Discovery BoxJudges 17:1--21:25
Context17:1 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 17:2 He said to his mother, “You know 1 the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were stolen 2 from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole 3 it, but now I am giving it back to you.” 4 His mother said, “May the Lord reward 5 you, my son!” 17:3 When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, “I solemnly dedicate 6 this silver to the Lord. It will be for my son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.” 7 17:4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she 8 took two hundred pieces of silver 9 to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. 10 17:5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine. 11 He made an ephod 12 and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest. 13 17:6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. 14
17:7 There was a young man from Bethlehem 15 in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. 16 17:8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house. 17 17:9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.” 18 17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser 19 and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” 20 17:11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah. 21 17:12 Micah paid 22 the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s house. 17:13 Micah said, “Now I know God will make me rich, 23 because I have this Levite as my priest.”
18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place 24 to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. 25 18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, 26 capable men 27 from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. 28 18:3 As they approached 29 Micah’s house, they recognized the accent 30 of the young Levite. So they stopped 31 there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 32 18:4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, 33 “He hired me and I became his priest.” 18:5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, 34 so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.” 35 18:6 The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. 36 The Lord will be with you on your mission.” 37
18:7 So the five men journeyed on 38 and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there 39 were living securely, like the Sidonians do, 40 undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. 41 They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 42 18:8 When the Danites returned to their tribe 43 in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen 44 asked them, “How did it go?” 45 18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, 46 for 47 we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, 48 but don’t hesitate 49 to invade and conquer 50 the land. 18:10 When you invade, 51 you will encounter 52 unsuspecting people. The land is wide! 53 God is handing it over to you – a place that lacks nothing on earth!” 54
18:11 So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 55 18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. 56 It is west 57 of Kiriath Jearim.) 18:13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. 18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish 58 said to their kinsmen, 59 “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 18:15 They stopped 60 there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), 61 and asked him how he was doing. 62 18:16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. 63 18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole 64 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. 65 18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole 66 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser 67 and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” 68 18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. 69
18:21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. 70 18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors 71 gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 18:23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites 72 turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’” 73 18:25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men 74 will attack you, and you and your family will die.” 75 18:26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized 76 they were too strong to resist, 77 he turned around and went home.
18:27 Now the Danites 78 took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. 79 18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city 80 was far from Sidon 81 and they had no dealings with anyone. 82 The city 83 was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites 84 rebuilt the city and occupied it. 18:29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. 85 But the city’s name used to be Laish. 18:30 The Danites worshiped 86 the carved image. Jonathan, descendant 87 of Gershom, son of Moses, 88 and his descendants 89 served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. 18:31 They worshiped 90 Micah’s carved image 91 the whole time God’s authorized shrine 92 was in Shiloh.
19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite 93 living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine 94 from Bethlehem 95 in Judah. 19:2 However, she 96 got angry at him 97 and went home 98 to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 19:3 her husband came 99 after her, hoping he could convince her to return. 100 He brought with him his servant 101 and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly. 102 19:4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there. 19:5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. 103 But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have a bite to eat for some energy, 104 then you can go.” 19:6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. 105 Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!” 106 19:7 When the man got ready to leave, 107 his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. 108 19:8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl’s father said, “Get some energy. 109 Wait until later in the day to leave!” 110 So they ate a meal together. 19:9 When the man got ready to leave 111 with his concubine and his servant, 112 his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over! 113 Stay another night! Since the day is over, 114 stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.” 115 19:10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left 116 and traveled as far as 117 Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). 118 He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. 119
