Hakim-hakim 6:27

6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants ¹  and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family ²  and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. ³ 

Hakim-hakim 13:6

13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God ⁴  came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. ⁵  I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

Hakim-hakim 14:6

14:6 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁶  him and he tore the lion ⁷  in two with his bare hands ⁸  as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

Hakim-hakim 14:9

14:9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned ⁹  to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. ¹⁰ 

Hakim-hakim 14:16

14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ¹¹  and said, “You must ¹²  hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ¹³  a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” ¹⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 19:22

19:22 They were having a good time, ¹⁵  when suddenly ¹⁶  some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, ¹⁷  surrounded the house and kept beating ¹⁸  on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.” ¹⁹ 

[6:27]  ¹ tn Heb “men from among his servants.”

[6:27]  ² tn Heb “house.”

[6:27]  ³ tn Heb “so he did it at night.”

[13:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “The man of God.”

[13:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”

[14:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “rushed on.”

[14:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “him” or “it”; the referent (the lion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and there was nothing in his hand.”

[14:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.

[14:9]  ¹⁰ sn Touching the carcass of a dead animal undoubtedly violated Samson’s Nazirite status. See Num 6:6.

[14:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “on him.”

[14:16]  ¹² tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”

[14:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “the sons of my people.”

[14:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Should I tell you?”

[19:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they were making their heart good.”

[19:22]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and look.”

[19:22]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the men of the city, men, the sons of wickedness.” The phrases are in apposition; the last phrase specifies what type of men they were. It is not certain if all the men of the city are in view, or just a group of troublemakers. In 20:5 the town leaders are implicated in the crime, suggesting that all the men of the city were involved. If so, the implication is that the entire male population of the town were good-for-nothings.

[19:22]  ¹⁸ tn The Hitpael verb form appears to have an iterative force here, indicating repeated action.

[19:22]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “so we can know him.” On the surface one might think they simply wanted to meet the visitor and get to know him, but their hostile actions betray their double-talk. The old man, who has been living with them long enough to know what they are like, seems to have no doubts about the meaning of their words (see v. 23).