Hakim-hakim 1:8-11

1:8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire.

1:9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands. ¹  1:10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 1:11 From there they attacked the people of Debir. ²  (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.)

Hakim-hakim 1:16-17

1:16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, ³  located in the Negev. ⁴  They went and lived with the people of Judah. ⁵ 

1:17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon ⁶  and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. ⁷  So people now call the city Hormah. ⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 1:19-21

1:19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered ⁹  the hill country, but they could not ¹⁰  conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. ¹¹  1:20 Caleb received ¹²  Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. 1:21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. ¹³  The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. ¹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 1:25

1:25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely.

Hakim-hakim 1:27

1:27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo ¹⁵  or their surrounding towns. ¹⁶  The Canaanites managed ¹⁷  to remain in those areas. ¹⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 1:29-33

1:29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

1:30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. ¹⁹  The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.

1:31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, ²⁰  nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. ²¹  1:32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.

1:33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. ²²  They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites ²³  living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.

Hakim-hakim 1:35

1:35 The Amorites managed ²⁴  to remain in Har Heres, ²⁵  Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, ²⁶  the Amorites were forced to do hard labor.

Hakim-hakim 2:2

2:2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’ ²⁷  But you have disobeyed me. ²⁸  Why would you do such a thing? ²⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 2:6

The End of an Era

2:6 When Joshua dismissed ³⁰  the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, ³¹  intending to take possession of the land.

Hakim-hakim 2:11-12

A Monotonous Cycle

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ³²  the Lord by worshiping ³³  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ³⁴  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ³⁵  them and made the Lord angry.

Hakim-hakim 3:3

3:3 These were the nations: ³⁶  the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. ³⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 3:5

3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Hakim-hakim 3:13

3:13 Eglon formed alliances with ³⁸  the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees.

Hakim-hakim 3:19-20

3:19 But he went back ³⁹  once he reached ⁴⁰  the carved images ⁴¹  at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, ⁴²  “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon ⁴³  said, “Be quiet!” ⁴⁴  All his attendants left. 3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated ⁴⁵  upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God ⁴⁶  for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, ⁴⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 4:2

4:2 The Lord turned them over to ⁴⁸  King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. ⁴⁹  The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. ⁵⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 4:5

4:5 She would sit ⁵¹  under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel ⁵²  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. ⁵³ 

Hakim-hakim 5:7

5:7 Warriors ⁵⁴  were scarce, ⁵⁵ 

they were scarce in Israel,

until you ⁵⁶  arose, Deborah,

until you arose as a motherly protector ⁵⁷  in Israel.

Hakim-hakim 5:10

5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets, ⁵⁸ 

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

Hakim-hakim 5:16-17

5:16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, ⁵⁹ 

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes ⁶⁰  for their flocks? ⁶¹ 

As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.

5:17 Gilead stayed put ⁶²  beyond the Jordan River.

As for Dan – why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards? ⁶³ 

Asher remained ⁶⁴  on the seacoast,

he stayed ⁶⁵  by his harbors. ⁶⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 5:23-24

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ⁶⁷  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ⁶⁸  messenger;

‘Be sure ⁶⁹  to call judgment down on ⁷⁰  those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, ⁷¹ 

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ ⁷² 

5:24 The most rewarded ⁷³  of women should be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite!

She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.

Hakim-hakim 6:10-11

6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship ⁷⁴  the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’” ⁷⁵ 

Gideon Meets Some Visitors

6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger ⁷⁶  came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon ⁷⁷  was threshing ⁷⁸  wheat in a winepress ⁷⁹  so he could hide it from the Midianites. ⁸⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 6:28

6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw ⁸¹  the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar.

Hakim-hakim 7:24

Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites

7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. ⁸²  Take control of the fords of the streams ⁸³  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” ⁸⁴  When all the Ephraimites had assembled, ⁸⁵  they took control of the fords ⁸⁶  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.

