Judges 4:5

4:5 She would sit ¹  under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel ²  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. ³ 

Judges 5:11

5:11 Hear ⁴  the sound of those who divide the sheep ⁵  among the watering places;

there they tell of ⁶  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ⁷  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

Judges 9:23

9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility ⁸  between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal ⁹  to Abimelech.

[4:5]  ¹ tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”

[4:5]  ² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[4:5]  ³ tn Heb “for judgment.”

[5:11]  ⁴ tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[5:11]  ⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.

[5:11]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “repeat.”

[5:11]  ⁷ tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.

[9:23]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.