And they turned aside there: The Levite and his party left the main road to go into the town of Gibeah. For the Hebrew verb rendered turned aside (sur), see verse 19.11. By this time, the audience knows that this verb is foreshadowing some tragic event. The adverb there refers to Gibeah.

To go in and spend the night at Gibe-ah expresses why they turned off the road. They were seeking shelter in Gibeah to stay overnight. Go in renders the Hebrew verb meaning “come” or “enter.” For the Hebrew verb rendered spend the night, see verse 19.4.

And he went in: The pronoun he refers to the Levite as the leader of his group. Once again the focus turns to him. Went in renders once again the Hebrew verb meaning “come” or “enter.” It is possible to say “and the Levite and his group entered the town.”

And sat down in the open square of the city: Sat down will be easy to render in the target language, for example, “took seats” or “found seats.” After the Levite and his party entered the town, they sat down in the town square, an open space generally just inside the town gate, or even part of the gate. It was a place where the public gathered to carry out business and also the place travelers headed when they arrived in a town. Open square renders one word in Hebrew. Many languages will have a way of referring to such a public meeting place. If not, translators may have to speak of the “center of town” or “place where people normally gathered.” The word “market” should be avoided, however, especially since this incident took place at night. The situation of these travelers is rather dire, since it is already night.

For no man took them into his house to spend the night: Hospitality was an important value of that culture, and it was common for people to take in strangers. As the Levite and his group go into the town square, they know no one, and it is already night. No one has yet offered to take them in. Like the previous clauses, this one begins with a Hebrew waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version thinks is a logical connector here (for), introducing the reason why they sit in the town square. However, several versions think it introduces a counter-expectation, so they render it “but” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). They sit down in the square, expecting someone to offer them a place to sleep, but it does not happen. Here again the Hebrew word for man (ʾish) comes to the forefront in the expression no man, meaning “no one” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation), “nobody” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “no villager.” The Hebrew verb rendered took is not the same one used in verse 19.1. Here the verb means “take in,” in the sense of receiving someone as a guest. Into his house is literally “the house,” which may be translated simply “home” (Good News Translation). A good rendering might be “but no one invited them home to stay overnight.”

The Levite purposely bypassed Jebus because he thought he would be better received in an Israelite town. But here the Benjaminites of Gibeah are not hospitable—a clear breach of tribal custom and a first indication of the spiritual or moral decline within this tribe.

Translation models for this verse are:

• So they turned off the road and went into Gibeah to spend the night. The Levite and his group sat in the town square, but nobody invited them home for the night.

• They turned aside and made their way into the town of Gibeah to stay overnight. They sat where the people normally gathered, but nobody offered them a place to stay for the night.

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 .

And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibe-ah: In Hebrew these two sentences are parallel, almost as if they were lines of poetry. They read literally:

And he went out the man of Israel to the battle with Benjamin.
And they arrayed with them the man of Israel battle at the Gibeah.

As is often the case in poetry, the second line is more specific. In the first line the Israelites go to fight the Benjaminites, but in the second line they form a battle line specifically against the people of Gibeah.

The men of Israel (literally “the man of Israel”) is repeated, and so is the word battle.

The Hebrew verb rendered went out (yatsaʾ) is used ironically here, since it is the same verb used by the evil men of Gibeah, when they cried, “Bring out the man…” (verse 19.22).

The Hebrew verb expressed in the phrase drew up the battle line is often used for arranging items or even words. Here it applies to arranging troops for battle. This phrase may be rendered “got into battle positions” or “arranged themselves for battle.”

Translators will have to decide if they want to maintain the parallel lines and the repetition of this verse. New International Version renders these lines in a natural way, saying “The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.” Good News Translation takes another approach, but also renders the verse well with “They went to attack the army of Benjamin, and placed the soldiers in position facing the city.” Other possible models are:

• So the Israelites went to fight against Benjamin, lining up to fight against the town of Gibeah.

• Then the Israelite soldiers went to fight the Benjaminites. They took position to launch their attack against the people of Gibeah.

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 .

And Judah went with Simeon his brother: Translators will have to decide how to render the Hebrew waw conjunction translated And. If this is considered a new event on the story line, New International Version‘s “Then” would be a good rendering. For Judah and Simeon, as well as his brother, see verse 1.2-3. Some versions omit his brother, since this relationship has already been made clear in verse 1.3. Note, however, this phrase underlines the positive aspects of the first part of the book when brothers fought side by side, in contrast to what is to come in the final part of the book when brothers fight against each other. Went is simply the general Hebrew verb for “go.”

