18:21 These cities belonged to the tribe 3 of Benjamin by its clans: Jericho, 4 Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 18:22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 5 18:23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 18:24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni, and Geba – a total of twelve cities and their towns.
18:25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 18:26 Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 18:27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 18:28 Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city 6 (that is, Jerusalem), 7 Gibeah, and Kiriath – a total of fourteen cities and their towns. 8 This was the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin 9 by its clans.
18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting. 10 Though they had subdued the land, 11
5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they 12 crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. 13
49:1 The Lord spoke about the Ammonites. 14
“Do you think there are not any people of the nation of Israel remaining?
Do you think there are not any of them remaining to reinherit their land?
Is that why you people who worship the god Milcom 15
have taken possession of the territory of Gad and live in his cities? 16
1:13 This is what the Lord says:
“Because the Ammonites have committed three crimes 17 –
make that four! 18 – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. 19
They ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women 20
so they could expand their territory.
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 21
the flock that belongs to you, 22
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 23
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 24
as they did in the old days. 25
1 tn Heb “and half of the land of the sons of Ammon.”
2 tn Heb “in front of.”
3 tn Heb “the sons,” here referring to the tribe.
4 map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
5 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
6 tn The word “city” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
8 tn The structure of this list presents problems. In v. 28 no conjunction appears before “Haeleph” or “Kiriath” in the Hebrew text. This suggests they should be compounded with the preceding names, yielding “Zelah Haeleph” and “Gibeah Kiriath” respectively. This results in a list of only twelve cities, however, while the summary statement (v. 28) gives the number fourteen. One should note, however, that the city lists in chap. 15 do not consistently use the conjunction before the name of each city. See also Josh 19:7, where no conjunction appears before “Rimmon,” but the summary assumes that Ain and Rimmon are distinct.
9 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the sons of Benjamin.”
10 tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”
11 tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”
12 tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”
13 tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”
14 sn Ammonites. Ammon was a small kingdom to the north and east of Moab which was in constant conflict with the Transjordanian tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh over territorial rights to the lands north and south of the Jabbok River. Ammon mainly centered on the city of Rabbah which is modern Amman. According to Judg 11:13 the Ammonites claimed the land between the Jabbok and the Arnon but this was land taken from them by Sihon and Og and land that the Israelites captured from the latter two kings. The Ammonites attempted to expand into the territory of Israel in the Transjordan in the time of Jephthah (Judg 10-11) and the time of Saul (1 Sam 11). Apparently when Tiglath Pileser carried away the Israelite tribes in Transjordan in 733
15 tc The reading here and in v. 3 follows the reading of the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions and 1 Kgs 11:5, 33; 2 Kgs 23:13. The Hebrew reads “Malcom” both here, in v. 3, and Zeph 1:5. This god is to be identified with the god known elsewhere as Molech (cf. 1 Kgs 11:7).
16 tn Heb “Does not Israel have any sons? Does not he have any heir [or “heirs” as a collective]? Why [then] has Malcom taken possession of Gad and [why] do his [Malcom’s] people live in his [Gad’s] land?” A literal translation here will not produce any meaning without major commentary. Hence the meaning that is generally agreed on is reflected in an admittedly paraphrastic translation. The reference is to the fact that the Ammonites had taken possession of the cities that had been deserted when the Assyrians carried off the Transjordanian tribes in 733
17 tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.
18 tn Heb “Because of three violations of the Ammonites, even because of four.”
On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.
19 tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.
20 sn The Ammonites ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women in conjunction with a military invasion designed to expand their territory. Such atrocities, although repugnant, were not uncommon in ancient Near Eastern warfare.
21 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
22 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
23 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
24 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
25 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”