Judges 14:20
Context14:20 Samson’s bride was then given to his best man. 1
Judges 15:3
Context15:3 Samson said to them, 2 “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!” 3
Judges 9:23
Context9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 4 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 5 to Abimelech.
Judges 11:27
Context11:27 I have not done you wrong, 6 but you are doing wrong 7 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’”
Judges 20:13
Context20:13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings 8 in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” 9 But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.


[14:20] 1 tn Heb “to his companion who had been his attendant.”
[15:3] 2 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the singular “to him.”
[15:3] 3 tn Heb “I am innocent this time from the Philistines when I do with them harm.”
[9:23] 3 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
[9:23] 4 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:27] 4 tn Or “sinned against you.”