complete verse (Judges 19:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 19:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “Let us try to go to Gibeah or Ramah so we can look for where we can sleep in those two cities.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Furthermore he said — "Come, let’s try to get to Gibeah or to Ramah. Today we will stay the night there."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Hurry now, let- us (incl.) -try that we (incl.) can-reach Gibea or Rama, and we (incl.) will-sleep there.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He said to his servant, ‘Let’s go. It is not far to Gibeah. We can go there, or we can go a bit further to Ramah. We can stay in one of those two cities tonight.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 19:13

This verse is repetitive, as the Levite hesitates and gives another option. This is the narrator’s way of slowing down the action and heightening the suspense here. The audience knows that if the group ends up in Gibeah, tragedy awaits them. A feature of this verse is the use of the number one, a word that occurs frequently in the first appendix (verse 17.5, 11; verse 18.19), as well as in the Samson story (see, for example, verse 16.28).

And he said to his servant: In some languages it may be better to omit this quote frame (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) since the same speaker and addressee are in view as in the previous verse. Good News Translation even combines verses 12-13. Otherwise, we might say “He went on to say” or “He then said.”

Come renders the Hebrew verb meaning “go,” as in verse 19.11. Here it may be translated “Come on” (New Living Translation, New Jerusalem Bible).

And let us draw near to one of these places: The pronoun us refers to the group of travelers, but shows that the Levite is now taking the lead in the decision-making. The Hebrew verb rendered draw near means “approach,” “arrive at,” or “reach.” The Levite is suggesting that they keep going further, until they reach another town. One of these places anticipates the towns he will mention, Gibe-ah and Ramah. As noted above, the number one is an important word in this book, so maintaining it would preserve the literary flavor. However, some languages may prefer to use more natural phrases, for example, “let’s find some other place” or “let’s go to another place.”

And spend the night at Gibe-ah or at Ramah: For the Hebrew verb rendered spend the night (lin), see verse 19.4. Here it is marked for first person plural, so it is literally “let us spend the night.” This time the Levite gives two options: Gibe-ah or Ramah. Ramah was a town just north of Gibeah (see verse 4.5). The Hebrew preposition rendered at occurs with each place name. The definite article “the” is also attached to both names in Hebrew. It is possible this article is highlighting this crucial decision, one that would lead to safety and one that would lead to tragedy. In the end, the Levite directs the party to Gibeah, where a decisive incident will take place.

Translation models for this verse are:

• He went on to say, “Let’s head for somewhere else, either Gibeah or Ramah, and spend the night there.”

• He then said, “We will keep going and reach either Gibeah or Ramah, and stop overnight there.”

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 .