19:11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late 120 and the servant 121 said to his master, “Come on, let’s stop at 122 this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.” 19:12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. 123 We will travel on to Gibeah.” 19:13 He said to his servant, 124 “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns 125 and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 19:14 So they traveled on, 126 and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 127 19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night 128 in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. 129
19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. 130 The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) 131 19:17 When he looked up and saw the traveler 132 in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 19:18 The Levite 133 said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem 134 in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. 135 But no one has invited me into their home. 19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, 136 and the young man who is with your servants. 137 We lack nothing.” 19:20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine! 138 I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. 139
19:22 They were having a good time, 140 when suddenly 141 some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, 142 surrounded the house and kept beating 143 on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.” 144 19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing! 19:24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s 145 concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. 146 But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite 147 grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. 148 They raped 149 her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 19:26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master 150 was staying until it became light. 151 19:27 When her master 152 got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold. 19:28 He said to her, “Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home. 153 19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. 154 Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. 155 19:30 Everyone who saw the sight 156 said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since 157 the Israelites left the land of Egypt! 158 Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”
20:1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba 159 and from the land of Gilead 160 left their homes 161 and assembled together 162 before the Lord at Mizpah. 20:2 The leaders 163 of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered 164 four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers. 20:3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!” 20:4 The Levite, 165 the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, “I and my concubine stopped in 166 Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin 167 to spend the night. 20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. 168 They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died. 20:6 I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces 169 throughout the territory occupied by Israel, 170 because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity 171 in Israel. 20:7 All you Israelites, 172 make a decision here!” 173
20:8 All Israel rose up in unison 174 and said, “Not one of us will go home! 175 Not one of us will return 176 to his house! 20:9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates. 177 20:10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. 178 When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.” 179 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies. 180
20:12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe 181 of Benjamin, saying, “How could such a wicked thing take place? 182 20:13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings 183 in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” 184 But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers. 20:14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah 185 to make war against the Israelites. 20:15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. 186 20:16 Among this army 187 were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. 188 Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. 189 20:17 The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior. 190
20:18 The Israelites went up to Bethel 191 and asked God, 192 “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?” 193 The Lord said, “Judah should lead.” 20:19 The Israelites got up the next morning and moved 194 against Gibeah. 20:20 The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they 195 arranged their battle lines against Gibeah. 20:21 The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day. 196
20:22 The Israelite army 197 took heart 198 and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before. 20:23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we 199 again march out to fight 200 the Benjaminites, our brothers?” 201 The Lord said, “Attack them!” 202 20:24 So the Israelites marched toward 203 the Benjaminites the next day. 20:25 The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers. 204
20:26 So all the Israelites, the whole army, 205 went up to 206 Bethel. 207 They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything 208 that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace 209 to the Lord. 20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days; 20:28 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the Lord 210 in those days), “Should we 211 once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, 212 or should we 213 quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them 214 over to you.”
20:29 So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; 215 they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before. 20:31 The Benjaminites attacked 216 the army, leaving the city unguarded. 217 They began to strike down their enemy 218 just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel, 219 the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down 220 about thirty Israelites. 20:32 Then the Benjaminites said, “They are defeated just as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s retreat 221 and lure them 222 away from the city into the main roads.” 20:33 223 All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah. 20:34 Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah – the battle was fierce. 224 But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep. 225 20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. 226 20:36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated.
