Judges 2:19

2:19 When a leader died, the next generation ¹  would again ²  act more wickedly than the previous one. ³  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ⁴  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ⁵  their practices or their stubborn ways.

Judges 6:18

6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back ⁶  with a gift ⁷  and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

Judges 8:33

Israel Returns to Baal-Worship

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ⁸  their god.

Judges 9:57

9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell ⁹  on them.

Judges 11:31

11:31 then whoever is the first to come through ¹⁰  the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he ¹¹  will belong to the Lord and ¹²  I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.”

Judges 14:8

14:8 Some time later, when he went back to marry ¹³  her, he turned aside to see the lion’s remains. He saw ¹⁴  a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass, as well as some honey.

Judges 17:4

17:4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she ¹⁵  took two hundred pieces of silver ¹⁶  to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. ¹⁷ 

Judges 18:26

18:26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized ¹⁸  they were too strong to resist, ¹⁹  he turned around and went home.

Judges 21:14

21:14 The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites ²⁰  gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. ²¹ 

[2:19]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the next generation) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:19]  ² tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to turn”) is sometimes translated “turn back” here, but it is probably used in an adverbial sense, indicating that the main action (“act wickedly”) is being repeated.

[2:19]  ³ tn Heb “their fathers.”

[2:19]  ⁴ tn Or “serving [them]”; or “following [them].”

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Or “drop.”

[6:18]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.

[8:33]  ¹¹ sn Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.

[9:57]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “came.”

[11:31]  ²¹ tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.

[11:31]  ²² tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.

[11:31]  ²³ tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the Lord’s service, but if an animal comes through the doors, he will offer it up as a sacrifice. However, it is far more likely that the Hebrew construction (vav [ו] + perfect) specifies how the subject will become the Lord’s, that is, by being offered up as a sacrifice. For similar constructions, where the apodosis of a conditional sentence has at least two perfects (each with vav) in sequence, see Gen 34:15-16; Exod 18:16.

[14:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “get.”

[14:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and look, a swarm of bees…”

[17:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “his mother.” The pronoun (“she”) has been substituted for the noun (“mother”) in the translation because of English style.

[17:4]  ³² tn The Hebrew text has “and gave it.” The referent (the pieces of silver) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:4]  ³³ tn Heb “and it was in Micah’s house.”

[18:26]  ³⁶ tn Heb “saw.”

[18:26]  ³⁷ tn Heb “they were stronger than he.”

[21:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “but they did not find for them enough.”