Judges 2:4

2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ¹ 

Judges 7:6

7:6 Three hundred men lapped; ²  the rest of the men ³  kneeled to drink water.

Judges 9:29

9:29 If only these men ⁴  were under my command, ⁵  I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, ⁶  “Muster ⁷  your army and come out for battle!” ⁸ 

Judges 18:20

18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. ⁹ 

Judges 20:2

20:2 The leaders ¹⁰  of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered ¹¹  four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers.

Judges 20:8

20:8 All Israel rose up in unison ¹²  and said, “Not one of us will go home! ¹³  Not one of us will return ¹⁴  to his house!

Judges 20:16

20:16 Among this army ¹⁵  were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. ¹⁶  Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. ¹⁷ 

Judges 20:22

20:22 The Israelite army ¹⁸  took heart ¹⁹  and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before.

Judges 21:2

21:2 So the people came to Bethel ²⁰  and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. ²¹ 

¹ tn Heb “lifted their voices and wept.”

² tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.

³ tn Heb “the people.”

³ tn Heb “people.”

⁴ tn Heb “in my hand.”

⁵ 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…’”

⁶ tn Heb “Make numerous.”

⁷ tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.

⁴ tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”

⁵ tn Heb “the cornerstones”; or “the supports.” The word is used of leaders in only three other texts – 1 Sam 14:38; Isa 19:13; Zech 10:4.

⁶ tn The words “which numbered” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁶ tn Heb “as one man.”

⁷ tn Heb “to his tent.”

⁸ tn Or “turn aside.”

⁷ tn Heb “And from all this people.”

⁸ tn Heb “seven hundred choice men, bound/restricted in the right hand.” On the significance of the idiom, “bound/restricted in the right hand,” see the translator’s note on 3:15.

⁹ tn “at a single hair and not miss.”

⁸ tn Heb “The people, the men of Israel.”

⁹ tn Or “encouraged one another.”

⁹ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and they lifted up their voice[s] and wept with great weeping.” Both the cognate accusative בְּכִי (bekhi, “weeping”) and the attributive adjective גָדוֹל (gadol, “great”) emphasize their degree of sorrow.