Hakim-hakim 8:5

8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give ⁸⁷  some loaves of bread to the men ⁸⁸  who are following me, ⁸⁹  because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

Hakim-hakim 8:11

8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads ⁹⁰  east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. ⁹¹ 

Hakim-hakim 8:14

8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth ⁹²  and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. ⁹³ 

Hakim-hakim 8:29

8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. ⁹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 9:2-3

9:2 “Tell ⁹⁵  all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want ⁹⁶  to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” ⁹⁷  9:3 His mother’s relatives ⁹⁸  spoke on his behalf to ⁹⁹  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ¹⁰⁰  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ¹⁰¹  they said, “He is our close relative.” ¹⁰² 

Hakim-hakim 9:6

9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar ¹⁰³  in Shechem.

Hakim-hakim 9:20-22

9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away ¹⁰⁴  to Beer and lived there to escape from ¹⁰⁵  Abimelech his half-brother. ¹⁰⁶ 

God Fulfills Jotham’s Curse

9:22 Abimelech commanded ¹⁰⁷  Israel for three years.

Hakim-hakim 9:24

9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother ¹⁰⁸  who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. ¹⁰⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 9:31

9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, ¹¹⁰  reporting, “Beware! ¹¹¹  Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming ¹¹²  to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. ¹¹³ 

Hakim-hakim 9:41

9:41 Abimelech went back ¹¹⁴  to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. ¹¹⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 9:43-45

9:43 he took his men ¹¹⁶  and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, ¹¹⁷  he attacked and struck them down. ¹¹⁸  9:44 Abimelech and his units ¹¹⁹  attacked and blocked ¹²⁰  the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled ¹²¹  the city and spread salt over it. ¹²² 

Hakim-hakim 9:49-51

9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches ¹²³  against the stronghold and set fire to it. ¹²⁴  All the people ¹²⁵  of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

9:50 Abimelech moved on ¹²⁶  to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. ¹²⁷  9:51 There was a fortified ¹²⁸  tower ¹²⁹  in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower.

Hakim-hakim 10:1

Stability Restored

10:1 After Abimelech’s death, ¹³⁰  Tola son of Puah, grandson ¹³¹  of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, ¹³²  rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country.

Hakim-hakim 10:18

10:18 The leaders ¹³³  of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge ¹³⁴  against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

Hakim-hakim 11:3

11:3 So Jephthah left ¹³⁵  his half-brothers ¹³⁶  and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. ¹³⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 11:8

11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, ¹³⁸  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ¹³⁹  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ¹⁴⁰  of all who live in Gilead.” ¹⁴¹ 

Hakim-hakim 11:11

11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement ¹⁴²  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 11:21-22

11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took ¹⁴³  all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. ¹⁴⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 11:26

11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time?

Hakim-hakim 12:4-5

12:4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying, ¹⁴⁵  “You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s territory.” ¹⁴⁶  12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River ¹⁴⁷  opposite Ephraim. ¹⁴⁸  Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive ¹⁴⁹  said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked ¹⁵⁰  him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Hakim-hakim 12:9

12:9 He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, ¹⁵¹  and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. ¹⁵²  Ibzan ¹⁵³  led ¹⁵⁴  Israel for seven years;

Hakim-hakim 13:9

13:9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. ¹⁵⁵  God’s angelic messenger visited ¹⁵⁶  the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her.

Hakim-hakim 15:8

15:8 He struck them down and defeated them. ¹⁵⁷  Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.

Hakim-hakim 16:2

16:2 The Gazites were told, ¹⁵⁸  “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town ¹⁵⁹  and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. ¹⁶⁰  They relaxed ¹⁶¹  all night, thinking, ¹⁶²  “He will not leave ¹⁶³  until morning comes; ¹⁶⁴  then we will kill him!”

Hakim-hakim 16:4

16:4 After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.

Hakim-hakim 16:9

16:9 They hid ¹⁶⁵  in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, ¹⁶⁶  Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. ¹⁶⁷  The secret of his strength was not discovered. ¹⁶⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 16:12

16:12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here, ¹⁶⁹  Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.) ¹⁷⁰  But he tore the ropes ¹⁷¹  from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.

