Hakim-hakim 1:15

1:15 She answered, “Please give me a special present. ¹  Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. ² 

Hakim-hakim 1:31

1:31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, ³  nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. ⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 1:33

1:33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. ⁵  They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites ⁶  living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.

Hakim-hakim 3:8-9

3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁷  and turned them over to ⁸  King Cushan-Rishathaim ⁹  of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects ¹⁰  for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹¹  raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued ¹²  them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹³ 

Hakim-hakim 3:15

3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹⁴  raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. ¹⁵  The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. ¹⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 3:19

3:19 But he went back ¹⁷  once he reached ¹⁸  the carved images ¹⁹  at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, ²⁰  “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon ²¹  said, “Be quiet!” ²²  All his attendants left.

Hakim-hakim 4:3

4:3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera ²³  had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, ²⁴  and he cruelly ²⁵  oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.

Hakim-hakim 4:9

4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame ²⁶  on the expedition you are undertaking, ²⁷  for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” ²⁸  Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Hakim-hakim 4:13-15

4:13 he ²⁹  ordered ³⁰  all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 4:14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, ³¹  for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! ³²  Has the Lord not taken the lead?” ³³  Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 4:15 The Lord routed ³⁴  Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. ³⁵  Sisera jumped out of ³⁶  his chariot and ran away on foot.

Hakim-hakim 6:2

6:2 The Midianites ³⁷  overwhelmed Israel. ³⁸  Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters ³⁹  for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.

Hakim-hakim 6:26-27

6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. ⁴⁰  Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants ⁴¹  and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family ⁴²  and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. ⁴³ 

Hakim-hakim 6:31

6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, ⁴⁴  “Must you fight Baal’s battles? ⁴⁵  Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause ⁴⁶  will die by morning! ⁴⁷  If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! ⁴⁸  After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” ⁴⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 7:2

7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. ⁵⁰  Israel might brag, ⁵¹  ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ ⁵² 

Hakim-hakim 7:5

7:5 So he brought the men ⁵³  down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” ⁵⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 7:7-8

7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army ⁵⁵  and I will hand Midian over to you. ⁵⁶  The rest of the men should go home.” ⁵⁷  7:8 The men ⁵⁸  who were chosen ⁵⁹  took supplies ⁶⁰  and their trumpets. Gideon ⁶¹  sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; ⁶²  he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites ⁶³  were camped down below ⁶⁴  in the valley.

Hakim-hakim 7:14

7:14 The other man said, ⁶⁵  “Without a doubt this symbolizes ⁶⁶  the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

Hakim-hakim 7:19

7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp ⁶⁷  at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. ⁶⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 7:22

7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords ⁶⁹  throughout ⁷⁰  the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went ⁷¹  to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

Hakim-hakim 9:3

9:3 His mother’s relatives ⁷²  spoke on his behalf to ⁷³  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ⁷⁴  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ⁷⁵  they said, “He is our close relative.” ⁷⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 9:5

9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, ⁷⁷  the seventy legitimate ⁷⁸  sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, ⁷⁹  because he hid.

Hakim-hakim 9:15-16

9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose ⁸⁰  me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! ⁸¹  Otherwise ⁸²  may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, ⁸³  if you have properly repaid him ⁸⁴  –

Hakim-hakim 9:28

9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? ⁸⁵  Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? ⁸⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 9:49

9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches ⁸⁷  against the stronghold and set fire to it. ⁸⁸  All the people ⁸⁹  of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

Hakim-hakim 11:2

11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave ⁹⁰  him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, ⁹¹  because you are another woman’s son.”

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 ⁹²  before the Lord in Mizpah.

Hakim-hakim 11:13

11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole ⁹³  my land when they ⁹⁴  came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. ⁹⁵  Now return it ⁹⁶  peaceably!”

Hakim-hakim 11:18

11:18 Then Israel ⁹⁷  went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; ⁹⁸  they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border).

Hakim-hakim 11:35-36

11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! ⁹⁹  You have brought me disaster! ¹⁰⁰  I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” ¹⁰¹  11:36 She said to him, “My father, since ¹⁰²  you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. ¹⁰³  After all, the Lord vindicated you before ¹⁰⁴  your enemies, the Ammonites.”

