Bible in 90 Days

Footnotes

1. Judges 3:28 tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”
2. Judges 3:28 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.
3. Judges 3:28 tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.
4. Judges 3:29 tn Heb “They struck Moab that day—about ten thousand men.”
5. Judges 3:31 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6. Judges 3:31 tn Heb “was.”
7. Judges 4:1 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
8. Judges 4:2 tn Heb “the Lord sold them into the hands of.”
9. Judges 4:2 tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”
10. Judges 4:2 tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.” “Haroshet” may mean “Forest [area]” or be a reference to some sort of carving.
11. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12. Judges 4:3 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
13. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “with strength.”
14. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “ a woman, a prophetess.” In Hebrew idiom the generic “woman” sometimes precedes the more specific designation. See GKC 437-38 §135.b.
15. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “she was.” The pronoun refers back to the nominative absolute “Deborah.” Hebrew style sometimes employs such resumptive pronouns when lengthy qualifiers separate the subject from the verb.
16. Judges 4:4 tn Or “judging.”
17. Judges 4:5 tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”
18. Judges 4:5 tn Heb “for judgment.”
19. Judges 4:6 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
20. Judges 4:7 tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”
21. Judges 4:9 tn Or “honor.”
22. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
23. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the Lord will sell Sisera.”
24. Judges 4:10 tn Heb “went up at his feet.”
25. Judges 4:11 tn Or “separated.”
26. Judges 4:11 tn Heb “pitched his tent.”
27. Judges 4:12 tn Heb “and they told Sisera.”
28. Judges 4:13 tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
29. Judges 4:13 tn Or “summoned.”
30. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Arise!”
31. Judges 4:14 tn The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”
32. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Has the Lord not gone out before you?”
33. Judges 4:15 tn Or “caused to panic.”
34. Judges 4:15 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
35. Judges 4:15 tn Heb “got down from.”
36. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “fell.”
37. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “was left.”
38. Judges 4:17 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
39. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
40. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
42. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
43. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
44. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “he went to her.”
45. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “fallen, dead.”
46. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
47. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “cut off.”
48. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
49. Judges 5:1 tn The words “this victory song” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
50. Judges 5:2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression בִּפְרֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת (bifroaʿ p^eraʿot) is uncertain. Numerous proposals are offered by commentators. (For a survey of opinions, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 223-27.) The next line refers to the people who responded to Barak’s summons to war, so a reference to the leaders who issued the summons would provide a natural poetic parallel. In v. 9 the leaders (חוֹקְקֵי, khoq^eqe) of the people and these same volunteers stand in poetic parallelism, so it is reasonable to assume that the difficult Hebrew term פְּרַעוֹת (p^eraʿot, v. 2a) is synonymous with חוֹקְקֵי (khoq^eqe) of v. 9 (see Lindars, 227).
51. Judges 5:3 tn Heb “I, to the Lord, I, I will sing!” The first singular personal pronoun is used twice, even though a first person finite verbal form is employed.
52. Judges 5:3 tn Or “make music.”
53. Judges 5:4 tn Or “went out.”
54. Judges 5:4 tn Heb “water.”
55. Judges 5:5 tn Or “quaked.” The translation assumes the form נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) from the root זָלַל (zalal, “to quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). The LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum also understood the word this way. (See Isa 63:19 and 64:2 for other occurrences of this form.) Some understand here the verb נָזַל (nazal, “to flow [with torrents of rain water]”).
56. Judges 5:5 tn Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the Lord rules from Sinai.
57. Judges 5:6 tc The translation assumes the form אֳרְחוֹת (ʾor^ekhot, “caravans”) rather than אֳרָחוֹת (ʾorakhot, “roadways”) because it makes a tighter parallel with “travelers” in the next line.
58. Judges 5:6 tn Or “ceased.”
59. Judges 5:6 tn Heb “Ones walking on paths.”
60. Judges 5:7 tn The meaning of the Hebrew noun פְרָזוֹן (f^erazon) is uncertain. Some understand the meaning as “leaders” or “those living in rural areas.” The singular noun appears to be collective (note the accompanying plural verb). For various options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 237-38.
61. Judges 5:7 tn Or “ceased.”
62. Judges 5:7 tn The translation assumes that the verb is an archaic second feminine singular form. Though Deborah is named as one of the composers of the song (v. 1), she is also addressed within it (v. 12). Many take the verb as first person singular, “I arose” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV).
63. Judges 5:7 tn Heb “mother.” The translation assumes that the image portrays Deborah as a protector of the people. It is possible that the metaphor points to her prophetic role. Just as a male prophet could be called “father,” so Deborah, a prophetess, is called “mother” (B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239).
64. Judges 5:8 tn Or “warriors.” The Hebrew text reads literally, “He chose God/gods new.” Some take “Israel” as the subject of the verb, “gods” as object, and “new” as an adjective modifying “gods.” This yields the translation, “(Israel) chose new gods.” In this case idolatry is the cause of the trouble alluded to in the context. The present translation takes “God” as subject of the verb and “new” as substantival, referring to the new leaders raised up by God (see v. 9a). For a survey of opinions and a defense of the present translation, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40.
65. Judges 5:8 tn The translation of this difficult line is speculative because the second word, לָחֶם (lakhem), appears only here. The line in the Hebrew text literally reads, “Then [?] gates.” Interpretations and emendations of the Hebrew text abound (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 239-40). The translation assumes a repointing of the form as a Qal participle לֹחֵם (lokhem) from the verbal root לָחַם (lakham, “fight”) and understands a substantival use (“fighter”). “Fighter” is a collective reference to the military leaders or warriors mentioned in the preceding line and in v. 9. (For other occurrences of the Qal of לָחַם, see Pss 35:1; 56:2-3.)
66. Judges 5:8 tn Heb “A shield, it could not be seen, nor a spear.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim) introduces an oath of denial (see GKC 472 §149.e).
67. Judges 5:8 tn Traditionally “forty thousand,” but this may be an instance where Hebrew term אֶלֶף (ʾelef) refers to a military unit. This is the view assumed by the translation (“forty military units”).