Hakim-hakim 17:10-12

17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser ¹⁷²  and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” ¹⁷³  17:11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah. ¹⁷⁴  17:12 Micah paid ¹⁷⁵  the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s house.

Hakim-hakim 18:1

The Tribe of Dan Finds an Inheritance

18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place ¹⁷⁶  to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷⁷ 

Hakim-hakim 18:7

18:7 So the five men journeyed on ¹⁷⁸  and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there ¹⁷⁹  were living securely, like the Sidonians do, ¹⁸⁰  undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. ¹⁸¹  They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁸² 

Hakim-hakim 18:9

18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, ¹⁸³  for ¹⁸⁴  we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, ¹⁸⁵  but don’t hesitate ¹⁸⁶  to invade and conquer ¹⁸⁷  the land.

Hakim-hakim 18:12

18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. ¹⁸⁸  It is west ¹⁸⁹  of Kiriath Jearim.)

Hakim-hakim 18:22

18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors ¹⁹⁰  gathered together and caught up with the Danites.

Hakim-hakim 18:27-28

18:27 Now the Danites ¹⁹¹  took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. ¹⁹²  18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city ¹⁹³  was far from Sidon ¹⁹⁴  and they had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁹⁵  The city ¹⁹⁶  was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites ¹⁹⁷  rebuilt the city and occupied it.

Hakim-hakim 18:30

18:30 The Danites worshiped ¹⁹⁸  the carved image. Jonathan, descendant ¹⁹⁹  of Gershom, son of Moses, ²⁰⁰  and his descendants ²⁰¹  served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile.

Hakim-hakim 19:1

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite ²⁰²  living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine ²⁰³  from Bethlehem ²⁰⁴  in Judah.

Hakim-hakim 19:6

19:6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. ²⁰⁵  Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!” ²⁰⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 19:12

19:12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. ²⁰⁷  We will travel on to Gibeah.”

Hakim-hakim 19:15-16

19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night ²⁰⁸  in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. ²⁰⁹ 

19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. ²¹⁰  The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) ²¹¹ 

Hakim-hakim 19:18

19:18 The Levite ²¹²  said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem ²¹³  in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. ²¹⁴  But no one has invited me into their home.

Hakim-hakim 20:14-15

20:14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah ²¹⁵  to make war against the Israelites. 20:15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. ²¹⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 20:26

20:26 So all the Israelites, the whole army, ²¹⁷  went up to ²¹⁸  Bethel. ²¹⁹  They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything ²²⁰  that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace ²²¹  to the Lord.

Hakim-hakim 21:2

21:2 So the people came to Bethel ²²²  and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. ²²³ 

Hakim-hakim 21:9-10

21:9 When they took roll call, ²²⁴  they noticed ²²⁵  none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. 21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors ²²⁶  against Jabesh Gilead. ²²⁷  They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords ²²⁸  the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.

Hakim-hakim 21:12

21:12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins – they had never had sexual relations with a male. ²²⁹  They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

Hakim-hakim 21:23

21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. ²³⁰  They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. ²³¹  They went home ²³²  to their own territory, ²³³  rebuilt their cities, and settled down. ²³⁴ 

[1:9]  ¹ tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

[1:11]  ² tn Heb “they went from there against the inhabitants of Debir.” The LXX reads the verb as “they went up,” which suggests that the Hebrew text translated by the LXX read וַיַּעַל (vayya’al) rather than the MT’s וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh). It is possible that this is the text to be preferred in v. 11. Cf. Josh 15:15.

[1:16]  ³ tc Part of the Greek ms tradition lacks the words “of Judah.”

[1:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “[to] the Desert of Judah in the Negev, Arad.”

[1:16]  ⁵ tn The phrase “of Judah” is supplied here in the translation. Some ancient textual witnesses read, “They went and lived with the Amalekites.” This reading, however, is probably influenced by 1 Sam 15:6 (see also Num 24:20-21).

[1:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “Judah went with Simeon, his brother.”

