Judges 10:17-11:11
New English Translation
An Outcast Becomes a General
17 The Ammonites assembled[a] and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 18 The leaders[b] of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge[c] against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
11 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father.[d] 2 Gilead’s wife also gave[e] him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth,[f] because you are another woman’s son.” 3 So Jephthah left[g] his half brothers[h] and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him.[i]
4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 5 When the Ammonites attacked,[j] the leaders[k] of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back[l] from the land of Tob. 6 They said,[m] “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave[n] my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true,[o] but now we pledge to you our loyalty.[p] Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader[q] of all who live in Gilead.”[r] 9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right.[s] If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me,[t] I will be your leader.”[u] 10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us,[v] if we do not do as you say.”[w] 11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement[x] before the Lord in Mizpah.
Footnotes
- Judges 10:17 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
- Judges 10:18 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
- Judges 10:18 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
- Judges 11:1 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
- Judges 11:2 tn Heb “bore.”
- Judges 11:2 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
- Judges 11:3 tn Or “fled from.”
- Judges 11:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Judges 11:3 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
- Judges 11:5 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
- Judges 11:5 tn Or “elders.”
- Judges 11:5 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
- Judges 11:6 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
- Judges 11:7 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
- Judges 11:8 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (loʾ khen).
- Judges 11:8 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ʾel) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
- Judges 11:8 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (roʾsh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward—rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
- Judges 11:8 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
- Judges 11:9 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 11:9 tn Heb “places them before me.”
- Judges 11:9 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
- Judges 11:10 tn Heb “The Lord will be the one who hears between us.” For the idiom שָׁמַע בַּיִן (shamaʿ bayin, “to hear between”), see Deut 1:16.
- Judges 11:10 sn The Lord will judge…if we do not do as you say. The statement by the leaders of Gilead takes the form of a legally binding oath, which obligates them to the terms of the agreement.
- Judges 11:11 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the Lord’s sanctuary, perhaps to ratify the contract or to emphasize the Gileadites’ obligation to keep their part of the bargain. Another option is to translate, “Jephthah conducted business before the Lord in Mizpah.” In this case, the statement is a general reference to the way Jephthah ruled. He recognized the Lord’s authority and made his decisions before the Lord.
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