68. Judges 5:9 tn The words “went out” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
69. Judges 5:10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.
70. Judges 5:11 tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
71. Judges 5:11 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.
72. Judges 5:11 tn Or perhaps “repeat.”
73. Judges 5:11 tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.
74. Judges 5:12 tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)
75. Judges 5:13 tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).
76. Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.
77. Judges 5:13 sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.
78. Judges 5:13 sn The speaker may be Deborah here.
79. Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.
80. Judges 5:14 tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (ʿamaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).
81. Judges 5:14 tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
82. Judges 5:14 tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
83. Judges 5:14 tn Or possibly “who carry.”
84. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
85. Judges 5:15 tn Or “were true to.”
86. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “at his feet.”
87. Judges 5:15 tn Heb “great was.”
88. Judges 5:15 tc The great majority of Hebrew mss have “resolves of heart,” but a few mss read “searchings of heart,” which is preferable in light of v. 16.
89. Judges 5:16 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishp^etayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”
90. Judges 5:16 tn Or “whistling.”
91. Judges 5:16 tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”
92. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”sn Apparently the people of Gilead remained on the other side of the river and did not participate in the battle.
93. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “Dan, why did he live as a resident alien, ships.” The verb גּוּר (gur) usually refers to taking up residence outside one’s native land. Perhaps the Danites, rather than rallying to Barak, were content to move to the Mediterranean coast and work in the shipyards. For further discussion, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 262.
94. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived.”
95. Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”
96. Judges 5:17 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.”
97. Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Zebulun was a people which despised its life even unto death.”
98. Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Naphtali was on the heights of the field.”
99. Judges 5:19 tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive.
100. Judges 5:20 tn Or “from heaven.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
101. Judges 5:20 tn The MT takes “the stars” with what follows rather than with the first colon of v. 20. But for metrical reasons it seems better to move the atnakh (colon divider) and read the colon as indicated in the translation.
102. Judges 5:20 tn The words “in the heavens” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
103. Judges 5:21 tn Possibly “the ancient river,” but it seems preferable in light of the parallel line (which has a verb) to emend the word (attested only here) to a verb (קָדַם, qadam) with pronominal object suffix.
104. Judges 5:21 tn This line is traditionally taken as the poet-warrior’s self-exhortation, “March on, my soul, in strength!” The present translation (a) takes the verb (a second feminine singular form) as addressed to Deborah (cf. v. 12), (b) understands נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in its well-attested sense of “throat; neck” (cf. Jonah 2:6), (c) takes the final yod (י) on נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) as an archaic construct indicator (rather than a suffix), and (d) interprets עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) as an attributive genitive (literally, “necks of strength,” i.e., “strong necks”). For fuller discussion and various proposals, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 270-71.
105. Judges 5:22 tc The MT as it stands has a singular noun, but if one moves the prefixed mem (מ) from the beginning of the next word to the end of סוּס (sus), the expected plural form is achieved. Another possibility is to understand an error of scribal haplography here, in which case the letter mem should appear in both places.
106. Judges 5:22 tn The words “the ground” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
107. Judges 5:22 tn Heb “galloped, galloped.” The repetition is for emphasis and is more appropriately indicated in English with an adverb.
108. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”
109. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.
110. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “[to] curse.”
111. Judges 5:23 tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”
112. Judges 5:23 tn Or “along with the other warriors.”
113. Judges 5:24 tn Or “blessed.”
114. Judges 5:25 tn Or “for mighty ones.”
115. Judges 5:26 tn The adjective “left” is interpretive, based on the context. Note that the next line pictures Jael holding the hammer with her right hand.
116. Judges 5:26 tn The verb used here is from the same root as the noun “hammer” in the preceding line.
117. Judges 5:26 tn Or “head.”
118. Judges 5:26 tn The phrase “his head” (an implied direct object) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
119. Judges 5:26 tn Heb “she pierced his temple.”
120. Judges 5:27 tn Heb “and he lay.
121. Judges 5:27 tn Or “dead.”
122. Judges 5:28 tn Heb “chariots.”
123. Judges 5:29 tn Or “princesses.”
124. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”
125. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “a womb or two for each man.” The words “to rape” are interpretive. The Hebrew noun translated “girl” means literally “womb” (BDB 933 s.v. I. רַחַם), but in this context may refer by extension to the female genitalia. In this case the obscene language of Sisera’s mother alludes to the sexual brutality which typified the aftermath of battle.
126. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”
127. Judges 5:30 tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”
128. Judges 5:30 tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”
129. Judges 5:31 tn Heb “But may those who love him be like the going forth of the sun in its strength.”
130. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
131. Judges 6:1 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
132. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
133. Judges 6:2 tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”
134. Judges 6:2 tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
135. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”
136. Judges 6:3 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (v^eʿalu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ʿalayv).
137. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They encamped against them.”
138. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “destroyed.”
139. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “the crops of the land.”
140. Judges 6:4 tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.”
141. Judges 6:4 tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
142. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “came up.”
143. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “numerous.”
144. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.”
145. Judges 6:5 tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
146. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.
147. Judges 6:8 tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (meʾerets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]).
148. Judges 6:8 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
149. Judges 6:9 tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).
150. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
151. Judges 6:10 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
152. Judges 6:11 sn The angel of the Lord is also mentioned in Judg 2:1.
153. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Now Gideon his son….” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing.
154. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “beating out.”
155. Judges 6:11 sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63.
156. Judges 6:11 tn Heb “Midian.”
157. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “But my lord.”
158. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “all this.”
159. Judges 6:13 tn Heb “saying.”
160. Judges 6:14 tc The LXX reads “the angel of the Lord” here and in v. 16. The translation follows the MT and adds “himself” to draw attention to the change. sn Some interpreters equate the Lord and the messenger in this story. Since the messenger represents the Lord, perhaps when the Lord is mentioned in vv. 14 and 16 it means so indirectly, while Gideon’s direct encounter is with the angel. Indicators that the Lord and the angel of the Lord are distinct include: 1) the Hebrew text says only “Lord” in vv. 14 and 16; 2) in verse 16 the speaker in the Hebrew text says “I will be with you” referring to the Lord (but see the note at v. 16); 3) Gideon addresses the angel as ‎אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) but the Lord as אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “my Lord”); 4) in vv. 22-23 the Lord and Gideon continue to carry on a conversation after the messenger has vanished (v. 21). On the other hand, if the Lord was present, appearing visibly in human form (called a theophany), as implied by “turning” [his head] to Gideon, why would Gideon not be more fearful at the end of the story for having seen God rather than his angel? The story could be pictured as an exchange with the angel followed by calling out to the Lord in prayer. The translation assumes that the angel and the Lord are distinct in the conversation, but the matter is difficult.
161. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.”
162. Judges 6:14 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
163. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
164. Judges 6:15 tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (ʾadoni, “my lord”) in v. 13.
165. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “with what.”
166. Judges 6:15 tn Heb “in my father’s house.”
167. Judges 6:16 tn Or “certainly.”
168. Judges 6:16 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
169. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
170. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
171. Judges 6:17 tn Heb “perform for me.”
172. Judges 6:18 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
173. Judges 6:18 tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.
174. Judges 6:19 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
175. Judges 6:19 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
176. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
177. Judges 6:20 tn Heb “and he did so.”
178. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
179. Judges 6:21 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
180. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “saw.”
181. Judges 6:22 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
182. Judges 6:22 tn Or “Ah!”
183. Judges 6:22 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (ʾadonay y^ehvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).
184. Judges 6:23 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
185. Judges 6:24 tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.”
186. Judges 6:25 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
187. Judges 6:26 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
188. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
189. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “house.”
190. Judges 6:27 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
191. Judges 6:28 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
192. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
193. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “this thing.”
194. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
195. Judges 6:29 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
196. Judges 6:30 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
197. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
198. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
199. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fights for him.”
200. Judges 6:31 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
201. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
202. Judges 6:31 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
203. Judges 6:32 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal defend himself.”
204. Judges 6:33 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”
205. Judges 6:33 tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
206. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “clothed.”
207. Judges 6:34 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
208. Judges 6:34 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
209. Judges 6:35 tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.”
210. Judges 6:36 tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.”
211. Judges 6:36 tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
212. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “and on all the ground.”
213. Judges 6:37 tn Or “know.”
214. Judges 6:37 tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.”
215. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “And it was so.”
216. Judges 6:38 tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece—a bowl full of water.”
217. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”
218. Judges 6:39 tn Heb “Let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”
219. Judges 6:40 tn Heb “God did so that night.”
220. Judges 7:1 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
221. Judges 7:1 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
222. Judges 7:1 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
223. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
224. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
225. Judges 7:2 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
226. Judges 7:3 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
227. Judges 7:3 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
228. Judges 7:3 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).
229. Judges 7:3 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.)
230. Judges 7:3 tn Or “turned around, back.”
231. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “too many people.”
232. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
233. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
234. Judges 7:4 tn Heb also has “about anyone to you.”
235. Judges 7:4 tn Heb “he should not go.”
236. Judges 7:5 tn Heb “the people.”
237. Judges 7:5 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.”
238. Judges 7:6 tc The Hebrew phrase, “with their hands to their mouths.” is difficult 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 presumably use their hands). The words “with their hands to their mouths” may have been misplaced. 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. But on the other hand since the 300 men were the men selected for the army, lapping with their hands to their mouth would allow them to see their surroundings which would be a good procedure for a soldier. The kneelers were sent away presumably because they made themselves more vulnerable to enemy attack.
239. Judges 7:6 tn Heb “the people.”
240. Judges 7:7 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
241. Judges 7:7 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
242. Judges 7:7 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
243. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “The people.”
244. Judges 7:8 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
245. Judges 7:8 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
246. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
247. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “tents.”
248. Judges 7:8 tn Heb “Midian.”
249. Judges 7:8 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
250. Judges 7:9 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
251. Judges 7:9 tn Heb “Go down against.”
252. Judges 7:9 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
253. Judges 7:11 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
254. Judges 7:11 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
255. Judges 7:12 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
256. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
257. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
258. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
259. Judges 7:13 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
260. Judges 7:14 tn Heb “answered and said.”
261. Judges 7:14 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
262. Judges 7:15 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
263. Judges 7:16 tn Heb “heads.”
264. Judges 7:16 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn They hid the torches inside the earthenware jars to disguise their approach and to keep the torches from being extinguished by the breeze.
265. Judges 7:17 tn Or “look.”
266. Judges 7:19 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the 100 men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
267. Judges 7:19 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
268. Judges 7:20 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
269. Judges 7:21 tn Heb “each in his place.”
270. Judges 7:21 tn “Midianite” has been supplied here for clarity.
271. Judges 7:21 tn Or “fled.”
272. Judges 7:22 tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”
273. Judges 7:22 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.
274. Judges 7:22 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
275. Judges 7:23 tn Heb “Midian.”
276. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
277. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
278. Judges 7:24 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
279. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
280. Judges 7:24 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
281. Judges 7:25 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.
282. Judges 7:25 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
283. Judges 7:25 tn Heb “Midian.”
284. Judges 7:25 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).
285. Judges 8:1 tn Heb “by not summoning us.”
286. Judges 8:2 tn Heb “gleanings.”
287. Judges 8:2 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.
288. Judges 8:3 tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”
289. Judges 8:3 tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”
290. Judges 8:4 tn Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the 300 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.)
291. Judges 8:5 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
292. Judges 8:5 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.
293. Judges 8:5 tn Heb “who are at my feet.”
294. Judges 8:6 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
295. Judges 8:6 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 Sukkoth may be alluding to the practice of mutilating prisoners or enemy corpses (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 155).sn The officials of Sukkoth 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.
296. Judges 8:7 tn Heb “Therefore.”
297. Judges 8:7 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.
298. Judges 8:7 tn Or “flesh.”
299. Judges 8:7 tn This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (ʾet, 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.
