Judges 3:23
Context3:23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule, 1 he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
Judges 4:24
Context4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm 2 King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with 3 him. 4
Judges 6:12
Context6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!”
Judges 6:16
Context6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but 5 I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” 6
Judges 6:23
Context6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! 7 Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!”
Judges 6:34
Context6:34 The Lord’s spirit took control of 8 Gideon. He blew a trumpet, 9 summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 10
Judges 9:26
Context9:26 Gaal son of Ebed 11 came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 12
Judges 13:18
Context13:18 The Lord’s messenger said to him, “You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.” 13
Judges 14:5
Context14:5 Samson went down to Timnah. When he approached 14 the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. 15
Judges 18:4
Context18:4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, 16 “He hired me and I became his priest.”
Judges 19:7
Context19:7 When the man got ready to leave, 17 his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. 18
Judges 19:21
Context19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. 19
1 tn Again the precise meaning of the Hebrew word, used only here in the OT, is uncertain. Since it is preceded by the verb “went out” and the next clause refers to Ehud closing doors, the noun is probably an architectural term referring to the room (perhaps a vestibule; see HALOT 604 s.v. מִסְדְּרוֹן) immediately outside the king’s upper chamber. As v. 24 indicates, this vestibule separated the upper room from an outer room where the king's servants were waiting.
2 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
3 tn Heb “cut off.”
4 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Or “certainly.”
6 tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.”
7 tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.
8 tn Heb “clothed.”
9 tn That is, “mustered an army.”
10 tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.”
11 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
12 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
13 tn Heb “Why do you ask for my name, for it is incomprehensible?” The Hebrew adjective פִּלְאִי (pile’iy, “wonderful, incomprehensible”) refers to what is in a category of its own and is beyond full human understanding. Note the use of this word in Ps 139:6, where God’s knowledge is described as incomprehensible and unattainable.
14 tc The MT reads, “Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they approached…” Verse 6b states that Samson did not tell his parents about his encounter with the lion (vv. 5b-6a), but v. 5a gives the impression they would have seen the entire episode. One could assume that Samson separated from his parents prior to the lion’s attack, but the Hebrew text does not indicate this. It seems more likely that the words “with his father and his mother” were accidentally copied into the text, perhaps under the influence of v. 4a, where the same phrase appears. An original singular verb (“he approached”) may have been changed to the plural form (“they approached”) after the words “his father and his mother” were accidentally added to the text.
15 tn Heb “and look, a young lion of the lions was roaring to meet him.”
16 tn Heb “He said to them, ‘Such and such Micah has done for me.’” Though the statement is introduced and presented, at least in part, as a direct quotation (note especially “for me”), the phrase “such and such” appears to be the narrator’s condensed version of what the Levite really said.
17 tn Heb “and the man arose to go.”
18 tn Heb “his father-in-law persuaded him and he again spent the night there.”
19 tn Heb “ate and drank.”