Nehemia 1:1-11
Konteks1:1 1 These are the words of Nehemiah 2 son of Hacaliah:
It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, 3 I was in Susa 4 the citadel. 1:2 Hanani, who was one of my relatives, 5 along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, 6 and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem. 7
1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable 8 adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” 9
1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, 10 crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant 11 with those who love him and obey 12 his commandments, 1:6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed 13 against you – both I myself and my family 14 have sinned. 1:7 We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses. 1:8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations. 15 1:9 But if you repent 16 and obey 17 my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, 18 I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’ 1:10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand. 1:11 Please, 19 O Lord, listen attentively 20 to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect 21 to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me 22 in the presence of this man.”
Now 23 I was cupbearer for the king.
Hakim-hakim 9:1-57
Konteks9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 24 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 25 9:2 “Tell 26 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 27 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.’” 28 9:3 His mother’s relatives 29 spoke on his behalf to 30 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 31 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 32 they said, “He is our close relative.” 33 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 34 men as his followers. 35 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 36 the seventy legitimate 37 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 38 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 39 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 40 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 41 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 42 and choose a king for themselves. 43 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 44 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!’ 45
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 46 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!’ 47
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 48 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!’ 49
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 50 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 51 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 52 Otherwise 53 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, 54 if you have properly repaid him 55 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 56 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 57 9:18 But you have attacked 58 my father’s family 59 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 60 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. 61 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 62 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 63 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 64 to Beer and lived there to escape from 65 Abimelech his half-brother. 66
9:22 Abimelech commanded 67 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 68 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 69 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 70 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 71 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 72 bandits in 73 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 74
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 75 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 76 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 77 squeezed out the juice, 78 and celebrated. They came to the temple 79 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? 80 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 81 9:29 If only these men 82 were under my command, 83 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 84 “Muster 85 your army and come out for battle!” 86
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 87 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 88 reporting, “Beware! 89 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 90 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 91 9:32 Now, come up 92 at night with your men 93 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 94 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.” 95
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 96 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 97 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 98 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.” 99 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 100 of the land. A unit 101 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 102 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 103 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 104 you insulted? 105 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 106 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 107 ran from him. Many Shechemites 108 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 109 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 110
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 111 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 112 9:43 he took his men 113 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 114 he attacked and struck them down. 115 9:44 Abimelech and his units 116 attacked and blocked 117 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 118 the city and spread salt over it. 119
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 120 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 121 of the temple of El-Berith. 122 9:47 Abimelech heard 123 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 124 9:48 He and all his men 125 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 126 took an ax 127 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 128 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 129 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 130 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 131 All the people 132 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 133 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 134 9:51 There was a fortified 135 tower 136 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 137 down on his 138 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 139 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 140 ‘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. 141
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 142 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 143 on them.
[1:1] 1 sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca.
[1:1] 2 sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nÿkhemyah) means “the
[1:1] 3 tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).
[1:2] 6 tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “to me”; these words were supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:2] 7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:3] 9 tn Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.
[1:4] 10 tn Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.
[1:5] 11 tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).
[1:5] 12 tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.
[1:6] 13 tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”
[1:6] 14 tn Heb “the house of my father.”
[1:9] 17 tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.
[1:9] 18 tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”
[1:11] 19 tn The interjection אָנָּא (’anna’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69-70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations (2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3; Pss 116:4; 118:25; Jonah 1:14; 4:2) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God (Exod 32:31; Dan 9:4; Neh 1:5, 11).
[1:11] 20 tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”
[1:11] 22 tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.
[1:11] 23 tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.
[9:1] 25 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
[9:2] 26 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
[9:2] 27 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
[9:2] 28 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
[9:3] 30 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
[9:3] 31 tn Heb “and all these words.”
[9:3] 32 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
[9:3] 33 tn Heb “our brother.”
[9:4] 34 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
[9:4] 35 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
[9:5] 36 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[9:5] 37 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:6] 39 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] 40 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
[9:7] 41 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
[9:8] 42 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] 43 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
[9:8] 44 tn Or “Rule over us!”
[9:9] 45 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] 46 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:11] 47 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] 48 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:13] 49 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] 50 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:15] 51 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
[9:15] 52 tn Heb “in my shade.”
[9:16] 55 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
[9:17] 56 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] 58 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
[9:18] 60 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:18] 61 tn Heb “your brother.”
[9:19] 63 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
[9:21] 64 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
[9:21] 65 tn Heb “from before.”
[9:21] 66 tn Heb “his brother.”
[9:22] 67 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] 68 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] 69 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 70 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 71 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] 72 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] 73 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 74 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 75 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] 76 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] 78 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] 80 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
[9:28] 81 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 83 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] 84 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] 85 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
[9:29] 86 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
[9:30] 87 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[9:31] 88 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] 90 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] 91 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] 93 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
[9:32] 94 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:33] 95 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] 96 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
[9:34] 97 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:36] 98 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] 99 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
[9:37] 100 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] 102 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
[9:38] 103 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
[9:38] 104 tn Heb “the people.”
[9:39] 106 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
[9:40] 107 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:40] 108 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
[9:41] 109 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] 110 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
[9:42] 111 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:42] 112 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
[9:43] 113 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:43] 114 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
[9:43] 115 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
[9:44] 116 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
[9:44] 117 tn Heb “stood [at].”
[9:45] 119 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] 120 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
[9:46] 121 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] 122 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
[9:47] 123 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
[9:47] 124 tn Heb “were assembled.”
[9:48] 125 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:48] 126 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
[9:48] 127 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
[9:48] 128 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
[9:48] 129 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
[9:49] 130 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:49] 131 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
[9:49] 132 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
[9:50] 134 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
[9:51] 136 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
[9:53] 137 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] 138 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] 139 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:54] 140 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:55] 141 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
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