And they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath: The combined troops went to the Canaanite town of Zephath, a town less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the west of Arad. Most of this vocabulary has appeared before. For defeated see verse 1.4; for the Canaanites, see verse 1.1; and for inhabited see verse 1.9, verse 16.

And utterly destroyed it: The Hebrew verb rendered utterly destroyed is charam. The word is used often in the book of Joshua but occurs only rarely in the book of Judges (verse 1.17; verse 21.11). According to God’s command, when the Israelites captured a town, they were to “dedicate” it to the LORD, which meant destroying it completely. This was considered a holy sacrifice. Because of the religious significance of the expression utterly destroyed, translators need to find a good rendering and perhaps explain this practice in a footnote or include it in the glossary. Good News Translation says “They put a curse on the city, destroyed it,” but this rendering does not seem completely correct because curses were not part of such destruction. New Revised Standard Version and English Standard Version say “devoted it [the city] to destruction.” We can say “dedicated the town and its people to destruction” or “destroyed everything in the town as a sign of their devotion to God.” It renders the Hebrew emphatic feminine pronoun for “her,” referring to the city of Zephath. In many languages it will be more natural to say “the town/city,” as in Contemporary English Version‘s “They completely destroyed the town.” Contemporary English Version also adds the following footnote: “completely destroyed: The Hebrew word means that the town was given completely to the LORD, and since it could not be used for normal purposes any more, it had to be destroyed.”

So the name of the city was called Hormah: This sentence describes the city’s change in name as a result of what happened there. So translates the Hebrew waw conjunction, which might also be rendered by an expression such as “that’s why,” “because of this,” or “therefore.” The town’s name is changed from Zephath to Hormah, because it was utterly destroyed (charam). This play on words in Hebrew cannot be seen in the Revised Standard Version translation, but the original readers immediately saw the connection. If translators simply transliterate the name Hormah, modern readers will not get the point, but there are several options for helping the reader understand. Good News Translation explains the meaning of the name in a footnote. But translators may also insert the meaning of the name into the text, for example, “So they called the city ‘Hormah,’ which means ‘completely destroyed.’ ” Some translators actually translate the meaning of the city name within the text by saying “So the name of the city was called ‘Utterly Destroyed.’ ” Such wordplays are frequent in Hebrew literature, even in passages describing tragedies (see verse 2.5).

Models for the translation of this verse are:

• Then the men from the brother tribes of Judah and Simeon joined together and attacked the Canaanites living in the city of Zephath and they totally destroyed it.* That is why this city was called Hormah meaning “Totally Destroyed.”
* This practice involved dedicating something completely to God which included destroying it.

• Then the armies of Judah and Simeon headed out to Zephath. They devoted that city to destruction, totally destroying the town. From then, that city was called “Totally Destroyed.”

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 .

Then the LORD raised up judges: Then, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, introduces well the next step in the cycle. When the LORD sees the distress of the Israelites, he decides to act by providing judges. There is a progression in the time line, so a conjunction such as “Therefore,” “So,” or “As a result” would also be appropriate. Contemporary English Version says “From time to time” to show that this is a general statement of what happens over and over, over a period of many years, but this is not the thrust of the text here.

The Hebrew verb translated literally raised up (qum) is one of the most important words in this book. Each time the Israelites call to the LORD for help, he reacts by “raising up” a deliverer. Translators must take special care in choosing this word, since it has deep theological significance, describing how God acts and reveals himself in the history of Israel and the world. The Hebrew verb qum reappears many (42) times in this book. In some contexts the word is used positively, as when God sends forth heroes and heroines to deliver Israel from its enemies (verse 2.16, 18; verse 3.9, 15). However, the same verb also appears in the final sections of the book, where it ironically points out Israel’s failures (verse 18.9; verse 19.9). Wherever it appears, translators should try to use the same rendering in order to preserve this particular literary style. Many English versions use “raised up.” Other possibilities are “established,” “appointed” (New Jerusalem Bible), “chose,” and “gave” (Good News Translation).

Of course, the word judges is also among the most important, but also the most misunderstood, terms in this book. In many places in the Old Testament, the Hebrew root here (sh-f-t) refers to judging in the legal sense of the term. In this book, however, it most often has another meaning, as it is closely associated with another key Hebrew root, y-sh-ʿ (“save,” “rescue,” or “deliver”), which puts great emphasis on the saving role of the heroes and heroines. Thus commentators believe that in this book, the word judges refers to “leaders” (Good News Translation) or “chieftains” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). So rather than use a judicial term, it would be more appropriate to use words such as “hero,” “savior,” and “deliverer.”

