Now the six hundred men of the Danites …: Now renders the Hebrew waw conjunction. Good News Translation uses “Meanwhile,” which is a good way to heighten the drama. As the Danite spies greet the Levite, their fellow 600 soldiers wait at the gate of Micah’s compound. The Hebrew phrase rendered of the Danites (literally “from the sons/children of Dan”) occurs at the end of this verse, perhaps heightening the suspense. The beginning of this verse repeats the sh sound in Hebrew, which adds to the dramatic effect.

For armed with their weapons of war, see verse 18.11.

Stood by the entrance of the gate: The Hebrew verb rendered stood is a participle, which Good News Translation translates “were standing.” Boling believes this verb has a military sense here, so he says “had stationed themselves.” Another possible rendering is “took position.” The situation described borders on the ridiculous and would make any audience laugh, as 600 men are called into service to intervene at one individual’s house. The entrance of the gate probably refers to the gateway into Micah’s compound, which had a wall around it (see comments on verse 9.35). Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version say simply “the gate.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• Meanwhile the 600 Danites, fully armed for battle, took up their positions outside Micah’s compound.

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 .