Bible Reading March 9 
Judges 9:1--12:15
Context9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 1 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 9:2 “Tell 3 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 4 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 5 9:3 His mother’s relatives 6 spoke on his behalf to 7 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 8 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 9 they said, “He is our close relative.” 10 9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous 11 men as his followers. 12 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 13 the seventy legitimate 14 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 15 because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar 16 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 17 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 18 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 19 and choose a king for themselves. 20 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 21 9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 22
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 23 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 24
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 25 9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 26
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 27 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 28 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 29 Otherwise 30 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, 31 if you have properly repaid him 32 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 33 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 34 9:18 But you have attacked 35 my father’s family 36 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 37 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 38 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 39 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 40 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 41 to Beer and lived there to escape from 42 Abimelech his half-brother. 43
9:22 Abimelech commanded 44 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 45 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 46 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 47 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 48 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 49 bandits in 50 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 51
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 52 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 53 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 54 squeezed out the juice, 55 and celebrated. They came to the temple 56 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 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? 57 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 58 9:29 If only these men 59 were under my command, 60 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 61 “Muster 62 your army and come out for battle!” 63
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 64 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 65 reporting, “Beware! 66 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 67 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 68 9:32 Now, come up 69 at night with your men 70 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 71 9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” 72
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 73 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 74 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 75 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 76 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 77 of the land. A unit 78 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 79 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 80 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 81 you insulted? 82 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 83 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 84 ran from him. Many Shechemites 85 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 86 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 87
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 88 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 89 9:43 he took his men 90 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 91 he attacked and struck them down. 92 9:44 Abimelech and his units 93 attacked and blocked 94 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled 95 the city and spread salt over it. 96
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 97 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 98 of the temple of El-Berith. 99 9:47 Abimelech heard 100 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 101 9:48 He and all his men 102 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 103 took an ax 104 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 105 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 106 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 107 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 108 All the people 109 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 110 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 111 9:51 There was a fortified 112 tower 113 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone 114 down on his 115 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 116 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 117 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 118
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 119 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 120 on them.
10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 121 Tola son of Puah, grandson 122 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 123 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 124 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 125 – they are in the land of Gilead. 126 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 127 They worshiped 128 the Baals and the Ashtars, 129 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 130 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 131 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 132 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 133 and turned them over to 134 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 135 the Israelites that eighteenth year 136 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 137 Israel suffered greatly. 138
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 139 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 140 when they oppressed you? 141 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 142 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 143 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 144 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 145 but deliver us today!” 146 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 147 and worshiped 148 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 149
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 150 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders 151 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge 152 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 153 11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 154 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, 155 because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left 156 his half-brothers 157 and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. 158
11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, 159 the leaders 160 of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back 161 from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, 162 “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 163 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 164 but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 165 Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 166 of all who live in Gilead.” 167 11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! 168 If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, 169 I will be your leader.” 170 11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, 171 if we do not do as you say.” 172 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 173 before the Lord in Mizpah.
11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have 174 you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole 175 my land when they 176 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. 177 Now return it 178 peaceably!”
11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal 179 the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left 180 Egypt, Israel traveled 181 through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us 182 to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. 183 Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. 184 So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel 185 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; 186 they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” 187 11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He 188 assembled his whole army, 189 camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took 190 all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. 191 11:23 Since 192 the Lord God of Israel has driven out 193 the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? 194 11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. 195 11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? 196 11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, 197 but you are doing wrong 198 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded 199 the message sent by Jephthah. 200
11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered 201 Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went 202 to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. 203 11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 11:31 then whoever is the first to come through 204 the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he 205 will belong to the Lord and 206 I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 11:32 Jephthah approached 207 the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 11:33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! 208 The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites. 209
11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out 210 to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. 211 She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! 212 You have brought me disaster! 213 I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” 214 11:36 She said to him, “My father, since 215 you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. 216 After all, the Lord vindicated you before 217 your enemies, the Ammonites.” 11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. 218 For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 219 11:38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave 220 for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. 221 11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. 222 Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. 223 11:40 Every year 224 Israelite women commemorate 225 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days. 226
12:1 The Ephraimites assembled 227 and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight 228 with the Ammonites without asking 229 us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over you!” 230
12:2 Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were entangled in controversy with the Ammonites. 231 I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me from their power. 232 12:3 When I saw that you were not going to help, 233 I risked my life 234 and advanced against 235 the Ammonites, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why have you come up 236 to fight with me today?” 12:4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying, 237 “You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s territory.” 238 12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River 239 opposite Ephraim. 240 Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive 241 said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked 242 him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” 243 If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word 244 correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead. 12:7 Jephthah led 245 Israel for six years; then he 246 died and was buried in his city in Gilead. 247
12:8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem 248 led 249 Israel. 12:9 He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, 250 and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. 251 Ibzan 252 led 253 Israel for seven years; 12:10 then he 254 died and was buried in Bethlehem.