Who saved them gives a concise statement of what the leaders did for the people of Israel. Judges appeared at times when Israel was under pressure from particular enemies and then came to the rescue of the people. Though it sometimes appears all Israel is concerned, typically the judges rallied the warriors of one or two tribal groups and led them into battle to overthrow foreign domination. The Hebrew verb rendered saved (yashaʿ) has a broad meaning, including military victory and gaining of freedom. It may be translated “rescued” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “delivered” (New Revised Standard Version). The pronoun them refers to “the Israelites” (Good News Translation), and this can be made clear if need be, especially if a new paragraph begins at this point.

Out of the power of those who plundered them is literally “from the hand of their plunderers.” As in verse 2.14, the figurative use of “hand” expresses oppressive power. Translators can try to retain the figurative use of this keyword, or use a more general expression, such as “who saved them from their raiders [or, plunderers].” For plundered see verse 2.14.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Then the LORD sent leaders who rescued the Israelites from those who plundered them.

• Then Yahweh raised up deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies, from those who took away everything they had.

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 .

The scene now changes, switching back to the hero of the story, Ehud. In some languages a new paragraph will begin here. A new term, “escape,” occurs twice, forming an inclusio with 3.29. This verse begins with a Hebrew waw conjunction, which is not rendered by Revised Standard Version. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “But.” New Jerusalem Bible provides a good model with “Meanwhile,” expressing well that the focus switches now to Ehud.

Ehud escaped: The Hebrew verb for escaped may be rendered “fled,” “got away,” or “slipped away.” There is no question of cowardice here. This is part of Ehud’s crafty plan. Several versions say “made good his escape” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

While they delayed: Ehud managed to escape from the king’s residence while the servants were preoccupied with what to do next. The pronoun they refers to the king’s servants. The verb delayed renders an unusual form of the Hebrew verb for “tarry” (hitmahmeham). Here we might say “while they were waiting” (Good News Translation) or even “while they were discussing [or, wondering] what they should do.” Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew word order, but in many languages it will be more natural to put the time clause first, for example, “While they were discussing what they should do, Ehud had [already] escaped.” In some languages the use of a past anterior verb tense will help set the time frame of these various actions.

And passed beyond the sculptured stones refers to Ehud. He seems to have taken the same route as he and his men had earlier (verse 3.19). Passed beyond renders the Hebrew verb meaning “pass over” (ʿavar), often used in the Old Testament accounts. Here it evokes Israel’s past victories, as when the LORD “passed over” and spared the Israelites (Exo 12.23), and when the Israelites themselves “passed over” the Jordan River (verse 3.17). The word appears again in this section (verse 3.28) and throughout the rest of this book (verse 8.4; verse 11.17, 29; verse 18.13; verse 19.12), subtly evoking happier times. Passed beyond in this context may be rendered “went past” (Good News Translation) or “went by.” The implication is that once Ehud passed this point, he had reached his own territory and was safe. For the sculptured stones, see verse 3.19. These stones were near Gilgal on the west side of the Jordan River, which means that Ehud had crossed that river.

And escaped to Se-irah: This clause rounds out the inclusio, with the reappearance of the verb escaped. Now Ehud is free to rally his men. The name Se-irah only occurs here in the Old Testament. It may be a town north of Jericho. However, many scholars think Se-irah is a variant of the name “Seir,” which refers to a mountainous region where the Horites once lived (Gen 14.6). “Seir” is often cited in the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy, and Joshua (verse 11.17; verse 12.7; verse 15.10; verse 24.4). However, no versions make reference to Seir here, so it is better to maintain the name Se-irah.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• While the servants were discussing what to do, Ehud had already escaped! He fled, passing the memorial stones near Gilgal and going as far as Seirah.

• [As for] Ehud, he escaped while the servants were busy discussing what they should do. He crossed over the river at the stone memorial and went to Seirah.

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 .

These lines follow the previous verse very closely, using different terms, but expressing much the same idea.

The mountains quaked before the LORD is parallel to “the earth trembled” (verse 5.4). The mountains refers to the mountains in Sinai, the desert peninsula mentioned in the following line. Mount Sinai is where God addressed Moses and the people of God (Exo 19.11, 18, 20; verse 24.16; verse 34.2, 4). For mountains see verse 2.9. In some languages translators may prefer to begin this line with “The mountains of Sinai.” Quaked does not render the same Hebrew verb as the one translated “trembled” in verse 5.4, but one that often means “flow.” New Jerusalem Bible says “melted.” If a separate word cannot be found, translators may need to repeat the verb used in verse 5.4, for example, “shook.” Before the LORD is literally “from the faces of Yahweh.” A similar expression “before the faces” occurs in the narrative account (verse 4.14, 15, 23) in association with Barak and the people of Israel. There it meant that Yahweh was “in front of Barak,” leading him, and that Yahweh accomplished the victory “before the eyes of the Israelites.” In this context it might have a slightly different meaning, for example, “At the sight of the LORD, the mountains shook,” “Mountains shook in fear before the LORD” (Revised English Bible), or “Mountains trembled in the presence of the LORD” (New American Bible). In some languages it might be possible to make the imagery even more explicit by saying “When the LORD appeared, the mountains melted” or “At the sight of the LORD, the mountains flowed.”

