Discovery BoxJudges 6:1--9:57
Context6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, 1 so the Lord turned them over to 2 Midian for seven years. 6:2 The Midianites 3 overwhelmed Israel. 4 Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters 5 for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, 6 the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. 7 6:4 They invaded the land 8 and devoured 9 its crops 10 all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, 11 and they took away 12 the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 6:5 When they invaded 13 with their cattle and tents, they were as thick 14 as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. 15 They came to devour 16 the land. 6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 6:8 he 17 sent a prophet 18 to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt 19 and took you out of that place of slavery. 20 6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power 21 and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship 22 the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’” 23
6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger 24 came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon 25 was threshing 26 wheat in a winepress 27 so he could hide it from the Midianites. 28 6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, 29 but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster 30 overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, 31 ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 6:14 Then the Lord himself 32 turned to him and said, “You have the strength. 33 Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! 34 Have I not sent you?” 6:15 Gideon 35 said to him, “But Lord, 36 how 37 can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” 38 6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but 39 I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” 40 6:17 Gideon 41 said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, 42 then give me 43 a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back 44 with a gift 45 and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”
6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, 46 along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food 47 to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, 48 and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 49 6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. 50 Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared. 51
6:22 When Gideon realized 52 that it was the Lord’s messenger, he 53 said, “Oh no! 54 Master, Lord! 55 I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! 56 Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” 57 To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. 58 Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. 59 Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants 60 and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family 61 and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. 62
6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw 63 the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 6:29 They said to one another, 64 “Who did this?” 65 They investigated the matter thoroughly 66 and concluded 67 that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! 68 He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, 69 “Must you fight Baal’s battles? 70 Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause 71 will die by morning! 72 If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! 73 After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” 74 6:32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, 75 because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east 76 assembled. They crossed the Jordan River 77 and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 6:34 The Lord’s spirit took control of 78 Gideon. He blew a trumpet, 79 summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 80 6:35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. 81 He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, 82 as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. 83 6:37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it 84 is dry, then I will be sure 85 that you will use me to deliver Israel, 86 as you promised.” 6:38 The Lord did as he asked. 87 When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. 88 6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. 89 Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” 90 6:40 That night God did as he asked. 91 Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.
7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men 92 got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. 93 The Midianites 94 were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. 95 Israel might brag, 96 ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 97 7:3 Now, announce to the men, 98 ‘Whoever is shaking with fear 99 may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” 100 Twenty-two thousand men 101 went home; 102 ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. 103 Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. 104 When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; 105 when I say, 106 ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 107 7:5 So he brought the men 108 down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 109 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; 110 the rest of the men 111 kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army 112 and I will hand Midian over to you. 113 The rest of the men should go home.” 114 7:8 The men 115 who were chosen 116 took supplies 117 and their trumpets. Gideon 118 sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; 119 he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites 120 were camped down below 121 in the valley.
7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, 122 “Get up! Attack 123 the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 124 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave 125 and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 126 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. 127 Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. 128 The man 129 said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw 130 a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 131 7:14 The other man said, 132 “Without a doubt this symbolizes 133 the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. 134 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. 135 He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 136 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! 137 I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp 138 at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 139 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. 140 Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order 141 all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 142 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords 143 throughout 144 the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went 145 to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 146
7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. 147 Take control of the fords of the streams 148 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” 149 When all the Ephraimites had assembled, 150 they took control of the fords 151 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. 152 They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb 153 in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites 154 and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. 155
8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us 156 when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 8:2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes 157 are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 158 8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” 159 When he said this, they calmed down. 160
8:4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 161 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give 162 some loaves of bread to the men 163 who are following me, 164 because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give 165 bread to your army?” 166 8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, 167 after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh 168 your skin 169 with 170 desert thorns and briers.” 8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. 171 The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 172 8:9 He also threatened 173 the men of Penuel, warning, 174 “When I return victoriously, 175 I will tear down this tower.”
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. 176 8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads 177 east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 178 8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon 179 chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised 180 their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass 181 of Heres. 8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth 182 and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. 183 8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! 184 Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 185 8:16 He seized the leaders 186 of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 187 8:17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.
8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me 188 the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 189 8:19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, 190 as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! 191 Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, 192 because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, 193 “Come on, 194 you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” 195 So Gideon killed 196 Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.
