Judges 8:15

8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! ¹  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?’” ² 

Judges 9:38

9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, ³  ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men ⁴  you insulted? ⁵  Go out now and fight them!”

Judges 11:8

11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, ⁶  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ⁷  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ⁸  of all who live in Gilead.” ⁹ 

[8:15]  ¹ tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:15]  ² tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”

[9:38]  ³ tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”

[9:38]  ⁴ tn Heb “the people.”

[9:38]  ⁵ tn Or “despised.”

[11:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).

[11:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.

[11:8]  ⁷ sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.

[11:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”