Discovery BoxJudges 2:3 
Context2:3 At that time I also warned you, 1 ‘If you disobey, 2 I will not drive out the Canaanites 3 before you. They will ensnare you 4 and their gods will lure you away.’” 5
Judges 2:12
Context2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors 6 who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped 7 them and made the Lord angry.
1 tn Heb “And I also said.” The use of the perfect tense here suggests that the messenger is recalling an earlier statement (see Josh 23:12-13). However, some translate, “And I also say,” understanding the following words as an announcement of judgment upon those gathered at Bokim.
2 tn The words “If you disobey” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See Josh 23:12-13.
3 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Canaanites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צִדִּים (tsiddim) is uncertain in this context. It may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “snare.” If so, a more literal translation would be “they will become snares to you.” Normally the term in question means “sides,” but this makes no sense here. On the basis of Num 33:55 some suggest the word for “thorns” has been accidentally omitted. If this word is added, the text would read, “they will become [thorns] in your sides” (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).
5 tn Heb “their gods will become a snare to you.”
6 tn Or “fathers.”
7 tn Or “bowed before” (the same expression occurs in the following verse).
