Judges 1:1

Judah Takes the Lead

1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked ¹  the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” ² 

Judges 13:7

13:7 He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. ³  So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. ⁴  For the child will be dedicated ⁵  to God from birth till the day he dies.’”

Judges 16:30

16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard ⁶  and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life. ⁷ 

¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the Lord through a prophetic oracle; cf. NAB “consulted.”

² tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”

³ tn See the note on the word “son” in 13:5, where this same statement occurs.

⁴ tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”

⁵ tn Traditionally “a Nazirite.”

⁵ tn Heb “he stretched out with strength.”

⁶ tn Heb “And the ones whom he killed in his death were many more than he killed in his life.”