[1:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Zephath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ⁸ sn The name Hormah (חָרְמָה, khormah) sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “wipe out” (חָרַם, kharam).

[1:19]  ⁹ tn Or “seized possession of”; or “occupied.”

[1:19]  ¹⁰ tc Several textual witnesses support the inclusion of this verb.

[1:19]  ¹¹ 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.

[1:20]  ¹² tn Heb “they gave to Caleb.”

[1:21]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:21]  ¹⁴ sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).

[1:27]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.

[1:27]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan and its surrounding towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, the people living in Dor and its surrounding towns, the people living in Ibleam and its surrounding towns, or the people living in Megiddo and its surrounding towns.”

[1:27]  ¹⁷ tn Or “were determined.”

[1:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in this land.”

[1:30]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the people living in Kitron and the people living in Nahalol.”

[1:31]  ²⁰ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[1:31]  ²¹ tn Heb “The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco, the people living in Sidon, Ahlab, Acco, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.”

[1:33]  ²² tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”

[1:33]  ²³ tn The term “Canaanites” is supplied here both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[1:35]  ²⁴ tn Or “were determined.”

[1:35]  ²⁵ tn Or “Mount Heres”; the term הַר (har) means “mount” or “mountain” in Hebrew.

[1:35]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Whenever the hand of the tribe of Joseph was heavy.”

[2:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “their altars.”

[2:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”

[2:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “What is this you have done?”

[2:6]  ³⁰ tn Or “sent away.”

[2:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “the Israelites went each to his inheritance.”

[2:11]  ³² tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[2:11]  ³³ tn Or “serving”; or “following.”

[2:12]  ³⁴ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ³⁵ tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[3:3]  ³⁶ tn The words “These were the nations,” though not present in the Hebrew text, are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:3]  ³⁷ tn Or “the entrance to Hamath.”

[3:13]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and he gathered to him.”

[3:19]  ³⁹ tn Or “returned” (i.e., to Eglon’s palace).

[3:19]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “when he reached” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text simply reads “from.”

[3:19]  ⁴¹ tn Or “idols.”

[3:19]  ⁴² tn The words “to Eglon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eglon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “Hush!”

[3:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “cool.” This probably refers to a room with latticed windows which allowed the breeze to pass through. See B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 144.

[3:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “word of [i.e., from] God.”

[3:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “throne.”

[4:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord sold them into the hands of.”

[4:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”

[4:2]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[4:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.”

[4:5]  ⁵¹ tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”

[4:5]  ⁵² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[4:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “for judgment.”

[5:7]  ⁵⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew noun פְרָזוֹן (fÿrazon) 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.

[5:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “ceased.”

[5:7]  ⁵⁶ 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).

[5:7]  ⁵⁷ 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).

[5:10]  ⁵⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.

[5:16]  ⁵⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishpÿtayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”

[5:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “whistling.”

[5:16]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”

[5:17]  ⁶² tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”

[5:17]  sn Apparently the people of Gilead remained on the other side of the river and did not participate in the battle.

[5:17]  ⁶³ 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.

[5:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “lived.”

[5:17]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”

[5:17]  ⁶⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.”

[5:23]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”

[5:23]  ⁶⁸ tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

[5:23]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.

[5:23]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “[to] curse.”

[5:23]  ⁷¹ 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.”

[5:23]  ⁷² tn Or “along with the other warriors.”

[5:24]  ⁷³ tn Or “blessed.”

[6:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “Do not fear.”

[6:10]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”

[6:11]  ⁷⁶ tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

[6:11]  sn The Lord’s angelic messenger is also mentioned in Judg 2:1.

[6:11]  ⁷⁷ 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.

[6:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “beating out.”

[6:11]  ⁷⁹ 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.

[6:11]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “Midian.”

[6:28]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.

[7:24]  ⁸² tn Heb “to meet Midian.”

[7:24]  ⁸³ tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”

[7:24]  ⁸⁴ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).

[7:24]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”

[7:24]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “they captured the waters.”

[8:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Or perhaps, “sell.”

[8:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.

