Here Achsah makes her request to her father clear. The Hebrew verb for “give” is very prominent, occurring three times (rendered set, give, and gave).
She said to him: In Hebrew this phrase begins with the waw conjunction, so we might translate “And she said to him.” Since she is answering her father, we could also say “So she replied to him.”
Give me a present renders a Hebrew expression that is literally “Give to me a blessing.” New Jerusalem Bible is close to the original with “Grant me a blessing.” The Hebrew verb here is different from the root meaning “give” that appears in the rest of this verse. Some versions speak of granting a favor. For example, New International Version has “Do me a special favor,” and Revised English Bible says “Grant me this favour” (similarly Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem Bible]). Contemporary English Version has “I need your help.” These renderings do not exactly speak of a blessing, which might be important to express. In many cultures a daughter cannot address her father so abruptly, so we might have to say “Father [or, Papa], give me a special blessing.”
Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb is literally “Since the land of Negeb you have given me.” This is the beginning of Achsah’s request. In Hebrew it begins with the ki conjunction, which may be translated “because,” “for,” or “since.” Apparently her father has already given the newlyweds one gift, in the form of some land, but it is in the Negeb, a very dry place (see verse 1.9). Contemporary English Version makes this explicit, saying “The land you gave me is in the Southern Desert.”
Give me also springs of water: Here Achsah makes her request. She wants her father to also give her a source of water so she can exploit the land he has given her. Thus Achsah’s strategy is to:
(1) ask for a blessing
(2) express a kind of complaint
(3) make her real request
Some languages will follow this order, while some will wish to change the order of these clauses (see Good News Translation).
Give me also springs of water may not sound polite in some languages, and Contemporary English Version, for example, tries to tone down the request by saying “so please give me some spring-fed ponds for a water supply.” Good News Translation omits the verb give and says “I want some water holes,” but this also seems too direct. Translators should try to use language with a respectful tone.
The word also probably renders the Hebrew waw conjunction at the beginning of this clause, but we might also say “so” (Contemporary English Version).
Though the Hebrew word rendered springs can sometimes refer to bowls or basins that hold oil, here it refers to “pools” (Revised English Bible), “wells,” or “water holes” (Good News Translation). Contemporary English Version‘s “spring-fed ponds” seems too specific. Translators can also use a general term referring to a “water supply” or “source of water.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .