounter described in vv. 1-3. (Note that 7:25 assumes Gideon had already crossed the Jordan.)
[8:5] 71 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:5] 72 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.
[8:5] 73 tn Heb “who are at my feet.”
[8:6] 74 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:6] 75 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.
[8:7] 77 sn I will thresh. The metaphor is agricultural. Threshing was usually done on a hard threshing floor. As farm animals walked over the stalks, pulling behind them a board embedded with sharp stones, the stalks and grain would be separated. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63-65. Gideon threatens to use thorns and briers on his sledge.
[8:7] 79 tn This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (’et, note the use of ב [bet] in v. 16). Some, however, argue that אֵת more naturally indicates accompaniment (“together with”). In this case Gideon envisions threshing their skin along with thorns and briers, just as the stalks and grain are intermingled on the threshing floor. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 229-30.
[8:8] 80 tn Heb “and spoke to them in the same way.”
[8:8] 81 tn Heb “The men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered.”
[8:9] 82 tn Heb “said to.” The translation “threatened” is interpretive, but is clearly indicated by the context.
[8:9] 84 tn Or “safely.” Heb “in peace.”
[8:10] 85 tn Heb “About fifteen thousand [in number] were all the ones remaining from the army of the sons of the east. The fallen ones were a hundred and twenty thousand [in number], men drawing the sword.”
[8:11] 86 tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”
[8:11] 87 tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.
[8:12] 88 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:12] 89 tn Or “routed”; Heb “caused to panic.”
[8:14] 91 tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”
[8:14] 92 tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
[8:15] 93 tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:15] 94 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”
[8:15] sn Gideon changes their actual statement (see v. 6) by saying exhausted men rather than “army.” In this way he emphasizes the crisis his men were facing and highlights the insensitivity of the men of Succoth.
[8:16] 96 tc The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”
[8:18] 98 tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”
[8:19] 99 tn The words “I swear” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:20] 101 tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”
[8:21] 102 tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:21] 104 tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”
[8:21] 105 tn Heb “arose and killed.”
[8:24] 107 tn Heb “said to them.”
[8:24] 108 tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
[8:24] 109 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:25] 110 tn Heb “We will indeed give.”
[8:25] 111 tc In the LXX the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
[8:26] 112 sn Seventeen hundred gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.
[8:26] 114 tn Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”
[8:27] 115 tn Heb “made it into.”
[8:27] 116 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.
[8:27] 117 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
[8:27] 118 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:28] 119 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
[8:28] 120 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
[8:29] 121 tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”
[8:30] 122 tn Heb “Gideon had seventy sons who went out from his thigh, for he had many wives.” The Hebrew word יָרֵךְ (yarekh, “thigh”) is a euphemism here for the penis.
[8:31] 123 sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
[8:31] 124 sn The name Abimelech means “my father is king.”
[8:33] 126 sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.
[8:35] 128 tn Heb “did not do loyalty with,” or “did not act faithfully toward.”
[9:1] 130 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
[9:2] 131 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
[9:2] 132 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
[9:2] 133 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
[9:3] 135 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
[9:3] 136 tn Heb “and all these words.”
[9:3] 137 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
[9:3] 138 tn Heb “our brother.”
[9:4] 139 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
[9:4] 140 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
[9:5] 141 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[9:5] 142 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:6] 144 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
[9:7] 145 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
[9:7] 146 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
[9:8] 147 tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”
[9:8] 148 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
[9:8] 149 tn Or “Rule over us!”
[9:9] 150 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.
[9:10] 151 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:11] 152 tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees? The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:12] 153 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:13] 154 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.
[9:14] 155 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:15] 156 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
[9:15] 157 tn Heb “in my shade.”
[9:16] 160 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
[9:17] 161 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
[9:18] 163 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
[9:18] 165 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:18] 166 tn Heb “your brother.”
[9:19] 168 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
[9:21] 169 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
[9:21] 170 tn Heb “from before.”
[9:21] 171 tn Heb “his brother.”
[9:22] 172 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
[9:22] sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175).
[9:23] 173 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
[9:23] 174 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 175 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 176 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
[9:25] 177 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
[9:25] sn Putting bandits in the hills. This piracy certainly interrupted or discouraged trade, and probably deprived Abimelech of tariffs or tribute. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 277; G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 253.
[9:25] 178 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 179 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 180 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
[9:26] 181 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
[9:27] 182 tn Heb “vineyards.”
[9:27] 183 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
[9:28] 185 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
[9:28] 186 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 188 tn Heb “in my hand.”
