Judges 2:18

2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people ¹  from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them ²  when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. ³ 

Judges 5:30

5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder ⁴  –

a girl or two for each man to rape! ⁵ 

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, ⁶ 

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth, ⁷ 

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’ ⁸ 

Judges 16:5

16:5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate ⁹  him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”

Judges 21:21-22

21:21 and keep your eyes open. ¹⁰  When you see ¹¹  the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, ¹²  jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin. 21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, ¹³  we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, ¹⁴  for we could not get each one a wife through battle. ¹⁵  Don’t worry about breaking your oath! ¹⁶  You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” ¹⁷ 

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¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn The phrase “for them” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “the ones oppressing them and afflicting them.” The synonyms “oppressing” and “afflicting” are joined together in the translation as “harsh oppressors” to emphasize the cruel character of their enemies.

⁴ tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”

⁵ tn Heb “a womb or two for each man.” The words “to rape” are interpretive. The Hebrew noun translated “girl” means literally “womb” (BDB 933 s.v. I. רַחַם), but in this context may refer by extension to the female genitalia. In this case the obscene language of Sisera’s mother alludes to the sexual brutality which typified the aftermath of battle.

⁶ tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”

⁷ tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”

⁸ tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”

⁹ tn Heb “subdue him in order to humiliate him.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and look.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and look, when.”

¹² tn Heb “in the dances.”

¹³ tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”

¹⁴ tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁵ tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”

sn Through battle. This probably refers to the battle against Jabesh Gilead, which only produced four hundred of the six hundred wives needed.

¹⁶ tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.

¹⁷ tc Heb “You did not give to them, now you are guilty.” The MT as it stands makes little sense. It is preferable to emend לֹא (lo’, “not”) to לוּא (lu’, “if”). This particle introduces a purely hypothetical condition, “If you had given to them [but you didn’t].” See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 453-54.