Hakim-hakim 2:4-7

2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ¹  2:5 They named that place Bokim ²  and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

The End of an Era

2:6 When Joshua dismissed ³  the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, ⁴  intending to take possession of the land. 2:7 The people worshiped ⁵  the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men ⁶  who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed ⁷  all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ 

[2:4]  ¹ tn Heb “lifted their voices and wept.”

[2:5]  ² sn Bokim means “weeping ones” and is derived from the Hebrew verb בָּכָא (bakha’, “to weep”).

[2:6]  ³ tn Or “sent away.”

[2:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Israelites went each to his inheritance.”

[2:7]  ⁵ tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[2:7]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “elders,” which could be interpreted to mean “leaders.”

[2:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the days of Joshua and all the days of the old men who outlived him, who had seen.”

[2:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “the great work of the Lord which he had done for Israel.”