The Israelites retreated before 227 Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash 228 to Gibeah. They 229 attacked 230 and put the sword to the entire city. 20:38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush 231 sent up a smoke signal from the city, 20:39 the Israelites counterattacked. 232 Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; 233 they struck down 234 about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.” 20:40 But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. 235 20:41 When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked 236 because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. 237 20:42 They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook 238 them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. 239 20:43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, 240 and annihilated 241 them all the way to a spot east of Geba. 242 20:44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. 20:45 The rest 243 turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites 244 caught 245 five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels 246 all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more. 20:46 That day twenty-five thousand 247 sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors. 248 20:47 Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months. 20:48 The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns 249 and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, 250 the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path. 251
21:1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.” 21:2 So the people came to Bethel 252 and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. 253 21:3 They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” An entire 254 tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”
21:4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. 255 21:5 The Israelites asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the Lord?” They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must certainly be executed. 256 21:6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to 257 their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire 258 tribe from Israel! 21:7 How can we find wives for those who are left? 259 After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.” 21:8 So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering. 260 21:9 When they took roll call, 261 they noticed 262 none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. 21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors 263 against Jabesh Gilead. 264 They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords 265 the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children. 21:11 Do this: 266 exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. 267 But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed. 268 21:12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins – they had never had sexual relations with a male. 269 They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
21:13 The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. 270 21:14 The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites 271 gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. 272
21:15 The people regretted what had happened to 273 Benjamin because the Lord had weakened 274 the Israelite tribes. 21:16 The leaders 275 of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? 276 After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out. 21:17 The 277 remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out. 278 21:18 But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, 279 for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’ 280 21:19 However, there is an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel 281 (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah.” 21:20 So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards, 21:21 and keep your eyes open. 282 When you see 283 the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, 284 jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin. 21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, 285 we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, 286 for we could not get each one a wife through battle. 287 Don’t worry about breaking your oath! 288 You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” 289
21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. 290 They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. 291 They went home 292 to their own territory, 293 rebuilt their cities, and settled down. 294 21:24 Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. 295 21:25 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. 296
[17:2] 1 tn The words “You know” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[17:2] 4 tn In the Hebrew text the statement, “but now I am giving it back to you,” appears at the end of v. 3 and is spoken by the mother. But v. 4 indicates that she did not give the money back to her son. Unless the statement is spoken by the woman to the LORD, it appears to be misplaced and fits much better in v. 2. It may have been accidentally omitted from a manuscript, written in the margin, and then later inserted in the wrong place in another manuscript.
[17:2] 5 tn Traditionally, “bless.”
[17:3] 6 tn Heb “dedicating, I dedicate.” In this case the emphatic infinitive absolute lends a mood of solemnity to the statement.
[17:3] 7 tn Heb “to the LORD from my hand for my son to make a carved image and cast metal image.” She cannot mean that she is now taking the money from her hand and giving it back to her son so he can make an image. Verses 4-6 indicate she took back the money and used a portion of it to hire a silversmith to make an idol for her son to use. The phrase “a carved image and cast metal image” is best taken as referring to two idols (see 18:17-18), even though the verb at the end of v. 4, וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was [in the house of Micah]”), is singular.
[17:4] 8 tn Heb “his mother.” The pronoun (“she”) has been substituted for the noun (“mother”) in the translation because of English style.
[17:4] 9 tn The Hebrew text has “and gave it.” The referent (the pieces of silver) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:4] 10 tn Heb “and it was in Micah’s house.”
[17:5] 11 tn Heb “house of God.”
[17:5] 12 sn Here an ephod probably refers to a priestly garment (cf. Exod 28:4-6).
[17:5] 13 tn Heb “and he filled the hand of one of his sons and he became his priest.”
[17:6] 14 tn Heb “Each was doing what was right in his [own] eyes.”
[17:7] 15 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[17:7] 16 tn Heb “There was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah, from the tribe of Judah, and he was a Levite, and he was temporarily residing there.”
[17:8] 17 tn Heb “He came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, making his way.”
[17:9] 18 tn Heb “And I am going to reside in a place I can find.”
[17:10] 19 tn Heb “father.” “Father” is here a title of honor that suggests the priest will give advice and protect the interests of the family, primarily by divining God’s will in matters, perhaps through the use of the ephod. (See R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 257; also Gen 45:8, where Joseph, who was a diviner and interpreter of dreams, is called Pharaoh’s “father,” and 2 Kgs 6:21; 13:14, where a prophet is referred to as a “father.” Note also 2 Kgs 8:9, where a king identifies himself as a prophet’s “son.” One of a prophet’s main functions was to communicate divine oracles. Cf. 2 Kgs 8:9ff.; 13:14-19).
[17:10] 20 tn The Hebrew text expands with the phrase: “and the Levite went.” This only makes sense if taken with “to live” in the next verse. Apparently “the Levite went” and “the Levite agreed” are alternative readings which have been juxtaposed in the text.
[17:11] 21 tn Heb “the young man became like one of his sons.”
[17:12] 22 tn Heb “filled the hand of.”
