And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar: This verse begins with the Hebrew expression wayehi (“And it was”), which here marks an important point in the story, since Manoah will realize for the first time that this messenger is really from the LORD. Revised Standard Version renders this expression as And, but many versions omit it (Good News Translation, New International Version). For some interpreters it is Manoah who sets fire to his offering. For others part of the “amazing thing” is that the offering is consumed by itself, presumably by divine intervention, as in the Gideon episode. Translators will have to choose one of these interpretations. The flame refers to the burst of fire that consumed the offering. Went up renders the same Hebrew verb translated “offered” in the previous verse, but here it has its basic meaning of “go up.” Contemporary English Version says “blazed up,” which fits this context well. Toward heaven is literally “to the heavens,” which gives the direction of the flames. The Hebrew word for heaven (shamayim) refers to the sky here, so we might say “toward the sky” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation), “up into the sky,” or “skyward.” The word heaven should not be capitalized. For altar, which refers to the rock altar here, see verse 2.2.

The angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar: This clause describes an incredible event. Yahweh’s angel (still not recognized by the couple) rises in the fire and disappears from sight. Of course, this is not the only place where the presence of the LORD is associated with fire (see, for example, Exo 3.2). Ascended renders the same Hebrew verb translated went up.

While Manoah and his wife looked on: All this happens as Manoah and his wife watch. They see the angel go up in the flames. Looked on renders the Hebrew verb raʾah meaning “see,” which occurs often in this section (verse 13.3, 10, 19-23). Here it is participle, which is used to indicate an action that occurred at the same time as the angel ascended in the fire. This same clause occurs at the end of the previous verse in Hebrew, but its rightful place is probably here (see comments there).

And they fell on their faces to the ground: Presumably, Manoah and his wife are in shock, as they begin to realize who their visitor was (compare the description of Gideon in verse 6.22). The clause here is brief, indicating a quick immediate action. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and introduces the next event, so it may be translated “Then.” They fell on their faces to the ground renders a common Hebrew expression, one that implies awe and reverence. Manoah and his wife bowed low with their faces to the ground out of respect for the LORD’s angel. There is an element of contrast here, since they “go down” as the angel and the flame “go up.” In this book the Hebrew verb for fell (nafal) is often used to describe the death of Israel’s enemies (see, for example, verse 5.27), but here it refers to bowing down. Ground translates the Hebrew word ʾerets, which often refers to the Promised Land in Judges (see verse 1.2), but here it points simply to the ground. Often the same words are being used over and over, but in each context with a different meaning. This clause may be rendered “Then they fell with their faces to the ground,” “Then they bowed down low to the ground in awe,” or “And they bowed low with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• When the flames rose into the sky from the altar, Yahweh’s messenger rose with them while Manoah and his wife watched. Then they both fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.

• As Manoah and his wife watched, the flames of fire went up from the altar, and the angel of the LORD went up with them. And Manoah and his wife bowed low to the ground in worship.

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 .