Judges 13:11-14

13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met ¹  the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” ²  He said, “Yes.” ³  13:12 Manoah said, “Now, when your announcement comes true, ⁴  how should the child be raised and what should he do?” ⁵  13:13 The Lord’s messenger told ⁶  Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. ⁷  13:14 She should not drink ⁸  anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. ⁹  She should obey everything I commanded her to do.”

[13:11]  ¹ tn Heb “came to.”

[13:11]  ² tn Heb “the woman.”

[13:11]  ³ tn Heb “I [am].”

[13:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Now, [when] your word comes [to pass].”

[13:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “what will be the child’s rule [i.e., way of life] and his work?”

[13:13]  ⁷ tn Or “said to.”

[13:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “To everything I said to the woman she should pay attention.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes “to everything,” probably because Manoah’s wife did not tell her husband everything the angel had said to her (cf. vv. 3-5 with v. 7). If she had, Manoah probably would not have been so confused about the child’s mission.

[13:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “eat.”

[13:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”