300. Judges 8:8 tn Heb “and spoke to them in the same way.”
301. Judges 8:8 tn Heb “The men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Sukkoth answered.”
302. Judges 8:9 tn Heb “said to.” The translation “threatened” is interpretive, but is clearly indicated by the context.
303. Judges 8:9 tn Heb “saying.”
304. Judges 8:9 tn Or “safely.” Heb “in peace.”
305. Judges 8:10 tn Heb “About 15,000 [in number] were all the ones remaining from the army of the sons of the east. The fallen ones were 120,000 [in number], men drawing the sword.”
306. Judges 8:11 tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”
307. Judges 8:11 tc Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) may means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place. A few mss supported by the LXX read the participle form from the same root, בֹטֵחַ (voteakh) “trustingly,” the implication being that they were not attentive to defense.
308. Judges 8:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
309. Judges 8:12 tn Or “routed”; Heb “caused to panic.”
310. Judges 8:13 tn Or “ascent.”
311. Judges 8:14 tn Heb “from the men of Sukkoth.”
312. Judges 8:14 tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Sukkoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
313. Judges 8:15 tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
314. Judges 8:15 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?” 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 Sukkoth.
315. Judges 8:16 tn Heb “elders.”
316. Judges 8:16 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 דּוּשׁ (dush, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyodaʿ, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadaʿ). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Sukkoth a lesson.”
317. Judges 8:18 tn Heb “Where are?”
318. Judges 8:18 tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”
319. Judges 8:19 tn The words “I swear” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
320. Judges 8:20 tn Or “Arise!”
321. Judges 8:20 tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”
322. Judges 8:21 tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
323. Judges 8:21 tn Or “Arise.”
324. Judges 8:21 tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”
325. Judges 8:21 tn Heb “arose and killed.”
326. Judges 8:22 tn Heb “hand.”
327. Judges 8:24 tn Heb “said to them.”
328. Judges 8:24 tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
329. Judges 8:24 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
330. Judges 8:25 tn Heb “We will indeed give.”
331. Judges 8:25 tc In the LXX the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
332. Judges 8:26 sn 1,700 gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.
333. Judges 8:26 tn Or “pendants.”
334. Judges 8:26 tn Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”
335. Judges 8:27 tn Heb “made it into.”
336. Judges 8:27 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.
337. Judges 8:27 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
338. Judges 8:27 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
339. Judges 8:28 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
340. Judges 8:28 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
341. Judges 8:29 tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”
342. Judges 8:30 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.
343. Judges 8:31 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).
344. Judges 8:31 sn The name Abimelech means “my father is king.”
345. Judges 8:32 tn Heb “good.”
346. Judges 8:33 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.
347. Judges 8:34 tn Heb “remember.”
348. Judges 8:35 tn Heb “did not do loyalty with,” or “did not act faithfully toward.”
349. Judges 9:1 sn That is, Gideon, and so throughout Judges 9. Gideon was given the name Jerub Baal (meaning “Let Baal fight”) in Judges 6:32.
350. Judges 9:1 tn Heb “brothers.”
351. Judges 9:1 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
352. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
353. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
354. Judges 9:2 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
355. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
356. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
357. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “and all these words.”
358. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
359. Judges 9:3 tn Heb “our brother.”
360. Judges 9:4 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
361. Judges 9:4 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
362. Judges 9:5 tn Heb “his brothers.”
363. Judges 9:5 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
364. Judges 9:5 tn Heb “remained.”
365. Judges 9:6 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) should be מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
366. Judges 9:7 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
367. Judges 9:7 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
368. Judges 9:8 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.”
369. Judges 9:8 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
370. Judges 9:8 tn Or “Rule over us!”
371. Judges 9:9 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.
372. Judges 9:10 tn Or “and rule over us!”
373. Judges 9:11 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.
374. Judges 9:12 tn Or “and rule over us!”
375. Judges 9:13 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.
376. Judges 9:14 tn Or “and rule over us!”
377. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
378. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “in my shade.”
379. Judges 9:15 tn Heb “If not.”
380. Judges 9:16 tn Heb “house.”
381. Judges 9:16 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
382. Judges 9:17 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.
383. Judges 9:17 tn Heb “hand.”
384. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
385. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “house.”
386. Judges 9:18 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
387. Judges 9:18 tn Heb “your brother.”
388. Judges 9:19 tn Heb “house.”
389. Judges 9:19 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
390. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
391. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “there from before.”
392. Judges 9:21 tn Heb “his brother.”
393. Judges 9:22 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]).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).
394. Judges 9:23 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 (raʿah) 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.”
395. Judges 9:23 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
396. Judges 9:24 tn Heb “their brother.”
397. Judges 9:24 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.”
398. Judges 9:25 tn Heb “set against him bandits.” 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.
399. Judges 9:25 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
400. Judges 9:25 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
401. Judges 9:26 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.
402. Judges 9:26 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).
403. Judges 9:27 tn Heb “vineyards.”
404. Judges 9:27 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.
405. Judges 9:27 tn Heb “house.”
406. Judges 9:28 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
407. Judges 9:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
408. Judges 9:29 tn Heb “people.”
409. Judges 9:29 tn Heb “in my hand.”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.
410. Judges 9:29 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….’”
411. Judges 9:29 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
412. Judges 9:29 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
413. Judges 9:30 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
414. Judges 9:31 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (b^etormah) 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, baʾrumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of ʾalef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
415. Judges 9:31 tn Heb “Look!”
416. Judges 9:31 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.
417. Judges 9:31 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).
418. Judges 9:32 tn Heb “arise.”
419. Judges 9:32 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
420. Judges 9:32 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
421. Judges 9:33 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].”
422. Judges 9:34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
423. Judges 9:34 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
424. Judges 9:36 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.
425. Judges 9:36 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
426. Judges 9:37 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
427. Judges 9:37 tn Heb “head.”
428. Judges 9:37 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
429. Judges 9:38 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
430. Judges 9:38 tn Heb “the people.”
431. Judges 9:38 tn Or “despised.”
432. Judges 9:39 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
433. Judges 9:40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
434. Judges 9:40 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
435. Judges 9:41 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.
436. Judges 9:41 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
437. Judges 9:42 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
438. Judges 9:42 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
439. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “his people.”
440. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
441. Judges 9:43 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
442. Judges 9:44 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
443. Judges 9:44 tn Heb “stood [at].”
444. Judges 9:45 tn Or “destroyed.”
445. Judges 9:45 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”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.
