translations with a Hebraic voice (Judges 6:36-40)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
Gid’on said to God:
If you wish to deliver Israel by my hand, as you have spoken,
here: I am setting a clipping of wool on the threshing-floor;
if dew is on the clipping alone, but on all the ground [it is] dry, then I will know
that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.
And it was so.
He started-early on the morrow;
he wrung out the clipping
and drained the dew from the clipping —
a bowl full of water.
Then Gid’on said to God:
Do not let your anger flare up against me,
but let me speak just one [more] time:
pray let me make a test only one [more] time with the clipping;
pray let there be dryness on the clipping alone,
but on all the ground let there be dew.
And God did so on that night:
here was dryness on the clipping alone,
but on all the ground there was dew.

Source: Everett Fox 2014

German:
Gidon sprach zu Gott:
Willst du wirklich Befreier für Jissrael werden durch meine Hand, wie du geredet hast:
da breite ich die Wollschur in der Tenne —
wird Tau einzig auf der Schur sein und auf der Erde allumher Trockenheit,
dann werde ich wissen, daß du durch meine Hand Jissrael befreist, wie du geredet hast..
Es geschah, er war anderntags früh auf und rang die Schur aus:
er preßte Tau aus der Schur, eine Schale voll Wassers.
Gidon sprach zu Gott:
Entflamme doch nimmer deinen Zorn wider mich, daß ich nur diesmal noch rede:
ich möchts bloß diesmal noch mit der Schur erproben,
es sei doch Trockenheit einzig an der Schur, und auf der Erde allumher sei Tau!
Gott tat so in jener Nacht,
einzig an der Schur war Trockenheit, und auf der Erde allumher war Tau.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Guid‘ôn dit à l’Elohîms:
« Si tu vas sauver Israël par ma main, comme tu l’as parlé,
eh bien, j’expose moi-même la toison de laine dans l’aire:
si la rosée se trouve sur la toison seule, toute la terre étant sèche,
je saurai que tu sauveras par ma main Israël, comme tu l’as parlé. »
Et c’est ainsi. Il se lève le lendemain de grand matin.
Il presse la toison et exprime la rosée de la toison, un plein bol d’eau.
Guid‘ôn dit à l’Elohîms: « Que ta narine ne brûle pas contre moi !
Je parlerai une seule fois, j’éprouverai donc cette seule fois
avec la toison que le sec soit sur la toison seule,
et que sur toute la terre il y ait de la rosée. »
Elohîms fait ainsi cette nuit-là.
Le sec est sur la toison seule.
Sur toute la terre, c’était la rosée.

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

Translation commentary on Judges 6:38

And it was so (Hebrew wayehi ken) marks this as a high point in the story and may be a deliberate allusion to the creation story in Gen 1. In that account this clause occurs at the end of each day of God’s creative work (Gen 1.7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30). Translators can follow Good News Translation‘s more dynamic rendering: “That is exactly what happened.” Or they can try to imitate the style of the original text by using the same clause used in Gen 1. Anyone reading or hearing this story will take note that the LORD did indeed do as Gideon requested.

When he rose early next morning renders an independent clause in Hebrew, which is literally “And he woke up the next day.” For the Hebrew verb rendered rose early, see the comments on verse 6.28.

And squeezed the fleece: In many languages Gideon will first have to “pick up the fleece” or “take the fleece in his hands” before he can squeeze it. Squeezed means “pressed down on.” Here this verb probably indicates that Gideon took the fleece in both hands and put pressure on it or twisted it until water came out.

He wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water: In Hebrew this clause begins with a waw conjunction, which can be rendered “and” (Good News Translation) or omitted as in Revised Standard Version here. The Hebrew verb rendered wrung means “drained [out of].” Some languages may only have one verb for squeezed and wrung, in which case one verb will suffice (so Contemporary English Version). To fill a bowl with water means the water that he squeezed out of the fleece could have filled a bowl, not that Gideon actually did this. For bowl see the comments on verse 5.25. The size of the bowl is not given but the point is that there was a significant amount of water, enough to convince Gideon that the LORD had intervened. Thus Gideon had proof that he was the one chosen by God to save Israel. Contemporary English Version serves as a good model here, saying “He squeezed out enough water to fill a bowl.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• And that is just what happened! Gideon got up the next morning, picked up the fleece, and squeezed out enough water to fill a whole bowl.

• And it was so. When Gideon got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and the water he pressed from it could have filled a whole bowl.

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 .