[9:29] sn If only these men were under my command. One might assume from v. 26b that the men were already at his disposal, but perhaps that was not one of the terms of the agreement. Another possibility is that v. 26 is a general summary statement, with vv. 27-29 then detailing how the alliance with Gaal came about.
[9:29] 189 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”
[9:29] 190 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
[9:29] 191 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
[9:30] 192 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[9:31] 193 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] 195 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] 196 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).
[9:32] 198 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
[9:32] 199 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:33] 200 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
[9:34] 201 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
[9:34] 202 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:36] 203 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
[9:36] 204 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
[9:37] 205 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
[9:37] 207 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
[9:38] 208 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
[9:38] 209 tn Heb “the people.”
[9:39] 211 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
[9:40] 212 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:40] 213 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
[9:41] 214 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
[9:41] 215 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
[9:42] 216 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:42] 217 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
[9:43] 218 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:43] 219 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
[9:43] 220 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
[9:44] 221 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
[9:44] 222 tn Heb “stood [at].”
[9:45] 224 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”
[9:45] sn The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (BibOr), 15, 53. Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment.
[9:46] 225 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
[9:46] 226 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
[9:46] 227 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
[9:47] 228 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
[9:47] 229 tn Heb “were assembled.”
[9:48] 230 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:48] 231 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
[9:48] 232 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
[9:48] 233 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
[9:48] 234 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
[9:49] 235 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:49] 236 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
[9:49] 237 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
[9:50] 239 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
[9:51] 241 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
[9:53] 242 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
[9:53] 243 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
[9:54] 244 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:54] 245 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:55] 246 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
[9:56] 247 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
[10:1] 249 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[10:1] 251 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
[10:2] 252 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[10:4] 253 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
[10:4] 254 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
[10:6] 255 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
[10:6] 256 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
[10:6] 257 sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
[10:6] 258 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:6] 259 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
[10:6] 260 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
[10:7] 261 tn Or “the
[10:7] 262 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
[10:8] 263 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
[10:8] 264 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
[10:9] 265 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
[10:9] 266 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
[10:10] 267 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:12] 268 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
[10:12] 269 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the
[10:13] 271 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:14] 272 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
[10:15] 273 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
[10:15] 274 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
[10:16] 275 tn Heb “from their midst.”
[10:16] 276 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:16] 277 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
[10:17] 278 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
[10:18] 279 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
[10:18] 280 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
[11:1] 281 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
[11:2] 283 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
[11:3] 286 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
[11:5] 287 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
[11:5] 289 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
[11:6] 290 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
[11:7] 291 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
[11:8] 292 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).
[11:8] 293 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
[11:8] 294 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
[11:8] 295 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
[11:9] 296 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:9] 297 tn Heb “places them before me.”
[11:9] 298 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.
[11:10] 299 tn Heb “The
[11:10] 300 sn The
[11:11] 301 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the
[11:12] 302 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
[11:13] 303 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
[11:13] 304 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
[11:13] 305 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:13] 306 tc The translation assumes a singular suffix (“[return] it”); the Hebrew text has a plural suffix (“[return] them”), which, if retained, might refer to the cities of the land.
[11:15] 307 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
[11:16] 308 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
[11:17] 310 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
[11:17] 311 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[11:17] 312 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
[11:18] 313 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:18] 314 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:19] 315 tn Heb “to my place.”
[11:20] 316 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
[11:20] 317 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
[11:21] 318 tn That is, took as its own possession.
[11:22] 319 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:23] 321 tn Or “dispossessed.”
[11:23] 322 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
[11:24] 323 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the
[11:25] 324 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation.
[11:25] sn Jephthah argues that the Ammonite king should follow the example of Balak, who, once thwarted in his attempt to bring a curse on Israel, refused to attack Israel and returned home (Num 22-24).
[11:27] 325 tn Or “sinned against you.”
[11:28] 327 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
[11:28] 328 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
[11:29] 330 tn Heb “passed through.”
[11:29] 331 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
[11:31] 332 tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.
[11:31] 333 tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.
[11:31] 334 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the
[11:32] 335 tn Heb “passed over to.”
[11:33] 336 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
[11:33] 337 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
[11:34] 338 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
[11:34] 339 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
[11:35] 340 tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
[11:35] 341 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
[11:35] 342 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the
[11:36] 343 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:36] 344 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the
[11:36] 345 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
[11:37] 346 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
[11:37] 347 tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity – I and my friends.”
[11:38] 348 tn Heb “he sent her.”
[11:38] 349 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
[11:39] 350 tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.
[11:39] 351 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
[11:40] 352 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
[11:40] 353 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
[11:40] 354 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in the year.” This is redundant (note “every year” at the beginning of the verse) and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
