Hakim-hakim 2:22

2:22 Joshua left those nations ¹  to test ²  Israel. I wanted to see ³  whether or not the people ⁴  would carefully walk in the path ⁵  marked out by ⁶  the Lord, as their ancestors ⁷  were careful to do.”

Hakim-hakim 3:4

3:4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. ⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 2:12

2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ⁹  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ¹⁰  them and made the Lord angry.

Hakim-hakim 2:17

2:17 But they did not obey ¹¹  their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped ¹²  them. They quickly turned aside from the path ¹³  their ancestors ¹⁴  had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. ¹⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 2:20

A Divine Decision

2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. ¹⁶  He said, “This nation ¹⁷  has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors ¹⁸  by disobeying me. ¹⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 21:22

21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, ²⁰  we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, ²¹  for we could not get each one a wife through battle. ²²  Don’t worry about breaking your oath! ²³  You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” ²⁴ 

[2:22]  ¹ tn The words “Joshua left those nations” are interpretive. The Hebrew text of v. 22 simply begins with “to test.” Some subordinate this phrase to “I will no longer remove” (v. 21). In this case the Lord announces that he has now decided to leave these nations as a test for Israel. Another possibility is to subordinate “to test” to “He said” (v. 20; see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 111). In this case the statement recorded in vv. 20b-21 is the test in that it forces Israel to respond either positively (through repentance) or negatively to the Lord’s declaration. A third possibility (the one reflected in the present translation) is to subordinate “to test” to “left unconquered” (v. 21). In this case the Lord recalls that Joshua left these nations as a test. Israel has failed the test (v. 20), so the Lord announces that the punishment threatened earlier (Josh 23:12-13; see also Judg 2:3) will now be implemented. As B. G. Webb (Judges [JSOTSup], 115) observes, “The nations which were originally left as a test are now left as a punishment.” This view best harmonizes v. 23, which explains that the Lord did not give all the nations to Joshua, with v. 22. (For a grammatical parallel, where the infinitive construct of נָסָה [nasah] is subordinated to the perfect of עָזַב [’azav], see 2 Chr 32:31.)

[2:22]  ² tn The Hebrew text includes the phrase “by them,” but this is somewhat redundant in English and has been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:22]  ³ tn The words “I [i.e., the Lord] wanted to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:22]  ⁵ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:22]  ⁶ tn “The words “marked out by” are interpretive.

[2:22]  ⁷ tn Or “fathers.”

[3:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “to know if they would hear the commands of the Lord which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.”

[2:12]  ⁹ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “did not listen to.”

[2:17]  ¹² tn Or “bowed before.”

[2:17]  ¹³ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “fathers.”

[2:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “…walked, obeying the Lord’s commands. They did not do this.”

[2:20]  ¹⁶ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”

[2:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Because this nation.”

[2:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “my covenant which I commanded their fathers.”

[2:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and has not listened to my voice.” The expression “to not listen to [God’s] voice” is idiomatic here for disobeying him.

[21:22]  ²⁰ tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”

[21:22]  ²¹ tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[21:22]  ²² tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”

[21:22]  sn Through battle. This probably refers to the battle against Jabesh Gilead, which only produced four hundred of the six hundred wives needed.

[21:22]  ²³ tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.

[21:22]  ²⁴ tc Heb “You did not give to them, now you are guilty.” The MT as it stands makes little sense. It is preferable to emend לֹא (lo’, “not”) to לוּא (lu’, “if”). This particle introduces a purely hypothetical condition, “If you had given to them [but you didn’t].” See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 453-54.