Judges 5:30

5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder¹ –

a girl or two for each man to rape!²

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth,³

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth,⁴

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’⁵

Judges 19:3

19:3 her husband came⁶ after her, hoping he could convince her to return.⁷ He brought with him his servant⁸ and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly.⁹

Judges 19:9

19:9 When the man got ready to leave¹⁰ with his concubine and his servant,¹¹ his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over!¹² Stay another night! Since the day is over,¹³ stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.”¹⁴

¹tn Heb “Are they not finding, dividing the plunder?”

²tn 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.

³tn Heb “the plunder of dyed cloth is for Sisera.”

⁴tn Heb “the plunder of embroidered cloth.”

⁵tn The translation assumes an emendation of the noun (“plunder”) to a participle, “plunderer.”

⁶tn Heb “arose and came.”

⁷tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.”

⁸tn Or “young man.”

⁹tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.”

¹⁰tn Heb “the man arose to go.”

¹¹tn Or “young man.”

¹²tn Heb “the day is sinking to become evening.”

¹³tn Or “declining.”

¹⁴tn Heb “for your way and go to your tent.”