[8:5]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “who are at my feet.”

[8:11]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”

[8:11]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.

[8:14]  ⁹² tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”

[8:14]  ⁹³ tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”

[8:29]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”

[9:2]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”

[9:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “What good is it to you?”

[9:2]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”

[9:3]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:3]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

[9:3]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and all these words.”

[9:3]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

[9:3]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “our brother.”

[9:6]  ¹⁰³ tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).

[9:21]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”

[9:21]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “from before.”

[9:21]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “his brother.”

[9:22]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).

[9:22]  sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175).

[9:24]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “their brother.”

[9:24]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”

[9:31]  ¹¹⁰ tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.

[9:31]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “Look!”

[9:31]  ¹¹² tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.

[9:31]  ¹¹³ tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).

[9:41]  ¹¹⁴ tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.

[9:41]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”

[9:43]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “his people.”

[9:43]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”

[9:43]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”

[9:44]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”

[9:44]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “stood [at].”

[9:45]  ¹²¹ tn Or “destroyed.”

[9:45]  ¹²² tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”

[9:45]  sn The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (BibOr), 15, 53. Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment.

[9:49]  ¹²³ tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:49]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”

[9:49]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.

[9:50]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “went.”

[9:50]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”

[9:51]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “strong.”

[9:51]  ¹²⁹ tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.

[10:1]  ¹³⁰ tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[10:1]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “son.”

[10:1]  ¹³² tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”

[10:18]  ¹³³ tn Heb “the people, the officers.”

[10:18]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”

[11:3]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “fled from.”

[11:3]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[11:3]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”

[11:8]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).

[11:8]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.

[11:8]  ¹⁴⁰ sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.

[11:8]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”

[11:11]  ¹⁴² 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.

[11:21]  ¹⁴³ tn That is, took as its own possession.

[11:22]  ¹⁴⁴ 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.

[12:4]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “because they said.”

[12:4]  ¹⁴⁶ 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 ’amru pÿlitey ’efrayim, “because they said, ‘Refugees of Ephraim’”) may have been accidentally copied from the next verse (cf. כִּי יֹאמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם, ki yo’mÿru pelitey ’efrayim) 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.”

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

[12:5]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “say to.”

[12:9]  ¹⁵¹ 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.

[12:9]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “and thirty daughters he brought for his sons from the outside.”

[12:9]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ibzan) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for English stylistic reasons.

[12:9]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Traditionally, “judged.”

[13:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “God listened to the voice of Manoah.”

[13:9]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “came to.”

[15:8]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “He struck them, calf on thigh, [with] a great slaughter.” The precise meaning of the phrase “calf on thigh” is uncertain.

[16:2]  ¹⁵⁸ tc Heb “To the Gazites, saying.” A verb is missing from the MT; some ancient Greek witnesses add “it was reported.”

[16:2]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “And they surrounded.” The rest of the verse suggests that “the town” is the object, not “the house.” Though the Gazites knew Samson was in the town, apparently they did not know exactly where he had gone. Otherwise, they would could have just gone into or surrounded the house and would not have needed to post guards at the city gate.

[16:2]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “and they lay in wait for him all night in the city gate.”

[16:2]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “were silent.”

[16:2]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “saying.”

[16:2]  ¹⁶³ tn The words “He will not leave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:2]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

[16:9]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting for her.” The grammatically singular form וְהָאֹרֵב (vÿha’orev) is collective here, referring to the rulers as a group (so also in v. 16).

[16:9]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:9]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “when it smells fire.”

[16:9]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “His strength was not known.”

[16:12]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:12]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting in the bedroom.”

[16:12]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the ropes) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:10]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “father.” “Father” is here a title of honor that suggests the priest will give advice and protect the interests of the family, primarily by divining God’s will in matters, perhaps through the use of the ephod. (See R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 257; also Gen 45:8, where Joseph, who was a diviner and interpreter of dreams, is called Pharaoh’s “father,” and 2 Kgs 6:21; 13:14, where a prophet is referred to as a “father.” Note also 2 Kgs 8:9, where a king identifies himself as a prophet’s “son.” One of a prophet’s main functions was to communicate divine oracles. Cf. 2 Kgs 8:9ff.; 13:14-19).

