Hakim-hakim 5:30

5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder ¹  –

a girl or two for each man to rape! ² 

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, ³ 

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth, ⁴ 

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’ ⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 16:9

16:9 They hid ⁶  in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, ⁷  Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. ⁸  The secret of his strength was not discovered. ⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 20:10

20:10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. ¹⁰  When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.” ¹¹ 

[5:30]  ¹ tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”

[5:30]  ² 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.

[5:30]  ³ tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”

[5:30]  ⁴ tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”

[5:30]  ⁵ tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”

[16:9]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “when it smells fire.”

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

[20:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “people.”

[20:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to do at their arrival in Geba of Benjamin according to all the disgraceful [thing] which he [collective = “Benjamin”] did in Israel.” Here “Geba” must be an error for “Gibeah.”