Judges 3:28

3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” ¹  They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River ²  opposite Moab, ³  and did not let anyone cross.

Judges 15:1

Samson Versus the Philistines

15:1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, ⁴  Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. ⁵  He said to her father, ⁶  “I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!” ⁷  But her father would not let him enter.

[3:28]  ¹ tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”

[3:28]  ² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

[3:28]  ³ tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.

[15:1]  ⁴ sn The wheat harvest took place during the month of May. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 37, 88.

[15:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “Samson visited his wife with a young goat.”

[15:1]  ⁶ tn The words “to her father” are supplied in the translation (see the end of the verse).

[15:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will go to my wife in the bedroom.” The Hebrew idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations. The cohortative form used by Samson can be translated as indicating resolve (“I want to go”) or request (“let me go”).