Hakim-hakim 9:8

9:8 “The trees were determined to go out ¹  and choose a king for themselves. ²  They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ ³ 

Hakim-hakim 13:14

13:14 She should not drink ⁴  anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. ⁵  She should obey everything I commanded her to do.”

Hakim-hakim 18:5

18:5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, ⁶  so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.” ⁷ 

[9:8]  ¹ tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”

[9:8]  ² tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”

[9:8]  ³ tn Or “Rule over us!”

[13:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “eat.”

[13:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”

[18:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “Ask God.”

[18:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “so we can know if our way on which we are going will be successful.”