18:3 But the soldiers replied, 16 “You should not do this! 17 For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be too concerned about us. 18 Even if half of us should die, they won’t be too concerned about us. But you 19 are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.”
1 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
2 tn Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
4 tn Heb “redeem.”
5 tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”
6 tn Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו (e’lohav, “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (’ohalav, “its tents”).
7 tn Heb “his sons.”
8 tn The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.
9 tn Heb “from his morsel.”
10 tn Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lay.”
11 tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.
12 tn Heb “these many days.”
13 tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
14 tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
15 tn Heb “be with.”
16 tn Heb “the people said.”
17 tn Heb “march out.”
18 tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”
19 tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (’atta, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (’atta, “now”).