Judges 11:8

11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, ¹  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ²  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ³  of all who live in Gilead.” ⁴ 

Judges 19:9

19:9 When the man got ready to leave ⁵  with his concubine and his servant, ⁶  his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over! ⁷  Stay another night! Since the day is over, ⁸  stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.” ⁹ 

¹ 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).

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”

⁵ tn Heb “the man arose to go.”

⁶ tn Or “young man.”

⁷ tn Heb “the day is sinking to become evening.”

⁸ tn Or “declining.”

⁹ tn Heb “for your way and go to your tent.”