This verse is important because it completes the argument that Jephthah began in verse 11.15. Here Jephthah claims that Israel did not take away the land of the Moabites or the Ammonites. Rather, Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave that land to Israel as a reward when they defeated King Sihon, the Amorite, so many years previously. The name Israel is repeated three times here to emphasize their victory, and the Hebrew word ʾerets occurs twice (rendered land and country) to also put this word in focus.

And the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel: Jephthah says that Yahweh gave the Israelites victory over their enemies. And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, but something unexpected happens here, so a better connector might be “But” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The LORD, the God of Israel is one of the longest names for God in the book of Judges (see verse 4.6), and thus stands out here. The God of Israel is a compound name, which means he is the God whom the Israelites worship and serve. Both names show that Yahweh is a national God, reflecting the beliefs of that period that each nation or people had its own special god (see also verse 11.24). One possibility might be to refer to “Yahweh, the God the Israelites worship.”

For gave … into the hand, see verse 1.2. This is a common way of speaking about God’s role in Israel’s victories and defeats, using the key term hand (see, for example, verse 1.4; verse 3.28). All his people seems to refer to Sihon’s troops, but it may refer more generally to the Amorite people. We can say “But Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the Israelites power over Sihon and all his troops.”

And they defeated them is the consequence of Yahweh giving the Amorites into Israel’s hand. For the Hebrew verb nakah rendered defeated (literally “struck”), see the comments on verse 1.4. In most languages the third person plural pronouns, they and them, will cause no problem, because it is clear from context that the Israelites are the ones defeating the Amorites. However, if necessary, translators can make these referents clear, as in Good News Translation: “But the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the Israelites victory over Sihon and his army.”

So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country: So renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction here, which introduces the consequence of the Israelite victory. The Israelites took control of all the Amorite territory. That is why Jephthah says it is “my land” (verse 11.12). He rejects the Ammonite claim to it, since long before the Ammonites entered that region, it belonged to Israel. Yahweh had given it to them. Took possession of renders a key Hebrew verb (yarash) throughout the Old Testament, but especially in the books of Joshua and Judges, where the Israelites try to capture and inhabit the Promised Land (see verse 1.19). This verb may be rendered “took over” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version) or “took control of” (New Living Translation). All the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country is an important part of Jephthah’s claim, since the land first belonged to the Amorites. Land and country again render the same key Hebrew word ʾerets, used often to refer to the Promised Land. Revised Standard Version uses two different terms, perhaps to make the narration more varied, but in many languages this repetition will be appreciated. Inhabit translates the common Hebrew verb yashab meaning “dwell” or “live” (see verse 1.9).

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 .