Judges 5:10

5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets, ¹ 

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

Judges 2:22

2:22 Joshua left those nations ²  to test ³  Israel. I wanted to see ⁴  whether or not the people ⁵  would carefully walk in the path ⁶  marked out by ⁷  the Lord, as their ancestors ⁸  were careful to do.”

Judges 8:11

8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads ⁹  east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. ¹⁰ 

Judges 20:42

20:42 They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook ¹¹  them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. ¹² 

[5:10]  ¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִדִּין (middin, “saddle blankets”) in this context is uncertain.

[2:22]  ² tn The words “Joshua left those nations” are interpretive. The Hebrew text of v. 22 simply begins with “to test.” Some subordinate this phrase to “I will no longer remove” (v. 21). In this case the Lord announces that he has now decided to leave these nations as a test for Israel. Another possibility is to subordinate “to test” to “He said” (v. 20; see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 111). In this case the statement recorded in vv. 20b-21 is the test in that it forces Israel to respond either positively (through repentance) or negatively to the Lord’s declaration. A third possibility (the one reflected in the present translation) is to subordinate “to test” to “left unconquered” (v. 21). In this case the Lord recalls that Joshua left these nations as a test. Israel has failed the test (v. 20), so the Lord announces that the punishment threatened earlier (Josh 23:12-13; see also Judg 2:3) will now be implemented. As B. G. Webb (Judges [JSOTSup], 115) observes, “The nations which were originally left as a test are now left as a punishment.” This view best harmonizes v. 23, which explains that the Lord did not give all the nations to Joshua, with v. 22. (For a grammatical parallel, where the infinitive construct of נָסָה [nasah] is subordinated to the perfect of עָזַב [’azav], see 2 Chr 32:31.)

[2:22]  ³ tn The Hebrew text includes the phrase “by them,” but this is somewhat redundant in English and has been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:22]  ⁴ tn The words “I [i.e., the Lord] wanted to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:22]  ⁶ tn Or “way [of life].”

[2:22]  ⁷ tn “The words “marked out by” are interpretive.

[2:22]  ⁸ tn Or “fathers.”

[8:11]  ³ tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”

[8:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.

[20:42]  ⁴ tn Heb “clung to”; or “stuck close.”

[20:42]  ⁵ tn Heb “and those from the cities were striking them down in their midst.”