Judges 13:7

13:7 He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. ¹  So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. ²  For the child will be dedicated ³  to God from birth till the day he dies.’”

Judges 18:7

18:7 So the five men journeyed on ⁴  and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there ⁵  were living securely, like the Sidonians do, ⁶  undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. ⁷  They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. ⁸ 

[13:7]  ¹ tn See the note on the word “son” in 13:5, where this same statement occurs.

[13:7]  ² tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”

[13:7]  ³ tn Traditionally “a Nazirite.”

[18:7]  ⁴ tn Or “went.”

[18:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “who were in its midst.”

[18:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”

[18:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”

[18:7]  ⁸ tc Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX and Symmachus read “Syria” here rather than the MT’s “men.” This reading presupposes a Hebrew Vorlage אֲרָם (’aram, “Aram,” i.e., Arameans) rather than the MT reading אָדָם (’adam). This reading is possibly to be preferred over the MT.