8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 197 8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 8:24 Gideon continued, 198 “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” 199 (The Midianites 200 had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 8:25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” 201 So they 202 spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. 203 This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, 204 purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 205 8:27 Gideon used all this to make 206 an ephod, 207 which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites 208 prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it 209 there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. 210 The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 211 8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 212 8:30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 213 8:31 His concubine, 214 who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 215 8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very 216 old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith 217 their god. 8:34 The Israelites did not remain true 218 to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 8:35 They did not treat 219 the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 220 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 221 9:2 “Tell 222 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 223 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 224 9:3 His mother’s relatives 225 spoke on his behalf to 226 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 227 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 228 they said, “He is our close relative.” 229 9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous 230 men as his followers. 231 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 232 the seventy legitimate 233 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 234 because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar 235 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 236 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 237 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 238 and choose a king for themselves. 239 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 240 9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 241
9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 242 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 243
9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 244 9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 245
9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 246 9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose 247 me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! 248 Otherwise 249 may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, 250 if you have properly repaid him 251 – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life 252 and delivered you from Midian’s power. 253 9:18 But you have attacked 254 my father’s family 255 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 256 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 257 9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family 258 today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 259 9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away 260 to Beer and lived there to escape from 261 Abimelech his half-brother. 262
9:22 Abimelech commanded 263 Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility 264 between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal 265 to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother 266 who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 267 9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting 268 bandits in 269 the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. 270
9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 271 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 272 9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, 273 squeezed out the juice, 274 and celebrated. They came to the temple 275 of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? 276 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 277 9:29 If only these men 278 were under my command, 279 I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, 280 “Muster 281 your army and come out for battle!” 282
9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 283 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, 284 reporting, “Beware! 285 Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming 286 to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 287 9:32 Now, come up 288 at night with your men 289 and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 290 9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” 291
9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 292 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 293 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 294 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 295 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 296 of the land. A unit 297 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 298 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 299 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 300 you insulted? 301 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 302 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 303 ran from him. Many Shechemites 304 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back 305 to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 306
9:42 The next day the Shechemites 307 came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 308 9:43 he took his men 309 and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, 310 he attacked and struck them down. 311 9:44 Abimelech and his units 312 attacked and blocked 313 the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled 314 the city and spread salt over it. 315
9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 316 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 317 of the temple of El-Berith. 318 9:47 Abimelech heard 319 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 320 9:48 He and all his men 321 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 322 took an ax 323 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 324 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 325 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 326 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 327 All the people 328 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 329 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 330 9:51 There was a fortified 331 tower 332 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone 333 down on his 334 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, 335 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, 336 ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 337
9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 338 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell 339 on them.
[6:1] 1 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[6:1] 2 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[6:2] 3 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
[6:2] 4 tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.”
[6:2] 5 tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
[6:3] 6 tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.”
[6:3] 7 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (vÿ’alu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ’alayv).
[6:4] 8 tn Heb “They encamped against them.”
[6:4] 10 tn Heb “the crops of the land.”
[6:4] 11 tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.”
[6:4] 12 tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[6:5] 15 tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.”
[6:5] 16 tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse.
[6:8] 17 tn Heb “the
[6:8] 18 tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.
[6:8] 19 tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (me’erets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]).
[6:8] 20 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
[6:9] 21 tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse).
[6:10] 22 tn Heb “Do not fear.”
[6:10] 23 tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.”
[6:11] 24 tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.
[6:11] 25 tn Heb “Now Gideon his son…” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing.
[6:11] 26 tn Heb “beating out.”
[6:11] 27 sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63.
[6:13] 29 tn Heb “But my lord.”
[6:14] 32 sn Some interpreters equate the
[6:14] 33 tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.”
[6:14] 34 tn Heb “the hand of Midian.”
[6:15] 35 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:15] 36 tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”) in v. 13.
[6:15] 38 tn Heb “in my father’s house.”
[6:16] 40 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
[6:17] 41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:17] 42 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
[6:17] 43 tn Heb “perform for me.”
[6:18] 44 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:18] 45 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.
[6:19] 46 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
[6:19] 47 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[6:20] 48 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
[6:20] 49 tn Heb “and he did so.”
[6:21] 50 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
[6:21] 51 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
[6:22] 53 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:22] 55 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15],
[6:23] 56 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
[6:24] 57 tn Heb “The
[6:25] 58 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
[6:26] 59 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
[6:27] 60 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
[6:27] 62 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
[6:28] 63 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
[6:29] 64 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
[6:29] 65 tn Heb “this thing.”