446. Judges 9:46 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
447. Judges 9:46 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.
448. Judges 9:46 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
449. Judges 9:47 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
450. Judges 9:47 tn Heb “were assembled.”
451. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “his people.”
452. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
453. Judges 9:48 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
454. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
455. Judges 9:48 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
456. Judges 9:49 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
457. Judges 9:49 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
458. Judges 9:49 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
459. Judges 9:50 tn Or “went.”
460. Judges 9:50 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
461. Judges 9:51 tn Or “strong.”
462. Judges 9:51 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
463. Judges 9:53 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.
464. Judges 9:53 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.
465. Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
466. Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
467. Judges 9:55 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
468. Judges 9:56 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
469. Judges 9:57 tn Heb “came.”
470. Judges 10:1 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
471. Judges 10:1 tn Heb “son.”
472. Judges 10:1 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
473. Judges 10:2 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
474. Judges 10:4 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
475. Judges 10:4 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day—which are in the land of Gilead.”
476. Judges 10:6 tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”
477. Judges 10:6 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
478. Judges 10:6 sn The Ashtoreths were local manifestations of the goddess Astarte.
479. Judges 10:6 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.”
480. Judges 10:6 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
481. Judges 10:7 tn Or “the Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”
482. Judges 10:7 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
483. Judges 10:8 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [raʿats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
484. Judges 10:8 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (sh^emoneh ʿesreh 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.
485. Judges 10:9 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
486. Judges 10:9 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
487. Judges 10:10 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
488. Judges 10:12 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
489. Judges 10:12 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 Lord’s frustration.
490. Judges 10:12 tn Heb “hand.”
491. Judges 10:13 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
492. Judges 10:14 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
493. Judges 10:15 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
494. Judges 10:15 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.”
495. Judges 10:16 tn Heb “from their midst.”
496. Judges 10:16 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
497. Judges 10:16 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”).
498. Judges 10:17 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
499. Judges 10:18 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
500. Judges 10:18 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
501. Judges 11:1 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
502. Judges 11:2 tn Heb “bore.”
503. Judges 11:2 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
504. Judges 11:3 tn Or “fled from.”
505. Judges 11:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
506. Judges 11:3 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
507. Judges 11:5 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
508. Judges 11:5 tn Or “elders.”
509. Judges 11:5 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
510. Judges 11:6 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
511. Judges 11:7 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
512. Judges 11:8 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 (loʾ khen).
513. Judges 11:8 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ʾel) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
514. Judges 11:8 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (roʾsh, “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.
515. Judges 11:8 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
516. Judges 11:9 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
517. Judges 11:9 tn Heb “places them before me.”
518. Judges 11:9 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.
519. Judges 11:10 tn Heb “The Lord will be the one who hears between us.” For the idiom שָׁמַע בַּיִן (shamaʿ bayin, “to hear between”), see Deut 1:16.
520. Judges 11:10 sn The Lord will judge…if we do not do as you say. The statement by the leaders of Gilead takes the form of a legally binding oath, which obligates them to the terms of the agreement.
521. Judges 11:11 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 Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.
522. Judges 11:12 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
523. Judges 11:13 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
524. Judges 11:13 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
525. Judges 11:13 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.
526. Judges 11:13 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.
527. Judges 11:15 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
528. Judges 11:16 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
529. Judges 11:16 tn Or “went.”
530. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
531. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “did not listen.”
532. Judges 11:17 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
533. Judges 11:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
534. Judges 11:18 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
535. Judges 11:19 tn Heb “to my place.”
536. Judges 11:20 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.
537. Judges 11:20 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
538. Judges 11:21 tn That is, took as its own possession.
539. Judges 11:22 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.
540. Judges 11:23 tn Heb “Now.”
541. Judges 11:23 tn Or “dispossessed.”
542. Judges 11:23 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.
543. Judges 11:24 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the Lord our God dispossesses before us we will possess?” Jephthah speaks of Chemosh as if he is on a par with the Lord God of Israel. This does not necessarily mean that Jephthah is polytheistic or that he recognizes the Lord as only a local deity. He may simply be assuming the Ammonite king’s perspective for the sake of argument. Other texts, as well as the extrabiblical Mesha inscription, associate Chemosh with Moab, while Milcom is identified as the god of the Ammonites. Why then does Jephthah refer to Chemosh as the Ammonite god? Ammon had likely conquered Moab and the Ammonite king probably regarded himself as heir of all territory formerly held by Moab. Originally Moab had owned the disputed territory (cf. Num 21:26-29), meaning that Chemosh was regarded as the god of the region (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 203-4). Jephthah argues that Chemosh had long ago relinquished claim to the area (by allowing Sihon to conquer it), while the Lord had long ago established jurisdiction over it (by taking it from Sihon and giving it to Israel). Both sides should abide by the decisions of the gods which had stood firm for 300 years.
544. Judges 11:25 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation. 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).
545. Judges 11:27 tn Or “sinned against you.”
546. Judges 11:27 tn Or “evil.”
547. Judges 11:28 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
548. Judges 11:28 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
549. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “was on.”
550. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “passed through.”
551. Judges 11:29 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
552. Judges 11:31 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 (hayyotseʾ, “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.
553. Judges 11:31 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.
554. Judges 11:31 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 Lord’s service, but if an animal comes through the doors, he will offer it up as a sacrifice. However, it is far more likely that the Hebrew construction (vav [ו] + perfect) specifies how the subject will become the Lord’s, that is, by being offered up as a sacrifice. For similar constructions, where the apodosis of a conditional sentence has at least two perfects (each with vav) in sequence, see Gen 34:15-16; Exod 18:16.
