Using phrases that remind the audience of earlier Israelite victories, the spies ask their fellow Danites to go with them and attack the city. The verbs Arise and go up are used earlier in the book of Judges, while the expressions enter and possess the land occur often in the book of Joshua. Though the spies appear to speaking in all sincerity, this is certainly the storyteller’s way of showing how ironic the situation is. The Danites could not possess the land allotted to them (verse 1.34), so they must look elsewhere. Speaking like brave Israelite warriors, they are actually cowardly and about to prey on a city with no defenses.

They said: This clause begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version and most other versions omit. The pronoun They refers to the spies, which will be clear from the context in most languages. The general verb said may be rendered “replied” (Good News Translation) or “answered” (New International Version), though what they say seems more an order than an answer.

Arise render the key Hebrew verb qum, which is used here in a very ironic way. Normally Yahweh “raised up” a deliverer for Israel (see, for example, verse 2.16; verse 3.9, 15). Here the spies tell their fellow Danites to rise up against a defenseless people. In this context Arise is a call to get ready for battle. A literal rendering will preserve the link back to the other passages where this verb is used and keep the biting irony of the storyteller here.

And let us go up against them: The Hebrew verb rendered go up (ʿalah) refers to military action in this context (see verse 1.1), so it may be translated “attack” (Good News Translation). The pronoun them refers to the people of Laish. This is a shameful attack and it is perhaps significant that the spies do not even mention the town or its people by name.

For we have seen the land, and behold, it is very fertile: The spies now give their reason for calling their fellow Danites to attack the people of Laish. The Hebrew particle ki rendered for may introduce the reason (“because”) or express emphasis (“indeed”). We have seen may be translated “we have spied out” or “we have taken a good look at.” The Hebrew expression for the land (ʾerets) is often used in the Old Testament to refer to the Promised Land. Putting these words in the Danites’ mouths is a mockery, since this tribe was unable to capture the land allotted to them (verse 1.34). Now, facing a defenseless and isolated city, they declare we have seen the land.

The attention-getting word behold (Hebrew hinneh) is essential here. The more excited the Danites become, the greater their shame. In this context behold may be rendered “really,” “honestly,” or “you won’t believe it.”

It is very fertile is literally “[it is] very good.” This clause is apparently another satire, since it recalls not only the book of Joshua (for example, verse 23.13), but also the repetitive expression in the opening chapter of Genesis: “And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1.10, 12, 18, 21, 25). The pronoun it refers to the land. In this context the Hebrew word for “good” (tov) can mean many things: that the land is fertile and productive or that it is strategically placed. So it may be better to stay general, as in Hebrew, and say “it is very good.” This rendering will preserve what appears to be a deliberate literary link to other parts of Scripture.

And will you do nothing? Do not be slow …: The spies go on to urge their people to capture the town of Laish, saying literally “But you [are] inactive! Do not be sluggish/lazy….” This part of the dialogue reveals the true nature of the Danites. They are characterized as passive and lazy. Revised Standard Version renders this accusation as a rhetorical question in English. Since the Danites do not seem to make any immediate response to the spies’ report, these men challenge them to action with the reproach, “But you are doing nothing!” Translators should try to convey this critical tone. In English an idiomatic equivalent is “Are you just going to stand there?” or “Come on, now, do something!”

As noted above, Do not be slow is literally “Do not be sluggish/lazy.” The spies use this negative imperative to try to make their compatriots respond. We might say “Don’t be lazy!” or “Hurry up!” (similarly Good News Translation). Contemporary English Version combines the two clauses with the question “What are you waiting for?” which is a good model. In some languages it may be more effective to place these two clauses earlier in the verse (see second model below).

To go, and enter in and possess the land is literally “to go to enter to possess the land.” The Hebrew text uses three infinitives in quick succession, which emphasizes the quickness of action that the spies are requesting. To go means to leave where they are. Enter in means to go to the town of Laish. Possess the land is a standard expression used throughout Joshua and the first part of Judges (see verse 2.6) describing an attack and occupation of the land promised by God. We can say simply “take the land.” It will be good to use the same wording as in verse 2.6 to show the link between this passage and the beginning of the book.

Translation models for this verse are:

• The spies replied, “Come on, let’s go and attack them. We have seen the land and it is really good. Don’t just stand there! Let’s go and capture it.

• The spies said, “Get up! Let’s go to attack them! Why are you just standing there? The land we have seen is very good. Hurry up and take it.

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 .