The theme of fear is already well known in the story of Gideon. In verse 6.27 he was reluctant to pull down the altar to Baal in daylight because he was afraid of the reaction of his family and community. In the previous episode all the Israelite soldiers who were afraid were sent home (verse 7.3). God understands Gideon’s fear, and just as he sent Moses’ brother Aaron to accompany him on a difficult mission (Exo 4.10-17), so here he has Gideon go with his servant Purah.

But if you fear to go down …: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction here. Another possible connector is “however” (New Jerusalem Bible). Even though this clause is expressed as a hypothetical condition in Hebrew, it is clear that Gideon is afraid, and so if may be translated “since” or “because.” You renders an independent Hebrew pronoun, used to emphasize Gideon’s fear. For fear see verse 7.3. Go down, repeated twice here, is part of an important wordplay. The Hebrew words for fear (yareʾ), go down (yarad), Purah (purah), and servant (naʿar) all sound somewhat alike, each with an r sound. There may also be a tone of irony in the apparent contradiction of if you fear to go down, go down…. If repetition is not appreciated in the target language, variants can be used, for example, “if you are afraid to attack, go down….”

Go down to the camp with Purah your servant is literally “go down you and Purah your servant to the camp.” This clause implies carrying out some military action, in this case, spying out the Midianite camp. Contemporary English Version renders go down as “sneak down,” which is, in fact, what happened. For the camp, see verse 7.8. The name Purah occurs only here and in the next verse in the entire Bible. Since Purah is Gideon’s servant, and thus a secondary character, no formal introduction is needed. The Hebrew term rendered servant (naʿar) can mean “male servant” or “young man.” In this context it refers to a young man who carried Gideon’s armor and weapons (compare verse 9.54). Your servant may be rendered “your weapons bearer” or “the young man who carries your armor.” Translators should choose an expression that fits in this military context.

Translation models for this verse are:

• However, if you are afraid, take your weapons bearer, Purah, with you and go down to the enemy camp.

• But since you are so afraid [to attack them], take Purah, your servant, and sneak into the Midianite camp.

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 .