555. Judges 11:32 tn Heb “passed over to.”
556. Judges 11:33 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
557. Judges 11:33 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
558. Judges 11:34 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
559. Judges 11:34 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
560. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
561. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
562. Judges 11:35 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the Lord and I am not able to return.”
563. Judges 11:36 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
564. Judges 11:36 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”
565. Judges 11:36 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
566. Judges 11:37 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
567. Judges 11:37 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.”
568. Judges 11:38 tn Heb “he sent her.”
569. Judges 11:38 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
570. Judges 11:39 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.
571. Judges 11:39 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
572. Judges 11:40 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
573. Judges 11:40 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
574. Judges 11:40 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.
575. Judges 12:1 tn Heb “the men of Ephraim were summoned [or “were mustered”].”
576. Judges 12:1 tn Heb “cross over to fight.”
577. Judges 12:1 tn Or “calling”; or “summoning.”
578. Judges 12:1 tn Heb “Your house we will burn over you with fire.”
579. Judges 12:2 tc Heb “A fighting man was I was and my people, and the Ammonites greatly.” The LXX reads “I was man fighting, and my people [also]. And the sons of Ammon were humiliating me greatly.” The imperfect form of ταπεινόω (tapeinoō) in the LXX probably represents the Hebrew verb עָנָה (ʿanah) as it commonly does elsewhere. Two nearby words begin with ע (ʿayin): עַמִּי (ʿammi; “my people”) and עַמּוֹן (ʿammōn; “Ammon”). So a form of עָנָה (ʿanah) could easily have been omitted by haplography. A piel perfect would begin with ʿayin, (עִנּוּ; ʿinnu), while a piel participle (as might be suggested by the Greek imperfect) would begin with mem and ʿayin, מְעַנֶּה (meʿanneh).tn The Hebrew verb רִיב (riv) often appears in a legal setting, to contend a legal case, but does not have to. In non-legal settings it can mean to strive against, quarrel, brawl (HALOT, 1224).
580. Judges 12:2 tn Heb “hand.”
581. Judges 12:3 tn Heb “you were no deliverer.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX has “no one was helping.”
582. Judges 12:3 tn Heb “I put my life in my hand.”
583. Judges 12:3 tn Heb “crossed over to.”
584. Judges 12:3 tn The Hebrew adds “against me” here. This is redundant in English and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
585. Judges 12:4 tn Heb “because they said.”
586. Judges 12:4 tc Heb “Refugees of Ephraim are you, O Gilead, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” The LXX omits the entire second half of the verse (beginning with “because”). The words כִּי אָמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם (ki ʾam^eru p^elite ʾefrayim, “because they said, ‘Refugees of Ephraim’”) may have been accidentally copied from the next verse (cf. כִּי יֹאמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם, ki yoʾm^eru pelite ʾefrayim) and the following words (“you, O Gilead…Manasseh”) then added in an attempt to make sense of the verse. See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 307-8, and C. F. Burney, Judges, 327. If the Hebrew text is retained, then the Ephraimites appear to be insulting the Gileadites by describing them as refugees who are squatting on Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s land. The present translation assumes that “Ephraim” is a genitive of location after “refugees.”
587. Judges 12:5 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
588. Judges 12:5 tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.
589. Judges 12:5 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.
590. Judges 12:5 tn Heb “say to.”
591. Judges 12:6 sn The inability of the Ephraimites to pronounce the word shibboleth the way the Gileadites did served as an identifying test. It illustrates that during this period there were differences in pronunciation between the tribes. The Hebrew word shibboleth itself means “stream” or “flood,” and was apparently chosen simply as a test case without regard to its meaning.
592. Judges 12:6 tn Heb “and could not prepare to speak.” The precise meaning of יָכִין (yakhin) is unclear. Some understand it to mean “was not careful [to say it correctly]”; others emend to יָכֹל (yakhol, “was not able [to say it correctly]”) or יָבִין (yavin, “did not understand [that he should say it correctly]”), which is read by a few Hebrew mss.
593. Judges 12:7 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
594. Judges 12:7 tn Heb “Jephthah the Gileadite.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
595. Judges 12:7 tc The Hebrew text has “in the cities of Gilead.” The present translation has support from some ancient Greek textual witnesses.
596. Judges 12:8 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
597. Judges 12:9 tn Heb “thirty daughters he sent off outside.” Another option is to translate, “He arranged for his thirty daughters….” It is not clear if he had more than the “thirty daughters” mentioned in the text.
598. Judges 12:9 tn Heb “and thirty daughters he brought for his sons from the outside.”
599. Judges 12:9 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ibzan) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for English stylistic reasons.
600. Judges 12:9 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
601. Judges 12:10 tn Heb “Ibzan.” The pronoun “he” is used in the translation in keeping with English style, which tends to use a proper name first in a sentence followed by a pronoun rather than vice versa.
602. Judges 12:11 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
603. Judges 12:11 tn Heb “…led Israel. He led Israel for ten years.”
604. Judges 12:13 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
605. Judges 13:1 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
606. Judges 13:2 tn Heb “and had not given birth.”
607. Judges 13:3 tn Heb “Look, you.”
608. Judges 13:3 tn Heb “and have not given birth.”
609. Judges 13:4 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
610. Judges 13:5 tn Another option is to translate, “you are already pregnant and will have a son.” The earlier reference to her being infertile (v. 3) suggests that her conception is still future, but it is possible that the earlier statement only reflects her perspective (as far as she is concerned, she is infertile). According to this interpretation, in v. 5 the angel reveals the truth to her—actually she has recently conceived and is now pregnant (see the translation in R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 217). Usage favors this interpretation. The predicate adjective הָרָה (harah, “[be/become] pregnant”) elsewhere has a past (1 Sam 4:19) or present (Gen 16:11; 38:25; 2 Sam 11:5) translation value. (The usage in Isa 7:14 is debated, but a present translation is definitely possible there.) A final, but less likely possibility, is that she miraculously conceived during the angel’s speech, sometime between his statements recorded in vv. 3 and 5.
611. Judges 13:5 tn Heb “a razor should not go up on his head.”
612. Judges 13:5 tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).
613. Judges 13:5 tn Heb “hand.”
614. Judges 13:6 tn Heb “The man of God.”
615. Judges 13:6 tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome.”
616. Judges 13:7 tn See the note on the word “son” in 13:5, where this same statement occurs.
617. Judges 13:7 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
618. Judges 13:7 tn Traditionally “a Nazirite.”
619. Judges 13:8 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
620. Judges 13:8 tn Heb “the man of God.”
621. Judges 13:8 tn Heb “come to.”
622. Judges 13:8 tc The LXX has “enlighten,” understanding the Hebrew to read וִיאִירֵנוּ (viʾirenu, “to give light”) rather than the reading of the MT, וְיוֹרֵנוּ (v^eyorenu, “to teach”).
