4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor 4 and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 5
13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God 16 came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. 17 I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
14:15 On the fourth 19 day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. 20 If you refuse, 21 we will burn up 22 you and your father’s family. 23 Did you invite us here 24 to make us poor?” 25 14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder 26 and said, “You must 27 hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men 28 a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” 29
19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite 35 living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine 36 from Bethlehem 37 in Judah.
21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. 49 They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. 50 They went home 51 to their own territory, 52 rebuilt their cities, and settled down. 53
1 tn Or “honor.”
2 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
3 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the
4 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
5 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
7 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
8 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
9 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
10 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
11 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
12 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
13 tn Or “strong.”
14 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
16 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
17 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19 tn Heb “The man of God.”
20 tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”
22 tn Heb “our hand.”
25 tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (rÿvi’i, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (shÿvi’i, “seventh”). Some ancient textual witnesses (e.g., LXX and the Syriac Peshitta) read “fourth,” here, which certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse (cf. “for three days”) and with v. 17. Another option is to change שְׁלֹשֶׁת (shÿloshet, “three”) at the end of v. 14 to שֵׁשֶׁת (sheshet, “six”), but the resulting scenario does not account as well for v. 17, which implies the bride had been hounding Samson for more than one day.
26 tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”
27 tn Heb “lest.”
28 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement: “burn up with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.
29 tn Heb “house.”
30 tc The translation assumes the Hebrew form הֲלֹם (halom, “here,” attested in five Hebrew
31 tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.
28 tn Heb “on him.”
29 tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”
30 tn Heb “the sons of my people.”
31 tn Heb “Should I tell you?”
31 tn Or “said.”
32 tn Heb “and they said.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Timnite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Samson) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement with the additional phrase “burned with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons. Some textual witnesses read “burned…her father’s house,” perhaps under the influence of 14:15. On the other hand, the shorter text may have lost this phrase due to haplography.
34 tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”
35 sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.
36 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
37 tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”
38 tn Heb “there.”
39 tn Heb “the edge of the sword.”
40 tn Heb “and look.”
41 tn Heb “and look, when.”
42 tn Heb “in the dances.”
43 tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”
44 tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
45 tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”
46 tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.
47 tc Heb “You did not give to them, now you are guilty.” The MT as it stands makes little sense. It is preferable to emend לֹא (lo’, “not”) to לוּא (lu’, “if”). This particle introduces a purely hypothetical condition, “If you had given to them [but you didn’t].” See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 453-54.
46 tn Heb “did so.”
47 tn Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”
48 tn Heb “went and returned.”
49 tn Heb “inheritance.”
50 tn Heb “and lived in them.”