12:11 After him Elon the Zebulunite led 255 Israel for ten years. 256 12:12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
12:13 After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite led 257 Israel. 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel for eight years. 12:15 Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
[9:1] 2 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
[9:2] 3 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
[9:2] 4 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
[9:2] 5 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
[9:3] 7 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
[9:3] 8 tn Heb “and all these words.”
[9:3] 9 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
[9:3] 10 tn Heb “our brother.”
[9:4] 11 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
[9:4] 12 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
[9:5] 13 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[9:5] 14 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:6] 16 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
[9:7] 17 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
[9:7] 18 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
[9:8] 19 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] 20 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
[9:8] 21 tn Or “Rule over us!”
[9:9] 22 tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:10] 23 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:11] 24 tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees? The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:12] 25 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:13] 26 tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:14] 27 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:15] 28 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
[9:15] 29 tn Heb “in my shade.”
[9:16] 32 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
[9:17] 33 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
[9:18] 35 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
[9:18] 37 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:18] 38 tn Heb “your brother.”
[9:19] 40 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
[9:21] 41 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
[9:21] 42 tn Heb “from before.”
[9:21] 43 tn Heb “his brother.”
[9:22] 44 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
[9:23] 45 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
[9:23] 46 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 47 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 48 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
[9:25] 49 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
[9:25] 50 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 51 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 52 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
[9:26] 53 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
[9:27] 55 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
[9:28] 57 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
[9:28] 58 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 60 tn Heb “in my hand.”
[9:29] 61 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”
[9:29] 62 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
[9:29] 63 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
[9:30] 64 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[9:31] 65 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
[9:31] 67 tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.
[9:31] 68 tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).
[9:32] 70 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
[9:32] 71 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:33] 72 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
[9:34] 73 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
[9:34] 74 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:36] 75 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
[9:36] 76 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
[9:37] 77 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
[9:37] 79 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
[9:38] 80 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
[9:38] 81 tn Heb “the people.”
[9:39] 83 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
[9:40] 84 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:40] 85 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
[9:41] 86 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
[9:41] 87 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
[9:42] 88 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:42] 89 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
[9:43] 90 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:43] 91 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
[9:43] 92 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
[9:44] 93 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
[9:44] 94 tn Heb “stood [at].”
[9:45] 96 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”
[9:46] 97 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
[9:46] 98 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
[9:46] 99 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
[9:47] 100 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
[9:47] 101 tn Heb “were assembled.”
[9:48] 102 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:48] 103 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
[9:48] 104 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
[9:48] 105 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
[9:48] 106 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
[9:49] 107 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:49] 108 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
[9:49] 109 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
[9:50] 111 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
[9:51] 113 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
[9:53] 114 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
[9:53] 115 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
[9:54] 116 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:54] 117 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:55] 118 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
[9:56] 119 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
[10:1] 121 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[10:1] 123 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
[10:2] 124 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[10:4] 125 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
[10:4] 126 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
[10:6] 127 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
[10:6] 128 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
[10:6] 129 sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
[10:6] 130 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:6] 131 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
[10:6] 132 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
[10:7] 133 tn Or “the
[10:7] 134 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
[10:8] 135 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
[10:8] 136 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
[10:9] 137 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
[10:9] 138 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
[10:10] 139 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:12] 140 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
[10:12] 141 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the
[10:13] 143 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:14] 144 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
[10:15] 145 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
[10:15] 146 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
[10:16] 147 tn Heb “from their midst.”
[10:16] 148 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:16] 149 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
[10:17] 150 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
[10:18] 151 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
[10:18] 152 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
[11:1] 153 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
[11:2] 155 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
[11:3] 158 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
[11:5] 159 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
[11:5] 161 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
[11:6] 162 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
[11:7] 163 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
[11:8] 164 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).
[11:8] 165 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
[11:8] 166 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
[11:8] 167 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
[11:9] 168 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:9] 169 tn Heb “places them before me.”
[11:9] 170 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
[11:10] 171 tn Heb “The
[11:10] 172 sn The
[11:11] 173 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
[11:12] 174 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
[11:13] 175 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
[11:13] 176 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
[11:13] 177 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] 178 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.
