Two elements enclose this section, the references to Bochim and to Yahweh, the LORD (verse 2.1, 5).

And they called the name of that place Bochim: The opening Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And can be translated “So” (New Revised Standard Version), “Because of this,” or “Therefore.” Good News Translation has “and that is why,” which is also a good way to introduce this clause. While the pronoun they can refer just to the people who were there at that moment, it probably has a wider meaning here. Good News Translation uses a passive construction: “the place is called….” Called the name is the same phrase that appears in verse 1.26. In verse 2.1 Bochim is introduced as a proper noun, but here its meaning, “weeping ones,” is in view. In many cultures the goal of many narratives is to explain place names (see verse 1.17). Translators need to ensure readers understand what is being communicated here. Some translations add a footnote explaining its meaning, but it is often easier to put the meaning in the text, for example, “Bochim, which means ‘those who cry.’ ” Contemporary English Version is very clear, putting the proper name “Bochim” at 2.1 and translating that name here: “From then on, they called that place ‘Crying.’ ”

And they sacrificed there to the LORD: This second occurrence of the pronoun they is not impersonal, but rather refers to the Israelites who were present that day at Bochim. After the people heard the message and reacted through their tears, they decided to give a sacrifice to the LORD. The Hebrew root of the verb rendered sacrificed (z-b-ch) refers to a general sacrifice, so translators can use a general expression, such as “offered a sacrifice.” There may be some plays on words here, since the Hebrew word for name sounds like the word for there, and the word for sacrificed comes from the same root as the word for “altars” in verse 5.2.

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 .