Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died: See verse 12.10. As in verse 12.12, the long family name of the judge is given, as an important element of this conclusion.

And was buried at Pirathon: See verse 12.10. Following the traditional pattern, the burial place of the judge is mentioned. In this case, he is buried in the same town where he and his father were born.

In the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites: These two phrases show that Abdon was an Ephraimite. It is perhaps odd that an Ephraimite leader is in view so quickly after the account of the defeat and humiliation of the Ephraimites (verse 12.1-6). The Ephraimites lived in the hill country where the Amalekites once lived (see verse 5.14). For Ephraim see verse 1.29; for the hill country, see verse 1.9 and verse 2.9; and for the Amalekites, see verse 3.13. There is a textual problem here, since some versions speak of “Saalim” instead of Amalekites, but Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {B} rating to the text as presented by Revised Standard Version and should be followed here. Contemporary English Version provides a helpful model for these two phrases, saying “which is located in the part of the hill country of Ephraim where Amalekites used to live.”

This verse brings to an end the stories of the minor judges whose records bracket the story of Jephthah. Following Jephthah’s death, these minor judges led Israel for a period of twenty-five years.

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 .