[11:15] 179 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
[11:16] 180 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
[11:17] 182 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
[11:17] 183 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[11:17] 184 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
[11:18] 185 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] 186 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:19] 187 tn Heb “to my place.”
[11:20] 188 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
[11:20] 189 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
[11:21] 190 tn That is, took as its own possession.
[11:22] 191 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert 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.
[11:23] 193 tn Or “dispossessed.”
[11:23] 194 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
[11:24] 195 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the
[11:25] 196 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation.
[11:27] 197 tn Or “sinned against you.”
[11:28] 199 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
[11:28] 200 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
[11:29] 202 tn Heb “passed through.”
[11:29] 203 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
[11:31] 204 tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.
[11:31] 205 tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.
[11:31] 206 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the
[11:32] 207 tn Heb “passed over to.”
[11:33] 208 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
[11:33] 209 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
[11:34] 210 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
[11:34] 211 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
[11:35] 212 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] 213 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
[11:35] 214 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the
[11:36] 215 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:36] 216 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the
[11:36] 217 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
[11:37] 218 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
[11:37] 219 tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity – I and my friends.”
[11:38] 220 tn Heb “he sent her.”
[11:38] 221 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
[11:39] 222 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] 223 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
[11:40] 224 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
[11:40] 225 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
[11:40] 226 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in the year.” This is redundant (note “every year” at the beginning of the verse) and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:1] 227 tn Heb “the men of Ephraim were summoned [or “were mustered”].”
[12:1] 228 tn Heb “cross over to fight.”
[12:1] 229 tn Or “calling”; or “summoning.”
[12:1] 230 tn Heb “Your house we will burn over you with fire.”
[12:2] 231 tn Heb A man of great strife I was and my people and the Ammonites.”
[12:3] 233 tn Heb “you were no deliverer.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX has “no one was helping.”
[12:3] 234 tn Heb “I put my life in my hand.”
[12:3] 235 tn Heb “crossed over to.”
[12:3] 236 tn The Hebrew adds “against me” here. This is redundant in English and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:4] 237 tn Heb “because they said.”
[12:4] 238 tc Heb “Refugees of Ephraim are you, O Gilead, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” The LXX omits the entire second half of the verse (beginning with “because”). The words כִּי אָמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם (ki ’amru pÿlitey ’efrayim, “because they said, ‘Refugees of Ephraim’”) may have been accidentally copied from the next verse (cf. כִּי יֹאמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם, ki yo’mÿru pelitey ’efrayim) and the following words (“you, O Gilead…Manasseh”) then added in an attempt to make sense of the verse. See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 307-8, and C. F. Burney, Judges, 327. If the Hebrew text is retained, then the Ephraimites appear to be insulting the Gileadites by describing them as refugees who are squatting on Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s land. The present translation assumes that “Ephraim” is a genitive of location after “refugees.”
[12:5] 239 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:5] 240 tn Or “against Ephraim,” that is, so as to prevent Ephraim from crossing.
[12:5] 241 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form here.
[12:6] 243 sn The inability of the Ephraimites to pronounce the word shibboleth the way the Gileadites did served as an identifying test. It illustrates that during this period there were differences in pronunciation between the tribes. The Hebrew word shibboleth itself means “stream” or “flood,” and was apparently chosen simply as a test case without regard to its meaning.
[12:6] 244 tn Heb “and could not prepare to speak.” The precise meaning of יָכִין (yakhin) is unclear. Some understand it to mean “was not careful [to say it correctly]”; others emend to יָכֹל (yakhol, “was not able [to say it correctly]”) or יָבִין (yavin, “did not understand [that he should say it correctly]”), which is read by a few Hebrew
[12:7] 245 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[12:7] 246 tn Heb “Jephthah the Gileadite.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:7] 247 tc The Hebrew text has “in the cities of Gilead.” The present translation has support from some ancient Greek textual witnesses.
[12:8] 248 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[12:8] 249 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[12:9] 250 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] 251 tn Heb “and thirty daughters he brought for his sons from the outside.”
[12:9] 252 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Ibzan) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for English stylistic reasons.
[12:9] 253 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[12:10] 254 tn Heb “Ibzan.” The pronoun “he” is used in the translation in keeping with English style, which tends to use a proper name first in a sentence followed by a pronoun rather than vice versa.
[12:11] 255 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[12:11] 256 tn Heb “…led Israel. He led Israel for ten years.”
