Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants …: Naphtali was Jacob’s sixth son and the second son born to Bilhah, the servant of Rachel (Gen 30.7-8). The territory assigned to the tribe of Naphtali was east of Asher and northwest of the Sea of Galilee. For did not drive out, see verse 1.19; for inhabitants see verse 1.11.

The towns of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath were almost certainly religious centers. Beth-shemesh means “house of the sun,” possibly related to the sun god, while Beth-anath means “house of Anath,” a Canaanite female divinity. Some versions treat these names as one word, while others insert a hyphen as Revised Standard Version here. Because they are foreign names and difficult to pronounce, a hyphenated form would probably make reading easier. Translators might consider translating at least parts of these names, if this helps readers to better understand the text.

But dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: See verse 1.32. Like all the other tribes, the tribe of Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of these localities. More importantly, like Asher, this tribe dwelt among the Canaanites, instead of the other way around. There is the same emphasis on the Canaanites being the inhabitants of the land.

Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them: The Hebrew waw conjunction introduces this final clause, rendered well here as nevertheless. We could also say “however.” Even though the text does not say the tribe of Naphtali became stronger or more numerous (compare verse 1.28), this tribe eventually was able to oblige the Canaanites to work for them. For forced labor, see verse 1.28.

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 .