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Othniel: A Model Leader

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight.[a] They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.[b] The Lord was furious with Israel[c] and turned them over to[d] King Cushan Rishathaim[e] of Armon Haraim.[f] They were Cushan Rishathaim’s subjects[g] for eight years. When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he[h] raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued[i] them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.[j] 10 The Lord’s Spirit empowered him[k] and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan Rishathaim of Armon[l] and he overpowered him.[m] 11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 3:7 tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”
  2. Judges 3:7 sn The Asherahs were local manifestations of the Canaanite goddess Asherah.
  3. Judges 3:8 tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned (or raged) against Israel.”
  4. Judges 3:8 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
  5. Judges 3:8 tn Or “Cushan the Doubly Wicked.”
  6. Judges 3:8 tc Armon Haraim. Traditionally Aram-Naharaim, and sometimes understood as a place in Mesopotamia. This reading accepts the consonantal text but divides the words after the nun (נ) instead of before. The consonants ארמן הרים could be read with a dual ending as ʾArmon Haraim, meaning “Citadel of the Two Mountains,” or with a plural ending as ʾArmon Harim, meaning “Citadel of the Mountains.” In either case, Cushan Rishathaim is probably a remaining Canaanite king with a fortress in the hill country of Israel. See Beitzel, The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands, 106.
  7. Judges 3:8 tn Or “they served Cushan Rishathaim.”
  8. Judges 3:9 tn Heb “the Lord.”
  9. Judges 3:9 tn Or “delivered.”
  10. Judges 3:9 tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb’s nephew).
  11. Judges 3:10 tn Heb “was on him.”
  12. Judges 3:10 tc Armon. Traditionally Aram. See note at Judges 3:8. This is either Armon, with restored nun (נ), being short for Armon Haraim, or perhaps the entire phrase was original.
  13. Judges 3:10 tn Heb “his hand was strong against Cushan Rishathaim.”

Othniel Becomes Israel’s Judge

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim.[a] And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. 11 So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:8 Aram-naharaim means “Aram of the two rivers,” thought to have been located between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.