[6:29] 66 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
[6:29] 67 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
[6:30] 68 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
[6:31] 69 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
[6:31] 70 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
[6:31] 71 tn Heb “fights for him.”
[6:31] 72 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
[6:31] 73 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
[6:31] 74 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
[6:32] 75 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub-Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight!”
[6:33] 76 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.”
[6:33] 77 tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[6:34] 79 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
[6:34] 80 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
[6:35] 81 tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.”
[6:36] 82 tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.”
[6:36] 83 tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[6:37] 84 tn Heb “all the ground.”
[6:37] 86 tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.”
[6:38] 87 tn Heb “And it was so.”
[6:38] 88 tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece – a bowl full of water.”
[6:39] 89 tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.”
[6:39] 90 tn Heb “let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.”
[6:40] 91 tn Heb “God did so that night.”
[7:1] 92 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
[7:1] 93 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
[7:1] 94 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
[7:2] 95 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
[7:2] 96 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
[7:2] 97 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
[7:3] 98 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
[7:3] 99 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
[7:3] 100 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
[7:3] 101 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
[7:3] 102 tn Or “turned around, back.”
[7:4] 103 tn Heb “too many people.”
[7:4] 104 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
[7:4] 105 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
[7:4] 106 tn Heb also has “to you.”
[7:4] 107 tn Heb “he should not go.”
[7:5] 108 tn Heb “the people.”
[7:5] 109 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
[7:6] 110 tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.
[7:6] 111 tn Heb “the people.”
[7:7] 112 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
[7:7] 113 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
[7:7] 114 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
[7:8] 115 tn Heb “The people.”
[7:8] 116 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:8] 117 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
[7:8] 118 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:8] 121 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
[7:9] 122 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:9] 123 tn Heb “Go down against.”
[7:9] 124 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
[7:11] 125 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
[7:11] 126 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
[7:12] 127 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
[7:13] 128 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
[7:13] 129 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:13] 130 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
[7:13] 131 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
[7:14] 132 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[7:14] 133 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
[7:15] 134 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
[7:16] 136 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:19] 138 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
[7:19] 139 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
[7:20] 140 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:21] 141 tn Heb “each in his place.”
[7:22] 143 tn Heb “the
[7:22] 144 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
[7:22] 145 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:24] 147 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
[7:24] 148 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
[7:24] 149 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
[7:24] 150 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
[7:24] 151 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
[7:25] 152 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
[7:25] 153 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:25] 155 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).
[8:1] 156 tn Heb “by not summoning us.”
[8:2] 158 sn Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest. Gideon employs an agricultural metaphor. He argues that Ephraim’s mopping up operations, though seemingly like the inferior grapes which are missed initially by the harvesters or left for the poor, are actually more noteworthy than the military efforts of Gideon’s family.
[8:3] 159 tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”
[8:3] 160 tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”
[8:4] 161 tn Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and chasing.” The English past perfect (“had crossed”) is used because this verse flashes back chronologically to an event that preceded the hostile encounter described in vv. 1-3. (Note that 7:25 assumes Gideon had already crossed the Jordan.)
[8:5] 162 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:5] 163 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.
[8:5] 164 tn Heb “who are at my feet.”
[8:6] 165 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:6] 166 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your army bread?” Perhaps the reference to the kings’ “palms” should be taken literally. The officials of Succoth may be alluding to the practice of mutilating prisoners or enemy corpses (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 155).
[8:7] 168 sn I will thresh. The metaphor is agricultural. Threshing was usually done on a hard threshing floor. As farm animals walked over the stalks, pulling behind them a board embedded with sharp stones, the stalks and grain would be separated. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63-65. Gideon threatens to use thorns and briers on his sledge.
[8:7] 170 tn This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (’et, note the use of ב [bet] in v. 16). Some, however, argue that אֵת more naturally indicates accompaniment (“together with”). In this case Gideon envisions threshing their skin along with thorns and briers, just as the stalks and grain are intermingled on the threshing floor. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 229-30.
[8:8] 171 tn Heb “and spoke to them in the same way.”
[8:8] 172 tn Heb “The men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered.”
[8:9] 173 tn Heb “said to.” The translation “threatened” is interpretive, but is clearly indicated by the context.
[8:9] 175 tn Or “safely.” Heb “in peace.”
[8:10] 176 tn Heb “About fifteen thousand [in number] were all the ones remaining from the army of the sons of the east. The fallen ones were a hundred and twenty thousand [in number], men drawing the sword.”
