SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 1:2

1:2a “Judah shall go up,” answered the LORD.

Yahweh answered, “The clan of Judah should go ⌊first⌋ .
-or-
Yahweh answered that the clan of Judah should go ⌊and attack first⌋ .

1:2b “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”

I have given them victory over the land.”
-or-
He said, “I will help them to defeat ⌊the Canaan people⌋ .”

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 1:34

1:34a The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country

The Amorites forced the clan of Dan to live in the highlands
-or-
⌊The descendants of Dan fought the people of Amor but they were not able to defeat them.⌋ The Amor people made them stay in the mountains.

1:34b and did not allow them to come down into the plain.

and would not let them come down to live in the valley.
-or-
They did not let the people of Dan live in the flat land.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 3:7

Section 3:7–11 Othniel was the judge of Israel

3:7a So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD;

The people of Israel did things that Yahweh thought were evil.
-or-
The people of Israel sinned against Yahweh.

3:7b they forgot the LORD their God

They abandoned Yahweh their God
-or-
They stopped worshiping Yahweh their God

3:7c and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

and followed the Baal gods and the Asherah gods.
-or-
and worshiped the ⌊idols called⌋ Baal and Asherah.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 4:8

4:8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Barak said to Deborah, “If you (sing.) go with me, I will go. If you will not go with me, I refuse to go.”
-or-
Barak replied to Deborah that he would go only if she went with him.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 5:16

5:16a Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks?

Why did you (plur.) stay at the sheep pens and listen to the ⌊shepherds⌋ calling their flocks?
-or-
Why did you people of Reuben stay in the sheep enclosures to hear people whistling for their sheep?

5:16b In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.

In the land of Reuben they did not know what to do.
-or-
The clan of Reuben could not decide. They didn’t know if they should go or not.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 6:17

6:17a Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight,

Gideon said to him, “If you (sing.) are really pleased with me,
-or-
Gideon said to Yahweh, “If you are really going to help me,

6:17b give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.

prove to me by a sign that it is really you who are speaking to me.
-or-
do something to prove that you, Yahweh, are speaking to me.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 7:9

Section 7.9-18

A Midian soldier had a dream

7:9a That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp,

That night Yahweh said to Gideon, “Get (sing.) up. Go down to the Midian camp and attack it.
-or-
That night Yahweh spoke to Gideon. “Wake up. Go down and fight the soldiers of Midian ⌊in their⌋ camp.

7:9b for I have delivered it into your hand.

I am going to deliver it into your power.
-or-
I will help you ⌊and your men⌋ to defeat them.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 8:16

8:16a Then he took the elders of the city,

So he seized the elders of the town
-or-
Then he took the elders of Sukkoth.

8:16b and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness,

and he used thorns from the desert to whip them
-or-
He whipped them with thorns and sharp branches from the wilderness

8:16c he disciplined the men of Succoth.

because he wanted to show them that they should obey him.
-or-
to punish them.

8:16a-c (reordered)

Gideon whipped the elders of the town of Sukkoth with thorns and sharp sticks from the desert. This was to punish them because they refused to help him.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 2023