Judges 1:11-12

1:11 From there they attacked the people of Debir. ¹  (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 1:12 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.”

Judges 5:14

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, ² 

they follow ³  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ⁴  the ones who march carrying ⁵  an officer’s staff.

¹ tn Heb “they went from there against the inhabitants of Debir.” The LXX reads the verb as “they went up,” which suggests that the Hebrew text translated by the LXX read וַיַּעַל (vayya’al) rather than the MT’s וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh). It is possible that this is the text to be preferred in v. 11. Cf. Josh 15:15.

² tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (’amaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).

³ tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁵ tn Or possibly “who carry.”