623. Judges 13:8 tn Heb “what we should do for.”
624. Judges 13:9 tn Heb “God listened to the voice of Manoah.”
625. Judges 13:9 tn Heb “came to.”
626. Judges 13:10 tn Heb “and said to him.” This phrase has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
627. Judges 13:10 tn Heb “Look.”
628. Judges 13:10 tn Heb “came to.”
629. Judges 13:11 tn Heb “came to.”
630. Judges 13:11 tn Heb “the woman.”
631. Judges 13:11 tn Heb “I [am].”
632. Judges 13:12 tn Heb “Now, [when] your word comes [to pass].”
633. Judges 13:12 tn Heb “what will be the child’s rule [i.e., way of life] and his work?”
634. Judges 13:13 tn Or “said to.”
635. Judges 13:13 tn Heb “To everything I said to the woman she should pay attention.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes “to everything,” probably because Manoah’s wife did not tell her husband everything the angel had said to her (cf. vv. 3-5 with v. 7). If she had, Manoah probably would not have been so confused about the child’s mission.
636. Judges 13:14 tn Heb “eat.”
637. Judges 13:14 tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”
638. Judges 13:15 tn Heb “Please allow us to detain you.”
639. Judges 13:15 tn Heb “so we can prepare before you a young goat of the goats.”
640. Judges 13:16 tn Heb “If you detain me.”
641. Judges 13:16 tn The words “he said this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Manoah should have known from these words that the angel represented the Lord. In the preceding narrative the narrator has informed the reader that the visitor is the angel of the Lord, but Manoah and his wife did not perceive this. In vv. 5 and 7 the angel refers to “God” (אֱלֹהִים, ʾelohim), not the Lord (יְהוַה, y^ehvah). Manoah’s wife calls the visitor “a man sent from God” and “God’s angel” (v. 6), while Manoah prays to the “Lord” (אֲדוֹנָי, ʾadonay) and calls the visitor “a man sent from God” (v. 8).
642. Judges 13:17 tn Heb “Who your name? For [when] your word comes [to pass], we will honor you.” Manoah apparently gets tongue-tied and uses the wrong pronoun (“who” instead of “what”). He starts to say, “Who are you?” But then he switches to “your name” as if he began the sentence with “what.” See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 222.
643. Judges 13:18 tn Heb “Why do you ask for my name, for it is incomprehensible?” The Hebrew adjective e פִּלְאִי (pilʾi, “wonderful, incomprehensible”) refers to what is in a category of its own and is beyond full human understanding. Note the use of this word in Ps 139:6, where God’s knowledge is described as incomprehensible and unattainable.
644. Judges 13:19 tc Heb “Doing an extraordinary deed while Manoah and his wife were watching.” The subject of the participle is missing. The translation assumes that the phrase “the Lord’s messenger” was lost by homoioteleuton. If the text originally read לַיהוָה מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה (layhvah malʾakh y^ehvah), the scribe’s eye could have jumped from the first יְהוָה to the second, accidentally omitting two of the three words. Later the conjunction וּ (shureq) would have been added to the following מַפְלִא (mafliʾ) for syntactical reasons. Another possibility is that a pronominal subject (הוּא, huʾ) has been lost in the MT due to haplography.
645. Judges 13:20 tn Heb “in the flame from the altar.”
646. Judges 13:20 tn Heb “on their faces.”
647. Judges 13:22 tn Or “seen God.” Some take the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) as the divine name (“God”) here, but this seems unlikely since v. 21 informs us that Manoah realized this was the Lord’s messenger, not God himself. Of course, he may be exaggerating for the sake of emphasis. Another option, the one followed in the translation, understands Manoah to be referring to a lesser deity. The term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) is sometimes used of an individual deity other than the Lord (see BDB 43 s.v. 2.a). One cannot assume that Manoah was a theologically sophisticated monotheist.
648. Judges 13:23 tn Heb “our hand.”
649. Judges 13:24 tn Heb “the woman.” For clarity this has been specified in the translation as “Manoah’s wife.”
650. Judges 13:24 tn The name appears to mean “sun-like” or “solar.”
651. Judges 13:24 tn Traditionally, “blessed.”
652. Judges 13:25 tn Or “move him to action”; or “stir him.”
653. Judges 14:1 tn Heb “and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
654. Judges 14:2 tn Heb “and he went up.”
655. Judges 14:2 tn Heb “I have seen a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
656. Judges 14:3 tn Heb “my.” The singular may seem strange, since the introduction to the quotation attributes the words to his father and mother. But Samson’s father apparently speaks for both himself and his wife. However, the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta have a second person pronoun here (“you”), and this may represent the original reading.
657. Judges 14:3 tn Heb “Is there not among the daughters of your brothers or among all my people a woman that you have to go to get a wife among the uncircumcised Philistines?”
658. Judges 14:3 tn “Her” is first in the Hebrew word order for emphasis. Samson wanted this Philistine girl, no one else. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 357.
659. Judges 14:3 tn Heb “because she is right in my eyes.”
660. Judges 14:4 tn Heb “this was from the LORD.”
661. Judges 14:4 tn Heb “for an opportunity he was seeking from the Philistines.”
662. Judges 14:5 tc The Hebrew includes “and his father and his mother.” See the next note.
663. Judges 14:5 tc The MT reads “they approached,” while the LXX reads “he approached.” The previous sentence suggests that his parents were there, reading literally, “he went down, Samson and his father and his mother, to Timnah.” But the story line suggests that his parents were not there, as v. 6b reports that Samson did not tell them about the incident. The following sentence begins with וְהִנֵּה (v^ehinneh, “and behold”). This particle is used to focus or shift attention, typically pointing something out or introducing it into the scene (here the lion). But the scene that וְהִנֵּה comments on is set by the previous verb. If the verb “approached” were plural, then Samson’s parents should be with him when the lion attacks, something that contradicts the story as a whole. This indicates the verb should be singular. Since the previous verb, “went down,” is also singular (so also v. 7a), the phrase “and his father and his mother” may have been accidentally copied into the text under the influence of v. 4a. Later the verb was changed to “they approached” to account for the addition, but not until after the LXX was translated. Or one might suppose that his parents had gone on this trip down to Timnah (retaining “and his father and his mother”), but he had separated from them before approaching to the vineyards.