[8:11] 177 tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”
[8:11] 178 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.
[8:12] 179 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:12] 180 tn Or “routed”; Heb “caused to panic.”
[8:14] 182 tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”
[8:14] 183 tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
[8:15] 184 tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:15] 185 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”
[8:16] 187 tc The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”
[8:18] 188 tn Heb “Where are?”
[8:18] 189 tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”
[8:19] 190 tn The words “I swear” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:20] 192 tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”
[8:21] 193 tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:21] 195 tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”
[8:21] 196 tn Heb “arose and killed.”
[8:24] 198 tn Heb “said to them.”
[8:24] 199 tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
[8:24] 200 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:25] 201 tn Heb “We will indeed give.”
[8:25] 202 tc In the LXX the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
[8:26] 203 sn Seventeen hundred gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.
[8:26] 205 tn Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”
[8:27] 206 tn Heb “made it into.”
[8:27] 207 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.
[8:27] 208 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
[8:27] 209 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:28] 210 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
[8:28] 211 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
[8:29] 212 tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”
[8:30] 213 tn Heb “Gideon had seventy sons who went out from his thigh, for he had many wives.” The Hebrew word יָרֵךְ (yarekh, “thigh”) is a euphemism here for the penis.
[8:31] 214 sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
[8:31] 215 sn The name Abimelech means “my father is king.”
[8:33] 217 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.
[8:35] 219 tn Heb “did not do loyalty with,” or “did not act faithfully toward.”
[9:1] 221 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
[9:2] 222 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
[9:2] 223 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
[9:2] 224 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
[9:3] 226 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
[9:3] 227 tn Heb “and all these words.”
[9:3] 228 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
[9:3] 229 tn Heb “our brother.”
[9:4] 230 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
[9:4] 231 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
[9:5] 232 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[9:5] 233 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:6] 235 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
[9:7] 236 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
[9:7] 237 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
[9:8] 238 tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”
[9:8] 239 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
[9:8] 240 tn Or “Rule over us!”
[9:9] 241 tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:10] 242 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:11] 243 tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees? The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:12] 244 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:13] 245 tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
[9:14] 246 tn Or “and rule over us!”
[9:15] 247 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
[9:15] 248 tn Heb “in my shade.”
[9:16] 251 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
[9:17] 252 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
[9:18] 254 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
[9:18] 256 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:18] 257 tn Heb “your brother.”
[9:19] 259 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
[9:21] 260 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
[9:21] 261 tn Heb “from before.”
[9:21] 262 tn Heb “his brother.”
[9:22] 263 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).
[9:23] 264 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] 265 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:24] 266 tn Heb “their brother.”
[9:24] 267 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
[9:25] 268 tn Heb “set against him bandits.”
[9:25] 269 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
[9:25] 270 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
[9:26] 271 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
[9:26] 272 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
[9:27] 273 tn Heb “vineyards.”
[9:27] 274 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
[9:28] 276 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
[9:28] 277 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 279 tn Heb “in my hand.”
[9:29] 280 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”
[9:29] 281 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
[9:29] 282 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
[9:30] 283 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[9:31] 284 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (bÿtarmah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, ba’rumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of alef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
[9:31] 286 tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.
[9:31] 287 tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).
[9:32] 289 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
[9:32] 290 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:33] 291 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
[9:34] 292 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
[9:34] 293 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:36] 294 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
[9:36] 295 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
[9:37] 296 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
[9:37] 298 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
[9:38] 299 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
[9:38] 300 tn Heb “the people.”
[9:39] 302 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
[9:40] 303 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:40] 304 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
[9:41] 305 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
[9:41] 306 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
[9:42] 307 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:42] 308 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
[9:43] 309 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:43] 310 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
[9:43] 311 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
[9:44] 312 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
[9:44] 313 tn Heb “stood [at].”
[9:45] 315 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”
[9:46] 316 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
[9:46] 317 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
[9:46] 318 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
[9:47] 319 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
[9:47] 320 tn Heb “were assembled.”
[9:48] 321 tn Heb “his people.”
[9:48] 322 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
[9:48] 323 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
[9:48] 324 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
[9:48] 325 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
[9:49] 326 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:49] 327 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
[9:49] 328 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
[9:50] 330 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
[9:51] 332 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
[9:53] 333 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
[9:53] 334 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
[9:54] 335 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:54] 336 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:55] 337 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