Hakim-hakim 11:39

11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. ¹⁰⁵  Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. ¹⁰⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 12:5

12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River ¹⁰⁷  opposite Ephraim. ¹⁰⁸  Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive ¹⁰⁹  said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked ¹¹⁰  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, ¹¹¹  and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. ¹¹²  Ibzan ¹¹³  led ¹¹⁴  Israel for seven years;

Hakim-hakim 13:5

13:5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. ¹¹⁵  You must never cut his hair, ¹¹⁶  for the child will be dedicated to God ¹¹⁷  from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power ¹¹⁸  of the Philistines.”

Hakim-hakim 13:23

13:23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us. ¹¹⁹  He would not have shown us all these things, or have spoken to us like this just now.”

Hakim-hakim 14:19

14:19 The Lord’s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes ¹²⁰  and gave them ¹²¹  to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. ¹²² 

Hakim-hakim 15:1

Samson Versus the Philistines

15:1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, ¹²³  Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. ¹²⁴  He said to her father, ¹²⁵  “I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!” ¹²⁶  But her father would not let him enter.

Hakim-hakim 15:6

15:6 The Philistines asked, ¹²⁷  “Who did this?” They were told, ¹²⁸  “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because the Timnite ¹²⁹  took Samson’s ¹³⁰  bride and gave her to his best man.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father. ¹³¹ 

Hakim-hakim 15:18-19

15:18 He was very thirsty, so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given your servant ¹³²  this great victory. But now must I die of thirst and fall into hands of the Philistines?” ¹³³  15:19 So God split open the basin ¹³⁴  at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he took a drink, his strength ¹³⁵  was restored and he revived. For this reason he named the spring ¹³⁶  En Hakkore. ¹³⁷  It remains in Lehi to this very day.

Hakim-hakim 16:9

16:9 They hid ¹³⁸  in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, ¹³⁹  Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. ¹⁴⁰  The secret of his strength was not discovered. ¹⁴¹ 

Hakim-hakim 16:13

16:13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair ¹⁴²  into the fabric on the loom ¹⁴³  and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

Hakim-hakim 16:17

16:17 Finally he told her his secret. ¹⁴⁴  He said to her, “My hair has never been cut, ¹⁴⁵  for I have been dedicated to God ¹⁴⁶  from the time I was conceived. ¹⁴⁷  If my head ¹⁴⁸  were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all other men.”

Hakim-hakim 16:31

16:31 His brothers and all his family ¹⁴⁹  went down and brought him back. ¹⁵⁰  They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led ¹⁵¹  Israel for twenty years.

Hakim-hakim 18:3

18:3 As they approached ¹⁵²  Micah’s house, they recognized the accent ¹⁵³  of the young Levite. So they stopped ¹⁵⁴  there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” ¹⁵⁵ 

Hakim-hakim 18:7

18:7 So the five men journeyed on ¹⁵⁶  and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there ¹⁵⁷  were living securely, like the Sidonians do, ¹⁵⁸  undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. ¹⁵⁹  They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁶⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 18:14

18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish ¹⁶¹  said to their kinsmen, ¹⁶²  “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.”

Hakim-hakim 18:27-28

18:27 Now the Danites ¹⁶³  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. ¹⁶⁴  18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city ¹⁶⁵  was far from Sidon ¹⁶⁶  and they had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁶⁷  The city ¹⁶⁸  was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites ¹⁶⁹  rebuilt the city and occupied it.

Hakim-hakim 18:30

18:30 The Danites worshiped ¹⁷⁰  the carved image. Jonathan, descendant ¹⁷¹  of Gershom, son of Moses, ¹⁷²  and his descendants ¹⁷³  served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile.

Hakim-hakim 19:23

19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing!

Hakim-hakim 20:13

20:13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings ¹⁷⁴  in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” ¹⁷⁵  But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.