664. Judges 14:5 tn Heb “and look, a young lion of the lions was roaring to meet him.”
665. Judges 14:6 tn Heb “rushed on.”
666. Judges 14:6 tn Heb “him” or “it”; the referent (the lion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
667. Judges 14:6 tn Heb “and there was nothing in his hand.”
668. Judges 14:7 tn Heb “He went down.”
669. Judges 14:7 tn Heb “She was the right one in the eyes of Samson.”
670. Judges 14:8 tn Heb “get.”
671. Judges 14:8 tn Heb “and look, a swarm of bees….”
672. Judges 14:9 tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.
673. Judges 14:9 sn Touching the carcass of a dead animal undoubtedly violated Samson’s Nazirite status. See Num 6:6.
674. Judges 14:10 tn Heb “And his father went down to the woman.”
675. Judges 14:10 tn Or “[wedding] feast.”
676. Judges 14:10 tn Heb “the young men.”
677. Judges 14:11 tn Heb “When they saw him, they gave him thirty companions and they were with him.” Instead of כִּרְאוֹתָם (kirʾotam, “when they saw”) some ancient witnesses (e.g., some mss of the LXX) assume the reading בְּיִרְאָתָם (b^eyirʾatam, “because they feared”).
678. Judges 14:12 tn Heb “If you really can tell it to me [during] the seven days of the feast and you find [its answer].”
679. Judges 14:12 tn Heb “changes.”
680. Judges 14:13 tn Heb “you are unable to tell me.”
681. Judges 14:13 tn Heb “Give your riddle so we can hear it.”
682. Judges 14:15 tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (r^eviʿi, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (sh^eviʿi, “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 (sh^eloshet, “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.
683. Judges 14:15 tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”
684. Judges 14:15 tn Heb “lest.”
685. Judges 14:15 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.
686. Judges 14:15 tn Heb “house.”
687. Judges 14:15 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 (haloʾ), a negative particle with interrogative particle prefixed to it.
688. Judges 14:15 tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.
689. Judges 14:16 tn Heb “on him.”
690. Judges 14:16 tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”
691. Judges 14:16 tn Heb “the sons of my people.”
692. Judges 14:16 tn Heb “Should I tell you?”
693. Judges 14:17 tn Heb “on him.”
694. Judges 14:17 tn Heb “the seven days [during] which they held the party.” This does not mean she cried for the entire seven days; v. 15 indicates otherwise. She cried for the remainder of the seven day period, beginning on the fourth day.
695. Judges 14:17 tn Heb “because she forced him.”
696. Judges 14:17 tn Heb “she told the riddle to the sons of her people.”
697. Judges 14:18 sn Plowed with my heifer. This statement emphasizes that the Philistines had utilized a source of information which should have been off-limits to them. Heifers were used in plowing (Hos 10:11), but one typically used one’s own farm animals, not another man’s.
698. Judges 14:19 tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”
699. Judges 14:19 tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”
700. Judges 14:19 tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”
701. Judges 14:20 tn Heb “to his companion who had been his attendant.”
702. Judges 15:1 sn The wheat harvest took place during the month of May. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 37, 88.
703. Judges 15:1 tn Heb “Samson visited his wife with a young goat.”
704. Judges 15:1 tn The words “to her father” are supplied in the translation (see the end of the verse).
705. Judges 15:1 tn Heb “I want to approach.” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
706. Judges 15:1 tn Heb “I will go to my wife in the bedroom.” The Hebrew idiom בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations. The cohortative form used by Samson can be translated as indicating resolve (“I want to go”) or request (“let me go”).
707. Judges 15:2 tn Heb “saying, I said.” The first person form of אָמַר (ʾamar, “to say”) sometimes indicates self-reflection. The girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
708. Judges 15:2 tn Heb “hating, you hated.” Once again the girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
709. Judges 15:2 tn Heb “Is her younger sister not better than her? Let her [i.e., the younger sister] be yours instead of her [i.e., Samson’s ‘bride’]).”
710. Judges 15:3 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the singular “to him.”
711. Judges 15:3 tn Heb “I am innocent this time from the Philistines when I do with them harm.”
712. Judges 15:4 tn Traditionally, “foxes.”
713. Judges 15:4 tn Heb “He turned tail to tail and placed one torch between the two tails in the middle.”
714. Judges 15:5 tn Heb “He set fire to the torches.”
715. Judges 15:6 tn Or “said.”
716. Judges 15:6 tn Heb “and they said.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
717. Judges 15:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Timnite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
718. Judges 15:6 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Samson) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
719. Judges 15:6 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement with the additional phrase “burned with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons. Some textual witnesses read “burned…her father’s house,” perhaps under the influence of 14:15. On the other hand, the shorter text may have lost this phrase due to haplography.
720. Judges 15:7 tn The Niphal of נָקָם (naqam, “to avenge, to take vengeance”) followed by the preposition ב (bet) has the force “to get revenge against.” See 1 Sam 18:25; Jer 50:15; Ezek 25:12.
721. Judges 15:7 tn Heb “and afterward I will stop.”
722. Judges 15:8 tn Heb “He struck them, calf on thigh, [with] a great slaughter.” The precise meaning of the phrase “calf on thigh” is uncertain.
723. Judges 15:9 tn Or “camped in.”
724. Judges 15:9 tn Or “spread out.” The Niphal of נָטָשׁ (natash) has this same sense in 2 Sam 5:18, 22.
725. Judges 15:10 tn Or “come up against.”
726. Judges 15:10 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
727. Judges 15:12 tn Or “swear to me.”
728. Judges 15:12 tn Heb “meet [with hostility]”; “harm.” In light of v. 13, “kill” is an appropriate translation.