[17:10]  ¹⁷³ tn The Hebrew text expands with the phrase: “and the Levite went.” This only makes sense if taken with “to live” in the next verse. Apparently “the Levite went” and “the Levite agreed” are alternative readings which have been juxtaposed in the text.

[17:11]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “the young man became like one of his sons.”

[17:12]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “filled the hand of.”

[18:1]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “an inheritance.”

[18:1]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “because there had not fallen to them by that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel an inheritance.”

[18:7]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Or “went.”

[18:7]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “who were in its midst.”

[18:7]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”

[18:7]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”

[18:7]  ¹⁸² tc Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX and Symmachus read “Syria” here rather than the MT’s “men.” This reading presupposes a Hebrew Vorlage אֲרָם (’aram, “Aram,” i.e., Arameans) rather than the MT reading אָדָם (’adam). This reading is possibly to be preferred over the MT.

[18:9]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “Arise, and let us go up against them.”

[18:9]  ¹⁸⁴ tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX adds “we entered and walked around in the land as far as Laish and.”

[18:9]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “But you are inactive.”

[18:9]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Or “be lazy.”

[18:9]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “to go”; “to enter”; “to possess.”

[18:12]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “Mahaneh Dan”; the Hebrew term “Mahaneh” means “camp [of].” Many English versions retain the transliterated Hebrew expression, but cf. CEV “Dan’s Camp.”

[18:12]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “behind.”

[18:22]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house.”

[18:27]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ¹⁹² tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[18:28]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.

[18:28]  ¹⁹⁴ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[18:28]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.”

[18:28]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.

[18:28]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “They”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “erected for themselves.”

[18:30]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “son.”

[18:30]  ²⁰⁰ tc Several ancient textual witnesses, including some LXX mss and the Vulgate, support the reading “Moses” (מֹשֶׁה, mosheh) here. Many Hebrew mss have a nun (נ) suspended above the name between the first two letters (מנשׁה), suggesting the name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh). This is probably a scribal attempt to protect Moses’ reputation. For discussion, see G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 401-2.

[18:30]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “sons.”

[19:1]  ²⁰² tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”

[19:1]  ²⁰³ sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.

[19:1]  ²⁰⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:6]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “And they sat and ate, the two of them together, and they drank.”

[19:6]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “Be willing and spend the night so that your heart might be good.”

[19:12]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “who are not from the sons of Israel.”

[19:15]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “they turned aside there to enter to spend the night.”

[19:15]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he entered and sat down, and there was no one receiving them into the house to spend the night.”

[19:16]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “And look, an old man was coming from his work, from the field in the evening.”

[19:16]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “And the men of the place were Benjaminites.”

[19:18]  ²¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:18]  ²¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”

[20:14]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “assembled from the cities at Gibeah.”

[20:15]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “besides from the ones living in Gibeah they mustered seven hundred choice men.”

[20:26]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “and all the people.”

[20:26]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “went up and came [to].”

[20:26]  ²¹⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[20:26]  ²²⁰ tn Traditionally, “fasted.”

[20:26]  ²²¹ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[21:2]  ²²² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[21:2]  ²²³ tn Heb “and they lifted up their voice[s] and wept with great weeping.” Both the cognate accusative בְּכִי (bekhi, “weeping”) and the attributive adjective גָדוֹל (gadol, “great”) emphasize their degree of sorrow.

[21:9]  ²²⁴ tn Or “when the people were mustered.”

[21:9]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “and look.”

[21:10]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”

[21:10]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “there.”

[21:10]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “the edge of the sword.”

[21:12]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “who had not known a man with respect to the bed of a male.”

[21:23]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “did so.”

[21:23]  ²³¹ tn Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”

[21:23]  ²³² tn Heb “went and returned.”

[21:23]  ²³³ tn Heb “inheritance.”

[21:23]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “and lived in them.”