[17:13] 23 tn Heb “do good for me.”
[18:1] 24 tn Heb “an inheritance.”
[18:1] 25 tn Heb “because there had not fallen to them by that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel an inheritance.”
[18:2] 26 tn Heb “The Danites sent from their tribe five men, from their borders.”
[18:2] 27 tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”
[18:2] 28 tn Heb “They came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, and spent the night there.”
[18:3] 29 tn Or “When they were near.”
[18:3] 30 tn Heb “voice.” This probably means that “his speech was Judahite [i.e., southern] like their own, not Israelite [i.e., northern]” (R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 263).
[18:3] 31 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[18:3] 32 tn Heb “What [is there] to you here?”
[18:4] 33 tn Heb “He said to them, ‘Such and such Micah has done for me.’” Though the statement is introduced and presented, at least in part, as a direct quotation (note especially “for me”), the phrase “such and such” appears to be the narrator’s condensed version of what the Levite really said.
[18:5] 35 tn Heb “so we can know if our way on which we are going will be successful.”
[18:6] 37 tn Heb “In front of the LORD is your way in which you are going.”
[18:7] 39 tn Heb “who were in its midst.”
[18:7] 40 tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”
[18:7] 41 tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”
[18:7] 42 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.
[18:8] 43 tn Heb “They came to their brothers.”
[18:9] 46 tn Heb “Arise, and let us go up against them.”
[18:9] 47 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX adds “we entered and walked around in the land as far as Laish and.”
[18:9] 48 tn Heb “But you are inactive.”
[18:9] 50 tn Heb “to go”; “to enter”; “to possess.”
[18:10] 51 tn Heb “When you enter.”
[18:10] 52 tn Heb “you will come to.”
[18:10] 53 tn Heb “broad of hands,” an idiom meaning “wide on both sides.”
[18:10] 54 tn Heb “a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
[18:11] 55 tn Heb “They journeyed from there, from the tribe of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men, equipped with weapons of war.”
[18:12] 56 tn Or “Mahaneh Dan”; the Hebrew term “Mahaneh” means “camp [of].” Many English versions retain the transliterated Hebrew expression, but cf. CEV “Dan’s Camp.”
[18:14] 58 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”
[18:15] 60 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[18:15] 61 tn Heb “Micah’s house.”
[18:15] 62 tn Heb “they asked him concerning peace.”
[18:16] 63 tn Heb “And the six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war…from the sons of Dan.”
[18:17] 64 tn Heb “went up, went in there, took.”
[18:17] 65 tn Heb “six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war.”
[18:18] 66 tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”
[18:19] 67 tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.
[18:19] 68 tn Heb “Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man or for you to be priest for a tribe, for a clan in Israel?”
[18:20] 69 tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”
[18:21] 70 tn Heb “They turned and went and put the children, the cattle, and the possessions in front of them.”
[18:22] 71 tn Heb “the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house.”
[18:23] 72 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:24] 73 tn Heb “What is this you say to me, ‘What to you?’”
[18:25] 74 tn Heb “bitter in spirit.” This phrase is used in 2 Sam 17:8 of David and his warriors, who are compared to a bear robbed of her cubs.
[18:25] 75 tn Heb “and you will gather up your life and the life of your house.”
[18:26] 77 tn Heb “they were stronger than he.”
[18:27] 78 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:27] 79 tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[18:28] 80 tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.
[18:28] 81 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[18:28] 82 tn Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.”
[18:28] 83 tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.
[18:28] 84 tn Heb “They”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 85 tn Heb “They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who had been born to Israel.”
[18:30] 86 tn Heb “erected for themselves.”
[18:30] 88 tc Several ancient textual witnesses, including some LXX
[18:31] 90 tn Heb “they set up for themselves.”
[18:31] 91 tn Heb “the carved image that Micah had made.”
[18:31] 92 tn Heb “the house of God.”
[19:1] 93 tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”
[19:1] 94 sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.
