13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God 4 to visit 5 us again, so he can teach 6 us how we should raise 7 the child who will be born.”
1 tn Heb “answered and said.”
2 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
3 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “the man of God.”
5 tn Heb “come to.”
6 tc The LXX has “enlighten,” understanding the Hebrew to read וִיאִירֵנוּ (vi’irenu, “to give light”) rather than the reading of the MT, וְיוֹרֵנוּ (vÿyorenu, “to teach”).
7 tn Heb “what we should do for.”
8 tn Heb “saying, I said.” The first person form of אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) sometimes indicates self-reflection. The girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
9 tn Heb “hating, you hated.” Once again the girl’s father uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis.
10 tn Heb “Is her younger sister not better than her? Let her [i.e., the younger sister] be yours instead of her [i.e., Samson’s ‘bride’]).”
11 tn Or “moist.”
12 tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.
13 tn Heb “with which no work has been done.”
14 tn Heb “on her knees.” The expression is probably euphemistic for sexual intercourse. See HALOT 160-61 s.v. בֶּרֶךְ.
15 tn Heb “she called for a man and she shaved off.” The point seems to be that Delilah acted through the instrumentality of the man. See J. A. Soggin, Judges (OTL), 254.
16 tn Heb “head.” By metonymy the hair of his head is meant.
17 tn Heb “She began to humiliate him.” Rather than referring to some specific insulting action on Delilah’s part after Samson’s hair was shaved off, this statement probably means that she, through the devious actions just described, began the process of Samson’s humiliation which culminates in the following verses.
18 tn Heb “He came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, making his way.”
19 tn Heb “And they sat and ate, the two of them together, and they drank.”
20 tn Heb “Be willing and spend the night so that your heart might be good.”
21 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
22 tn Heb “to the front of.”
23 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
24 tc Some ancient witnesses add “and his servant.”
25 tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.
26 tc Some Hebrew
27 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the visiting Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”