Abimelech was told that …: For the third time someone informs Abimelech about a situation (see verse 9.25, verse 42). This statement slows down the action and heightens suspense. This verse begins with a Hebrew waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version and several other versions do not translate. Some versions choose to express this sentence as a time clause. For example, New Jerusalem Bible has “As soon as Abimelech heard that…,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “When Abimelech was informed that….”

For all the people of the Tower of Shechem, see verse 9.46. This phrase refers again to the leaders of the tower, not its inhabitants.

The Hebrew verb form rendered were gathered together expresses a reflexive action, so it is literally “gathered themselves.” It might be rendered “came together,” “assembled,” or simply “gathered.” It is clear that these people “were hiding,” so this is another possible rendering. In English some versions use the pluperfect verb form “had gathered” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), which is appropriate here. Many versions add the word “there” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible), referring back to the Tower of Shechem.

While in Hebrew the repetition of all the people of the Tower of Shechem carries a mocking tone, in many languages this repetition will not be appreciated. Contemporary English Version reduces the verse by saying simply “but Abimelech found out where they were.” Other possible models are:

• Abimelech found out that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there.

• When Abimelech was informed that they were all hiding together there….

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 woman bore a son: With virtually no transition, the promise given in verse 13.3 is fulfilled, bringing this introductory part of the Samson story to an end. In most translations a new paragraph can begin here. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And can be omitted, but in some languages a time expression such as “Later” (Contemporary English Version) or “Sometime later” would be appropriate. The mother of Samson remains unnamed, but receives the blessing she was promised.

And called his name Samson: It is the mother who gives a name to her son. The name Samson (Hebrew Shimshon) sounds a little like the Hebrew word for “sun” (shemesh). The sun was worshiped as a god in the nearby town of Beth-shemesh (meaning “house/temple of the sun”; see verse 1.33).

And the boy grew: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and marks the passing of time here, but in many languages it can be omitted. For boy see verse 13.5. Grew renders a Hebrew verb that can mean “grow up” or “become great,” but the first meaning seems to be in view here.

And the LORD blessed him is an extraordinary statement, since it is only used here in this book. Samson is the only judge singled out in this way. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and does not introduce the next event. The LORD certainly must have blessed Samson as he grew, and Contemporary English Version makes this explicit: “As the boy grew, the LORD blessed him.” Blessed means “granted favor,” often in terms of material blessings (see, for example, Deut 7.12-16). Most languages will have an idiomatic expression for blessed, such as “threw water on.” In verse 5.2 the Hebrew verb for blessed also appears, but there it means “praise.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• Later Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and called him “Samson.” As this boy grew up, Yahweh blessed him.

• The man’s wife had a son, and she named him “Samson.” This child grew up and the LORD poured out his favor on him.

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 they said to him …: The people of Judah are fearful of what the Philistines might do, so they decide to capture Samson themselves and hand him over to the Philistines. The pronoun they refers to the three thousand soldiers of Judah. In this context the general verb said may be rendered “answered” or “replied.”

We have come down to bind you: There is much irony here. The people of Judah have accepted to do to one of their own kind exactly what the Philistines have stated as their own goal. However, ironically they seem to need three thousand men to deal with one strong man! For come down, see verse 1.9. In Hebrew the phrase to bind you occurs initially for emphasis. For bind see verse 15.10. This clause may be rendered “We are here to tie you up.”

That we may give you into the hands of the Philistines is literally “to give you into the hand of the Philistines.” By handing Samson over to their enemies, the people of Judah hope to appease the Philistines and keep them from attacking. This action obviously goes against any notion of what is right or wrong in Israel. No Israelite should be tying up and delivering his own brother. But there is no indication that the people of Judah are sorry or ashamed of what they are doing. This shows how far the Israelites have come in the downward spiral that the book of Judges describes. Again such actions foreshadow the civil wars described later in the book. Give … into the hands is the same phrase used in this book when God delivers enemies into the hands of the Israelites (see verse 1.2). It brings to mind all the victories that contrast with this sad state of affairs. We might say “We’re here to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”

And Samson said to them: The general verb said may be rendered “answered” (Contemporary English Version) or “replied.”

Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves: There is much debate over the real meaning behind these words of Samson. Is he really afraid or is he being presumptuous? Some scholars believe that Samson is really afraid of the people of Judah, though it is more likely that he does not want the humiliation of being killed by his own people. There may also be a hint of irony. Since Samson kills 1,000 Philistines after the people of Judah hand him over to them (verse 15.15), he probably could have killed 3,000 soldiers of Judah. Unfortunately the text gives no clue as to the tone in his voice here. For the Hebrew verb rendered Swear, see verse 2.1. Swear to me means Samson is asking the people of Judah to make a solemn promise. Good News Translation says “Give me your word,” and NET Bible has “Promise me.”

That you will not fall upon me yourselves is literally “lest you fall upon me you.” In Hebrew the pronoun “you” is repeated for emphasis, which Revised Standard Version expresses well with you … yourselves. Samson seems to accept the fact that the people of Judah will tie him up and deliver him into the hands of the Philistines. His one request is that they not fall upon him. Fall does not render the same Hebrew verb used throughout the victories of the people of Israel. Rather, it is a word that usually means “meet” or “encounter” (see comments on verse 8.21). In this context it means “attack” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “kill” (Good News Translation, New International Version), as the next verse shows. Once again, it is hard to know if Samson is seriously afraid, or if he is simply making fun of them. If the latter is true, a possible model might be “Promise me you won’t hurt me yourselves.” Contemporary English Version says “I won’t put up a fight … but you have to promise not to hurt me yourselves.” This model goes beyond the text.

Indirect speech may be used in the last half of this verse, for example, “Samson made them promise that they themselves would not harm him.” However, this rendering robs the narration of some of its liveliness.

Translation models for this verse are:

• The men of Judah said to Samson, “We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”
And Samson replied, “OK, but swear that you will not kill me yourselves.”

• The soldiers from Judah said to Samson, “We have come to bind you and hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson said, “Swear to me that you yourselves will do me no harm.”

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 is an aside that informs the audience about the great number of Philistines in Dagon’s temple. It slows down the narrative, thus building suspense. The Hebrew waw conjunction here rendered Now introduces this background information. Translators can use a similar marker in their language.

Many of the Hebrew words in this verse contain the sh sound, which is often associated with mockery in Hebrew. This sound actually occurs here ten times! The phrase men and women is repeated twice, emphasizing the great crowd gathered around Samson, foreshadowing their death to come.

The house was full of men and women: The house refers to Dagon’s temple, which was huge, given the numbers mentioned. Here it is described as full of men and women, which adds an emotional impact and heightens the suspense, as the audience knows that all these people will soon die.

All the lords of the Philistines were there is literally “and there all the lords of the Philistines [were].” This detail is added to let the audience know that the leaders of the Philistines, who tried so many times to capture Samson, will be among those killed. For the lords of the Philistines, see verse 3.3. Good News Translation says “All five Philistine kings were there,” adding the number “five,” based on 3.3, but this addition is unwarranted.

And on the roof there were about three thousand men and women: A roof in ancient times was often flat, permitting people to gather on it (see comments on verse 3.20). There were about three thousand men and women on the roof of Dagon’s temple. It is possible that even more people were in other areas watching Samson perform. Indeed, the preposition about could imply that there were even more than three thousand people on the roof. One manuscript of the ver Septuagintver* gives the number as only “seven hundred,” but virtually all versions follow the Hebrew here. The number three, along with its multiples, is a crucial element in this book, especially in the stories of Gideon and Samson. Men and women is repeated for emphasis and perhaps shock value. Up till now, most of those killed by the judges of Israel were men, but here women are also a target. Contemporary English Version uses the more general word “people,” but this weakens the impact. If possible, men and women should be retained.

Who looked on while Samson made sport: This clause describes the Philistine people who were on the temple roof. Who looked on renders a participle of the Hebrew verb meaning “see.” For made sport, see verse 16.25.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Now the building was full of men and women, and all the Philistine leaders were there as well. There were about three thousand men and women on the roof, all watching Samson perform.

• At that time the temple was crowded with men and women. All the leaders of the Philistines were also there. And about 3,000 people were up on the roof, watching Samson perform.

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 when these went into Micah’s house and took … renders an independent clause in Hebrew, but it repeats previous events (see verse 18.17), so like Revised Standard Version, many versions cast it as a dependent temporal clause (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). This repetition conveys yet another note of irony. The demonstrative pronoun these refers to the five Danite spies, so we can say “these men” (New International Version) or “these Danites.” The Hebrew verbs rendered went into and took are the same ones translated “entered” and “took” in verse 18.17.

The graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image lists the religious items in the same way as in verse 18.17. See verse 17.3, verse 5.

The priest said to them, “What are you doing?”: Micah’s priest sees the Danite spies confiscating the sacred objects, so he protests. Again the mention of the priest instead of “the Levite” may express irony (see verse 18.17). The general verb said may be rendered “protested” in this context. What are you doing? is not a real question, but a cry of distress and protest, so we might say “You can’t do that!” or “Don’t you dare do that!” However, it is clear that the priest can do nothing to prevent the Danites from taking whatever they want. The Hebrew verb rendered are … doing is a participle, so a verb form expressing ongoing action should be used. Contemporary English Version is quite dramatic here: “ ‘Hey!’ the priest shouted. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ ”

A translation model for this verse is:

• When the spies entered Micah’s house and removed the ephod and other sacred objects, the priest screamed, “You can’t do that!”

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 old man goes out to try to reason with the mob. He appeals to their sense of decency, and also to the commonly held values of hospitality. The tone of his speech is very strong.

And the man, the master of the house, went out to them: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And might be translated “Then,” since it introduces the next event here. For the man, the master of the house, see verse 19.22. This phrase is repeated to emphasize the fact that the man was old and respected and did not deserve this kind of treatment. Went out renders the same Hebrew verb translated “bring out” in verse 19.22. The pronoun them refers to the mob.

And said to them: The general verb said may be rendered “begged” or “pleaded” in this context. To them is the second occurrence of this phrase. There is a kind of wordplay here since the Hebrew preposition translated to (ʾel) sounds like the negative marker ʾal, which occurs numerous times in what follows.

No, my brethren is the first cry of the old man. No renders the first occurrence of the Hebrew negative marker ʾal. For the Hebrew word translated brethren, see verse 18.8. It is especially ironic that the old man, a person from the tribe of Ephraim, calls these men from the tribe of Benjamin his “brothers.” They were indeed brothers because they all descended from the same ancestor, Jacob. The old man’s first appeal is based on the blood relationship that bound them together. The irony is very strong since these men were in no way acting as brothers should. Clearly this cry prefigures the civil war to come.

Do not act so wickedly contains the second occurrence of the Hebrew negative marker ʾal. The old man pleads with the mob not to commit the evil act of raping his guest. The Hebrew verb here comes from the same root as the key term raʿ (“evil”), which occurs frequently in the judges’ stories (see, for example, verse 4.1). The man appeals to their conscience and to their sense of morality. He even ends this clause with the Hebrew politeness marker naʾ, which Revised Standard Version unfortunately omits. Good News Translation renders it as “Please.” We might say “Please do not do this wicked thing.”

Seeing that this man has come into my house: Here the old man appeals to their sense of hospitality and honor, some of the highest values in Israelite culture. Traditional hospitality required that the Levite be protected, so the old man refuses to let them abuse his guest. This clause presents a problem of interpretation, because in Hebrew it reads literally “after which this man has come not my house.” In Hebrew there is only a slight difference between the negative marker ʾal and the preposition ʾel (“to”). Here Revised Standard Version and most other versions emend the text to say “after which this man has come to my house.” Seeing that is a good way to introduce this clause in English, but other languages may have other ways to express this idea. For example, we might say “After all, this man has come [as a guest] into my house!” Good News Translation is short but effective: “This man is my guest.”

Do not do this vile thing: Finally, the old man appeals to their sense of reason, using once again the Hebrew negative marker ʾal. He asks them not to do a foolish thing. The Hebrew word rendered vile thing comes from a root meaning “stupid” or “foolish” (see verse 2 Sam 13.13), so a good rendering for this clause is “Don’t do such a foolish/stupid thing!” New International Version says “don’t do this disgraceful thing,” and Revised English Bible has “do not commit this outrage” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). New American Bible translates “do not commit this crime,” but here the emphasis seems more on morality than on violation of a law.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Then the man who owned the house went out to them, and he pleaded with them, saying, “No, my brothers, don’t do this evil thing. This man is a guest in my home. Don’t do anything so foolish!

• Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and begged them not to commit such an evil act, saying, “The man is my guest. Don’t even think of something so horrible!

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 .