[19:1] 95 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[19:2] 96 tn Heb “and his concubine.” The pronoun (“she”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 97 tn Or “was unfaithful to him.” Many have understood the Hebrew verb וַתִּזְנֶה (vattizneh) as being from זָנָה (zanah, “to be a prostitute”), but it may be derived from a root meaning “to be angry; to hate” attested in Akkadian (see HALOT 275 s.v. II זנה).
[19:2] 98 tn Heb “went from him.”
[19:3] 99 tn Heb “arose and came.”
[19:3] 100 tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.”
[19:3] 102 tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.”
[19:5] 103 tn Heb “and he arose to go.”
[19:5] 104 tn Heb “Sustain your heart [with] a bit of food.”
[19:6] 105 tn Heb “And they sat and ate, the two of them together, and they drank.”
[19:6] 106 tn Heb “Be willing and spend the night so that your heart might be good.”
[19:7] 107 tn Heb “and the man arose to go.”
[19:7] 108 tn Heb “his father-in-law persuaded him and he again spent the night there.”
[19:8] 109 tn Heb “Sustain your heart.” He is once more inviting him to stay for a meal.
[19:8] 110 tn Heb “Wait until the declining of the day.”
[19:9] 111 tn Heb “the man arose to go.”
[19:9] 113 tn Heb “the day is sinking to become evening.”
[19:9] 115 tn Heb “for your way and go to your tent.”
[19:10] 116 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[19:10] 117 tn Heb “to the front of.”
[19:10] 118 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:10] 119 tc Some ancient witnesses add “and his servant.”
[19:11] 120 tn Heb “and the day was descending greatly.”
[19:11] 121 tn Or “young man.”
[19:11] 122 tn Heb “turn aside” (also in the following verse).
[19:12] 123 tn Heb “who are not from the sons of Israel.”
[19:13] 124 tn Or “young man.”
[19:13] 125 tn Heb “we will enter one of the places.”
[19:14] 126 tn Heb “and they passed by and went.”
[19:14] 127 tn Heb “which belongs to Benjamin.”
[19:15] 128 tn Heb “they turned aside there to enter to spend the night.”
[19:15] 129 tn Heb “and he entered and sat down, and there was no one receiving them into the house to spend the night.”
[19:16] 130 tn Heb “And look, an old man was coming from his work, from the field in the evening.”
[19:16] 131 tn Heb “And the men of the place were Benjaminites.”
[19:17] 132 tn Heb “the man, the traveler.”
[19:18] 133 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:18] 134 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[19:18] 135 tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”
[19:19] 136 tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.
[19:19] 137 tc Some Hebrew
[19:20] 138 tn Heb “Peace to you.”
[19:21] 139 tn Heb “ate and drank.”
[19:22] 140 tn Heb “they were making their heart good.”
[19:22] 141 tn Heb “and look.”
[19:22] 142 tn Heb “the men of the city, men, the sons of wickedness.” The phrases are in apposition; the last phrase specifies what type of men they were. It is not certain if all the men of the city are in view, or just a group of troublemakers. In 20:5 the town leaders are implicated in the crime, suggesting that all the men of the city were involved. If so, the implication is that the entire male population of the town were good-for-nothings.
[19:22] 143 tn The Hitpael verb form appears to have an iterative force here, indicating repeated action.
[19:22] 144 tn Heb “so we can know him.” On the surface one might think they simply wanted to meet the visitor and get to know him, but their hostile actions betray their double-talk. The old man, who has been living with them long enough to know what they are like, seems to have no doubts about the meaning of their words (see v. 23).
[19:24] 145 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the visiting Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:24] 146 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[19:25] 147 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:25] 148 tn Heb “and he caused [her] to go outside to them.”
[19:25] 149 tn Heb “knew,” in the sexual sense.
[19:26] 150 tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman.
[19:26] 151 tn Heb “The woman came at the turning of the morning and fell at the door of the house of the man where her master was until the light.”
[19:27] 152 tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman.
[19:28] 153 tn Heb “And the man took her on the donkey and arose and went to his place.”
[19:29] 154 tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.”
