Discovery BoxJudges 6:27 
Context6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants 1 and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family 2 and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. 3
Judges 9:18
Context9:18 But you have attacked 4 my father’s family 5 today. You murdered his seventy legitimate 6 sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 7
Judges 11:2
Context11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 8 him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, 9 because you are another woman’s son.”
Judges 14:15
Context14:15 On the fourth 10 day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. 11 If you refuse, 12 we will burn up 13 you and your father’s family. 14 Did you invite us here 15 to make us poor?” 16
Judges 19:3
Context19:3 her husband came 17 after her, hoping he could convince her to return. 18 He brought with him his servant 19 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. 20
Judges 21:22
Context21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, 21 we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, 22 for we could not get each one a wife through battle. 23 Don’t worry about breaking your oath! 24 You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” 25
1 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
2 tn Heb “house.”
3 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
4 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
5 tn Heb “house.”
6 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
7 tn Heb “your brother.”
8 tn Heb “bore.”
9 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
10 tc The MT reads “seventh.” In Hebrew there is a difference of only one letter between the words רְבִיעִי (rÿvi’i, “fourth”) and שְׁבִיעִי (shÿvi’i, “seventh”). Some ancient textual witnesses (e.g., LXX and the Syriac Peshitta) read “fourth,” here, which certainly harmonizes better with the preceding verse (cf. “for three days”) and with v. 17. Another option is to change שְׁלֹשֶׁת (shÿloshet, “three”) at the end of v. 14 to שֵׁשֶׁת (sheshet, “six”), but the resulting scenario does not account as well for v. 17, which implies the bride had been hounding Samson for more than one day.
11 tn Heb “Entice your husband so that he might tell us the riddle.”
12 tn Heb “lest.”
13 tn The Hebrew text expands the statement: “burn up with fire.” The words “with fire” are redundant in English and have been omitted from the translation for stylistic reasons.
14 tn Heb “house.”
15 tc The translation assumes the Hebrew form הֲלֹם (halom, “here,” attested in five Hebrew
16 tn For discussion of this difficult form, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 364.
17 tn Heb “arose and came.”
18 tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.”
19 tn Or “young man.”
20 tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.”
21 tc The (original) LXX and Vulgate read “to you.”
22 tn The words “and let them be” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
23 tn Heb “for we did not take each his wife in battle.”
sn Through battle. This probably refers to the battle against Jabesh Gilead, which only produced four hundred of the six hundred wives needed.
24 tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation to clarify the logic of the statement.
25 tc Heb “You did not give to them, now you are guilty.” The MT as it stands makes little sense. It is preferable to emend לֹא (lo’, “not”) to לוּא (lu’, “if”). This particle introduces a purely hypothetical condition, “If you had given to them [but you didn’t].” See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 453-54.