Hakim-hakim 20:35

20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. ¹⁷⁶ 

Hakim-hakim 21:10

21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors ¹⁷⁷  against Jabesh Gilead. ¹⁷⁸  They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords ¹⁷⁹  the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children.

Hakim-hakim 21:23

21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. ¹⁸⁰  They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. ¹⁸¹  They went home ¹⁸²  to their own territory, ¹⁸³  rebuilt their cities, and settled down. ¹⁸⁴ 

[1:15]  ¹ tn Elsewhere the Hebrew word בְרָכָה (vÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).

[1:15]  ² tn Some translations regard the expressions “springs of water” (גֻּלֹּת מָיִם, gullot mayim) and “springs” (גֻּלֹּת) as place names here (cf. NRSV).

[1:31]  ³ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[1:31]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”

[1:33]  ⁶ tn The term “Canaanites” is supplied here both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[3:8]  ⁷ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned (or raged) against Israel.”

[3:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

[3:8]  ⁹ tn Or “Cushan the Doubly Wicked.”

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “they served Cushan-Rishathaim.”

[3:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord.”

[3:9]  ¹² tn Or “delivered.”

[3:9]  ¹³ tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb’s nephew).

[3:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” This has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:15]  ¹⁵ tn The phrase, which refers to Ehud, literally reads “bound/restricted in the right hand,” apparently a Hebrew idiom for a left-handed person. See Judg 20:16, where 700 Benjaminites are described in this way. Perhaps the Benjaminites purposely trained several of their young men to be left-handed warriors by restricting the use of the right hand from an early age so the left hand would become dominant. Left-handed men would have a distinct military advantage, especially when attacking city gates. See B. Halpern, “The Assassination of Eglon: The First Locked-Room Murder Mystery,” BRev 4 (1988): 35.

[3:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “The Israelites sent by his hand an offering to Eglon, king of Moab.”

[3:19]  ¹⁷ tn Or “returned” (i.e., to Eglon’s palace).

[3:19]  ¹⁸ tn The words “when he reached” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text simply reads “from.”

[3:19]  ¹⁹ tn Or “idols.”

[3:19]  ²⁰ tn The words “to Eglon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eglon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:19]  ²² tn Or “Hush!”

[4:3]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:3]  ²⁴ 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.

[4:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “with strength.”

[4:9]  ²⁶ tn Or “honor.”

[4:9]  ²⁷ 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.

[4:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the Lord will sell Sisera.”

[4:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:13]  ³⁰ tn Or “summoned.”

[4:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “Arise!”

[4:14]  ³² 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.”

[4:14]  ³³ tn Heb “Has the Lord not gone out before you?”

[4:15]  ³⁴ tn Or “caused to panic.”

[4:15]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “got down from.”

[6:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”

[6:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”

[6:2]  ³⁹ tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.

[6:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.

[6:27]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “men from among his servants.”

[6:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “house.”

[6:27]  ⁴³ tn Heb “so he did it at night.”

[6:31]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”

[6:31]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”

[6:31]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “fights for him.”

[6:31]  ⁴⁷ 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.

[6:31]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “fight for himself.”

[6:31]  ⁴⁹ 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).

[7:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”

[7:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”

[7:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”

[7:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the people.”

[7:5]  ⁵⁴ 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.”

[7:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.

[7:7]  ⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.

[7:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”

[7:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “The people.”

[7:8]  ⁵⁹ tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[7:8]  ⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”

[7:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ⁶² tn Heb “tents.”

[7:8]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Midian.”

[7:8]  ⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).

[7:14]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[7:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”

[7:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”

[7:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “that were in their hands.”

[7:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”

[7:22]  ⁷⁰ 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.

[7:22]  ⁷¹ tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:3]  ⁷² tn Heb “brothers.”

[9:3]  ⁷³ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

[9:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and all these words.”

[9:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

[9:3]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “our brother.”

[9:5]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[9:5]  ⁷⁸ tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:5]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “remained.”

[9:15]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”

[9:15]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “in my shade.”

[9:15]  ⁸² tn Heb “If not.”

[9:16]  ⁸³ tn Heb “house.”

