Discovery BoxJudges 11:34 
Context11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out 1 to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. 2 She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter.
Judges 13:5
Context13:5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. 3 You must never cut his hair, 4 for the child will be dedicated to God 5 from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power 6 of the Philistines.”
Judges 13:8
Context13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, 7 “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God 8 to visit 9 us again, so he can teach 10 us how we should raise 11 the child who will be born.”
1 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
2 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
3 tn Another option is to translate, “you are already pregnant and will have a son.” The earlier reference to her being infertile (v. 3) suggests that her conception is still future, but it is possible that the earlier statement only reflects her perspective (as far as she is concerned, she is infertile). According to this interpretation, in v. 5 the angel reveals the truth to her – actually she has recently conceived and is now pregnant (see the translation in R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 217). Usage favors this interpretation. The predicate adjective הָרָה (harah, “[be/become] pregnant”) elsewhere has a past (1 Sam 4:19) or present (Gen 16:11; 38:25; 2 Sam 11:5) translation value. (The usage in Isa 7:14 is debated, but a present translation is definitely possible there.) A final, but less likely possibility, is that she miraculously conceived during the angel’s speech, sometime between his statements recorded in vv. 3 and 5.
4 tn Heb “a razor should not go up on his head.”
5 tn Or “set apart to God.” Traditionally the Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) has been translated “Nazirite.” The word is derived from the verb נָזַר (nazar, “to dedicate; to consecrate; to set apart”).
6 tn Heb “hand.”
7 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 tn Heb “the man of God.”
9 tn Heb “come to.”
10 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”).
11 tn Heb “what we should do for.”