[19:29] 155 tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.”
[19:30] 156 tn The words “the sight” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[19:30] 157 tn Heb “from the day.”
[19:30] 158 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the following additional words: “And he instructed the men whom he sent out, ‘Thus you will say to every male Israelite: “There has never been anything like this from the day the Israelites left Egypt till the present day.”’”
[20:1] 159 sn Dan was located in the far north of the country, while Beer Sheba was located in the far south. This encompassed all the territory of the land of Canaan occupied by the Israelites.
[20:1] 160 sn The land of Gilead was on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
[20:1] 162 tn Heb “and the assembly was convened as one man.”
[20:2] 163 tn Heb “the cornerstones”; or “the supports.” The word is used of leaders in only three other texts – 1 Sam 14:38; Isa 19:13; Zech 10:4.
[20:2] 164 tn The words “which numbered” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[20:4] 165 tn Heb “The man, the Levite.”
[20:4] 167 tn Heb “which belongs to Benjamin.”
[20:5] 168 tn Heb “arose against me and surrounded against me the house at night.”
[20:6] 169 tn Heb “her”; the referent is more naturally stated in English as “the pieces.”
[20:6] 170 tn Heb “throughout all the territory of the inheritance of Israel.”
[20:6] 171 tn Heb “a wicked and disgraceful [thing].”
[20:7] 172 tn Heb “Look, all of you sons of Israel.”
[20:7] 173 tn Heb “give for yourselves a word and advice here.”
[20:8] 174 tn Heb “as one man.”
[20:8] 175 tn Heb “to his tent.”
[20:8] 176 tn Or “turn aside.”
[20:9] 177 tn Heb “against her by lot.” The verb “we will go up” (נַעֲלֶה, na’aleh) has probably been accidentally omitted before “against her” (עָלֶיהָ, ’aleha).
[20:10] 179 tn Heb “to do at their arrival in Geba of Benjamin according to all the disgraceful [thing] which he [collective = “Benjamin”] did in Israel.” Here “Geba” must be an error for “Gibeah.”
[20:11] 180 tn Heb “gathered at the city as one man, united.”
[20:12] 181 tc The MT reads the plural, but surely the singular (which is supported by the LXX and Vulgate) is preferable here.
[20:12] 182 tn Heb “What is this wicked thing which happened among you?”
[20:13] 183 tn Heb “the men, sons of wickedness.”
[20:13] 184 tn Heb “and burn away wickedness from Israel.”
[20:14] 185 tn Heb “assembled from the cities at Gibeah.”
[20:15] 186 tn Heb “besides from the ones living in Gibeah they mustered seven hundred choice men.”
[20:16] 187 tn Heb “And from all this people.”
[20:16] 188 tn Heb “seven hundred choice men, bound/restricted in the right hand.” On the significance of the idiom, “bound/restricted in the right hand,” see the translator’s note on 3:15.
[20:16] 189 tn “at a single hair and not miss.”
[20:17] 190 tn Heb “a man of war.”
[20:18] 191 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[20:18] 192 tn Heb “They arose and went up to Bethel and asked God, and the Israelites said.”
[20:18] 193 tn Heb “Who should go up for us first for battle against the sons of Benjamin?”
[20:19] 194 tn Heb “encamped.”
[20:20] 195 tn Heb “the men of Israel.” The noun phrase has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:21] 196 tn Heb “The sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and they struck down in Israel that day twenty-two thousand men to the ground.”
[20:22] 197 tn Heb “The people, the men of Israel.”
[20:22] 198 tn Or “encouraged one another.”
[20:23] 199 tn Heb “I” (collective singular).
[20:23] 200 tn Heb “approach for battle.”
[20:23] 201 tn Heb “my brother” (collective singular).
[20:23] 202 tn Heb “Go up against him” (collective singular).
[20:24] 203 tn Heb “drew near to.”
[20:25] 204 tn Heb “And Benjamin went out to meet them from Gibeah the second day, and they struck down among the sons of Israel eighteen thousand men to the ground, all of these were wielding the sword.”
