Judges 14:16

14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ¹  and said, “You must ²  hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ³  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?” ⁴ 

Judges 21:22

21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, ⁵  we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, ⁶  for we could not get each one a wife through battle. ⁷  Don’t worry about breaking your oath! ⁸  You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” ⁹ 

[14:16]  ¹ tn Heb “on him.”

[14:16]  ² tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”

[14:16]  ³ tn Heb “the sons of my people.”

[14:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “Should I tell you?”

[21:22]  ⁵ tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”

[21:22]  ⁶ tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[21:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”

[21:22]  ⁸ tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.

[21:22]  ⁹ 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.