Judges 3:4-9

3:4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. ¹ 

3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3:6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; ²  they worshiped ³  their gods as well.

Othniel: A Model Leader

3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. ⁴  They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ⁵  3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁶  and turned them over to ⁷  King Cushan-Rishathaim ⁸  of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects ⁹  for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹⁰  raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued ¹¹  them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “to know if they would hear the commands of the Lord which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.”

² tn Heb “to their sons.”

³ tn Or “served”; or “followed” (this term occurs in the following verse as well).

³ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

⁴ sn The Asherahs were local manifestations of the Canaanite goddess Asherah.

⁴ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned (or raged) against Israel.”

⁵ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

⁶ tn Or “Cushan the Doubly Wicked.”

⁷ tn Or “they served Cushan-Rishathaim.”

⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.”

⁶ tn Or “delivered.”

⁷ tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb’s nephew).