[20:26] 205 tn Heb “and all the people.”
[20:26] 206 tn Heb “went up and came [to].”
[20:26] 207 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[20:26] 208 tn Traditionally, “fasted.”
[20:26] 209 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[20:28] 210 tn Heb “standing before him.”
[20:28] 211 tn Heb “I” (collective singular).
[20:28] 212 tn Heb “my brother” (collective singular).
[20:28] 213 tn Heb “I” (collective singular).
[20:28] 214 tn Heb “him” (collective singular).
[20:30] 215 tn Heb “the third day.”
[20:31] 216 tn Heb “went out to meet.”
[20:31] 217 tn Heb “and they were drawn away from the city.”
[20:31] 218 tn Heb “from the army wounded ones.”
[20:31] 219 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[20:31] 220 tn The words “they struck down” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[20:32] 222 tn Heb “him” (collective singular).
[20:33] 223 sn Verses 33-36a give a condensed account of the battle from this point on, while vv. 36b-48 offer a more detailed version of how the ambush contributed to Gibeah’s defeat.
[20:34] 224 tn Heb “heavy”; or “severe.”
[20:34] 225 tn Heb “And they did not know that touching against them was disaster.”
[20:35] 226 tn Heb “And the sons of Israel struck down in Benjamin that day 25,100 men, all of these wielding the sword.”
[20:36] 227 tn Heb “gave place to.”
[20:37] 228 tn Heb “hurried and put off [their hiding place].”
[20:37] 229 tn Heb “the men hiding in ambush.”
[20:37] 230 tn Or “deployed.” The verb normally means “to lead” or “to draw.”
[20:38] 231 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men hiding in ambush) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:39] 232 tn Heb “turned in the battle.”
[20:39] 233 tn Heb “And Benjamin began to strike down wounded ones among the men of Israel.”
[20:39] 234 tn The words “they struck down” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[20:40] 235 tn Heb “Benjamin turned after him and, look, the whole city went up toward the sky.”
[20:41] 236 tn Or “were terrified.”
[20:41] 237 tn Heb “disaster touched against them.”
[20:42] 238 tn Heb “clung to”; or “stuck close.”
[20:42] 239 tn Heb “and those from the cities were striking them down in their midst.”
[20:43] 240 tc The translation assumes the reading מִנּוֹחָה (minnokhah, “from Nohah”; cf. 1 Chr 8:2) rather than the MT’s מְנוּחָה (mÿnukhah, “resting place”).
[20:43] 241 tn Heb “tread down, walk on.”
[20:43] 242 tn Heb “unto the opposite of Gibeah toward the east.” Gibeah cannot be correct here, since the Benjaminites retreated from there toward the desert and Rimmon (see v. 45). A slight emendation yields the reading “Geba.”
[20:45] 243 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the rest [of the Benjaminites]) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:45] 244 tn Heb “and they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:45] 245 tn Heb “gleaned.” The word is an agricultural term which pictures Israelites picking off the Benjaminites as easily as one picks grapes from the vine.
[20:45] 246 tn Heb “stuck close after them.”
[20:46] 247 sn The number given here (twenty-five thousand sword-wielding Benjaminites) is an approximate figure; v. 35 gives the more exact number (25,100). According to v. 15, the Benjaminite army numbered 26,700 (26,000 + 700). The figures in vv. 35 (rounded in vv. 44-46) and 47 add up to 25,700. What happened to the other 1,000 men? The most reasonable explanation is that they were killed during the first two days of fighting. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 429) and C. F. Burney (Judges, 475) reject this proposal, arguing that the narrator is too precise and concerned about details to omit such a fact. However, the account of the first two days’ fighting emphasizes Israel’s humiliating defeat. To speak of Benjaminite casualties would diminish the literary effect. In vv. 35, 44-47 the narrator’s emphasis is the devastating defeat that Benjamin experienced on this final day of battle. To mention the earlier days’ casualties at this point is irrelevant to his literary purpose. He allows readers who happen to be concerned with such details to draw conclusions for themselves.