Yon Sinai before the LORD, the God of Israel is literally “this Sinai, from the faces of Yahweh, the God of Israel,” a line that causes problems for both exegetes and translators. The first problem concerns the words “this Sinai,” which some take as referring back to the LORD in the previous line. Thus New Revised Standard Version and New International Version render this whole verse as “The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” Good News Translation takes a similar approach but combines the lines, saying “The mountains quaked before the LORD of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” Though Revised Standard Version sees a geographic reference back to the mountains of Sinai by saying yon Sinai, many versions see a reference to “the LORD of Sinai” (Good News Translation). Translators will have to make an exegetical choice here, but can, if they so desire, put the alternative interpretation in a footnote.

The other difficulty in this line is that it contains an ellipsis, since several words have been left implied. If the Revised Standard Version interpretation is maintained, based on the previous line, the meaning is probably “this [mountain of] Sinai trembled before the LORD, the God of Israel.”

Yon is an old English demonstrative meaning “over there.” Though many theories exist, the exact location of Mount Sinai is unknown. Some note that since Sinai and “Seir” occur here and elsewhere together (Deut 33.2), they may be located in the same territory, that is, the region of Edom.

Before the LORD, the God of Israel is another example of stairstep parallelism since the LORD appearing in the first line is further qualified as the God of Israel (see verse 5.3).

Like New Revised Standard Version and New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh sees a parallel between the God of Sinai and the God of Israel by rendering this whole verse as:

The mountains quaked—
Before the LORD, Him of Sinai,
Before the LORD, God of Israel.

New American Bible is similar with:

Mountains trembled
in the presence of the LORD, the One of Sinai,
in the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.

We might also say:

• The mountains shook before Yahweh.
Sinai shuddered before Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Translators will have to choose the interpretation they wish to follow here and translate accordingly.

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 .

This verse brings us to the next step in the judges’ cycle. The Israelites sinned against Yahweh, and he gave them over to their enemies (in this case, the Midianites) under whom they suffered terribly. Finally, the Israelites cried for help to the LORD.

And Israel was brought very low because of Midian: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And could introduce a result or consequence or begin a kind of summary statement. A good rendering is “Thus” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). This clause tells of Israel’s sad plight. The singular word Israel may be rendered “the Israelites” (New International Version). The Hebrew verb rendered was brought … low means “be low,” and by extension, “become small” or “become insignificant.” Its root is closely linked with the idea of poverty, as in New Revised Standard Version “was … impoverished.” But here the verb does not refer just to Israel’s physical state, but also to the depression and humiliation the Israelites experienced, since all their means of livelihood had been destroyed. In many languages this verb may be rendered “was brought down.” It is emphasized in Hebrew by the word for very. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh captures both the literal and figurative meaning when it says “Israel was reduced to utter misery by the Midianites” (similarly New American Bible). Because of Midian (literally “from faces of Midian”) indicates the source of Israel’s problems. It is the same phrase used in verse 6.2 (see comments there). Some versions restructure this clause and cast Midian as the subject, for example, “Thus, Midian brought Israel to great distress” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites” (Contemporary English Version). Another possible model is “The Midianites brought the Israelites very low [stripping them of everything they had].”

And the people of Israel cried for help to the LORD: This is a key clause in the book of Judges that always occurs in the same context (see verse 3.9, verse 15). When the people are in great distress and are seriously oppressed by their enemies, they turn to the LORD. Many versions render the Hebrew waw conjunction here as Revised Standard Version has done with and, but this may be weak in some languages. The connector “Then” (New Living Translation]) may show better that the Israelites’ cry for help is a direct consequence of their oppression. The people of Israel is literally “the sons/children of Israel” (see verse 6.1). For the Hebrew verb rendered cried for help, see the comments on verse 3.9, where it is translated “cried.” Translators must be careful to render this clause in the same way each time it appears in this book, because it underlines a very important theme. Good News Translation does not translate it here, apparently because it is repeated at the beginning of the next verse and seems redundant. However, it is better to repeat it for emphasis if possible.

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 .