[9:16]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”

[9:28]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”

[9:28]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:49]  ⁸⁷ tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:49]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”

[9:49]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.

[11:2]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “bore.”

[11:2]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “in the house of our father.”

[11:11]  ⁹² 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.

[11:13]  ⁹³ tn Or “took”; or “seized.”

[11:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).

[11:13]  ⁹⁵ 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.

[11:13]  ⁹⁶ 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.

[11:18]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:18]  ⁹⁸ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[11:35]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.

[11:35]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”

[11:35]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the Lord and I am not able to return.”

[11:36]  ¹⁰² tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[11:36]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the Lord, do to me according to [what] went out from your mouth.”

[11:36]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”

[11:39]  ¹⁰⁵ 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.

[11:39]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”

[12:5]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:5]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.

[12:5]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.

[12:5]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “say to.”

[12:9]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and thirty daughters he brought for his sons from the outside.”

[12:9]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ibzan) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for English stylistic reasons.

[12:9]  ¹¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “judged.”

[13:5]  ¹¹⁵ 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.

[13:5]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “a razor should not go up on his head.”

[13:5]  ¹¹⁷ 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”).

[13:5]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “hand.”

[13:23]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “our hand.”

[14:19]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “equipment”; or “gear.”

[14:19]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “changes [of clothes].”

[14:19]  ¹²² tn Heb “he went up to his father’s house.”

[15:1]  ¹²³ sn The wheat harvest took place during the month of May. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 37, 88.

[15:1]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “Samson visited his wife with a young goat.”

[15:1]  ¹²⁵ tn The words “to her father” are supplied in the translation (see the end of the verse).

[15:1]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “I will go to my wife in the bedroom.” The Hebrew idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “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”).

[15:6]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “said.”

[15:6]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “and they said.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

[15:6]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Timnite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Samson) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ¹³¹ 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.

[15:18]  ¹³² tn Heb “you have placed into the hand of your servant.”

[15:18]  ¹³³ tn Heb “the uncircumcised,” which in context refers to the Philistines.

[15:19]  ¹³⁴ tn The word translated “basin” refers to a circular-shaped depression in the land’s surface.

[15:19]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “spirit.”

[15:19]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “named it”; the referent (the spring) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:19]  ¹³⁷ sn The name En Hakkore means “Spring of the one who cries out.”

[16:9]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “are upon you.”

[16:9]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “when it smells fire.”

[16:9]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “His strength was not known.”

[16:13]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “head” (also in the following verse). By metonymy the head is mentioned in the Hebrew text in place of the hair on it.

[16:13]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “with the web.” For a discussion of how Delilah did this, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 381, and G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 353-54.

[16:17]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[16:17]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “a razor has not come upon my head.”

[16:17]  ¹⁴⁶ 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”).

[16:17]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “from the womb of my mother.”

[16:17]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “I.” The referent has been made more specific in the translation (“my head”).

[16:31]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and all the house of his father.”

[16:31]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “and lifted him up and brought up.”

[16:31]  ¹⁵¹ tn Traditionally, “judged.”

[18:3]  ¹⁵² tn Or “When they were near.”

[18:3]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “voice.” This probably means that “his speech was Judahite [i.e., southern] like their own, not Israelite [i.e., northern]” (R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 263).

[18:3]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “turned aside.”

[18:3]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “What [is there] to you here?”

[18:7]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or “went.”

[18:7]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “who were in its midst.”

[18:7]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”

[18:7]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”

[18:7]  ¹⁶⁰ 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.

[18:14]  ¹⁶¹ tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”

[18:14]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “brothers.”

[18:27]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[18:28]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.”

[18:28]  ¹⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “They”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “erected for themselves.”

[18:30]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “son.”

[18:30]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “sons.”

[20:13]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “the men, sons of wickedness.”

[20:13]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and burn away wickedness from Israel.”

[20:35]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “And the sons of Israel struck down in Benjamin that day 25,100 men, all of these wielding the sword.”

[21:10]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”

[21:10]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “there.”

[21:10]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “the edge of the sword.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “did so.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “went and returned.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “inheritance.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “and lived in them.”