[20:46] 248 tn Heb “So all the ones who fell from Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men, wielding the sword, in that day, all of these men of strength.
[20:48] 249 tn Heb “to the sons of Benjamin.”
[20:48] 250 tc The translation is based on the reading מֵעִיר מְתִים (me’ir mÿtim, “from a city of men,” i.e., “an inhabited city”), rather than the reading מֵעִיר מְתֹם (me’ir mÿtom, “from a city of soundness”) found in the Leningrad Codex (L).
[20:48] 251 tn Heb “Also all the cities that were found they set on fire.”
[21:2] 252 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[21:2] 253 tn Heb “and they lifted up their voice[s] and wept with great weeping.” Both the cognate accusative בְּכִי (bekhi, “weeping”) and the attributive adjective גָדוֹל (gadol, “great”) emphasize their degree of sorrow.
[21:4] 255 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[21:5] 256 tn Heb “A great oath there was concerning the one who did not go up before the Lord at Mizpah, saying, ‘He must surely be put to death.’”
[21:6] 257 tn Or “felt sorry for.”
[21:6] 258 tn Heb “cut off one.”
[21:7] 259 tn Heb “What should we do for them, for the remaining ones, concerning wives?”
[21:8] 260 tn Heb “Look, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly.”
[21:9] 261 tn Or “when the people were mustered.”
[21:10] 263 tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”
[21:10] 265 tn Heb “the edge of the sword.”
[21:11] 266 tn Heb “And this is the thing that you will do.”
[21:11] 267 tn Heb “every woman who is familiar with the bed of a male.”
[21:11] 268 tc Some Greek witnesses (notably Codex Vaticanus [B]) add the words, “‘But the virgins you should keep alive.’ And they did so.” These additional words, which probably represent the original Hebrew text, can be retroverted: וְאֶת־הַבְּתוּלוֹת תְּחַיּוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן (ve’et-habbÿtulot tÿkhayyu vayya’asu khen). It is likely that a scribe’s eye jumped from the vav (ו) on וְאֶת (vÿ’et) to the initial vav of v. 11, accidentally leaving out the intervening letters. The present translation is based on this reconstruction.
[21:12] 269 tn Heb “who had not known a man with respect to the bed of a male.”
[21:13] 270 tn Heb “And all the assembly sent and spoke to the sons of Benjamin who were at the cliff of Rimmon and they proclaimed to them peace.”
[21:14] 271 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:14] 272 tn Heb “but they did not find for them enough.”
[21:15] 273 tn Or “felt sorry for.”
[21:15] 274 tn Heb “had made a gaping hole in.” The narrator uses imagery that compares Israel to a wall that has been breached.
[21:16] 276 tn Heb “What should we do for the remaining ones concerning wives?”
[21:17] 277 tn The Hebrew text has “and they said” at the beginning of the verse. For stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 17 as a continuation of the remarks of the leaders in v. 16.
[21:17] 278 tn Heb “An inheritance for the remnant belonging to Benjamin, and a tribe from Israel will not be wiped away.” The first statement lacks a verb. Some prefer to emend the text to read, “How can an inheritance remain for the remnant of Benjamin?”
[21:18] 279 tn Heb “But we are not able to give to them wives from our daughters.”
[21:18] 280 tn Heb “is cursed.”
[21:19] 281 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[21:21] 282 tn Heb “and look.”
[21:21] 283 tn Heb “and look, when.”
[21:21] 284 tn Heb “in the dances.”
[21:22] 285 tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”
[21:22] 286 tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:22] 287 tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”
[21:22] 288 tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.
[21:22] 289 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.
[21:23] 291 tn Heb “And they took wives according to their number from the dancing girls whom they abducted.”
[21:23] 292 tn Heb “went and returned.”
[21:23] 293 tn Heb “inheritance.”
[21:23] 294 tn Heb “and lived in them.”
[21:24] 295 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[21:25] 296 tn Heb “Each was doing what was right in his [own] eyes.”
