1tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
2tnHeb “son.”
3tnHeb “a man of Issachar.”
4tn Traditionally, “judged.”
5sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
6tnHeb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
7tnHeb “in the eyes of the Lord.”
8tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
9sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
10map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
11tnHeb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
12tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
13tn Or “the Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”
14tnHeb “sold them into the hands of.”
15tnHeb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
16tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
17tnHeb “the house of Ephraim.”
18tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
19tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
20tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
21tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the Lord’s frustration.
22tnHeb “hand.”
23tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
24tnHeb “in your time of trouble.”
25tnHeb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
26snYou do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
27tnHeb “from their midst.”
28tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
29tnHeb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).