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Text -- Judges 8:1-32 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites !” They argued vehemently with him.
8:2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest !
8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals , Oreb and Zeeb ! What did I accomplish to rival that?” When he said this , they calmed down .
Gideon Tracks Down the Midianite Kings
8:4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River , and even though they were exhausted , they were still chasing the Midianites.
8:5 He said to the men of Succoth , “Give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, because they are exhausted . I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna , the kings of Midian .”
8:6 The officials of Succoth said , “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna . So why should we give bread to your army ?”
8:7 Gideon said , “Since you will not help , after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers .”
8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request . The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had.
8:9 He also threatened the men of Penuel , warning , “When I return victoriously , I will tear down this tower .”
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies . There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples ; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed .
8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army .
8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away , Gideon chased them and captured the two Midianite kings , Zebah and Zalmunna . He had surprised their entire army .
8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres .
8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all.
8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said , “Look what I have! Zebah and Zalmunna ! You insulted me, saying , ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna . So why should we give bread to your exhausted men ?’”
8:16 He seized the leaders of the city , along with some desert thorns and briers ; he then “threshed ” the men of Succoth with them.
8:17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men .
8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna , “Describe for me the men you killed at Tabor .” They said , “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son .”
8:19 He said , “They were my brothers , the sons of my mother . I swear, as surely as the Lord is alive , if you had let them live , I would not kill you.”
8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son , “Come on ! Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword , because he was still young .
8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on , you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength .” So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna , and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels .
Gideon Rejects a Crown but Makes an Ephod
8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon , “Rule over us– you , your son , and your grandson . For you have delivered us from Midian’s power .”
8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”
8:24 Gideon continued , “I would like to make one request . Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites .)
8:25 They said , “We are happy to give you earrings.” So they spread out a garment , and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it.
8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments , jewelry , purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings , and the necklaces on the camels .
8:27 Gideon used all this to make an ephod , which he put in his hometown of Ophrah . All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there . It became a snare to Gideon and his family .
Gideon’s Story Ends
8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian ; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken . The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time .
8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down .
8:30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives .
8:31 His concubine , who lived in Shechem , also gave him a son , whom he named Abimelech .
8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Zebah |
Gideon |
Judge |
Midianites |
Oppression |
Israel |
Penuel |
God |
ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA |
Zalmua |
Zalmunna |
Patriotism |
Succoth |
Retaliation |
Ophrah |
PALESTINE, 2 |
JUDGES, PERIOD OF |
Joash |
Jether |
CHAIN |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Jdg 8:1; Jdg 8:2; Jdg 8:2; Jdg 8:3; Jdg 8:3; Jdg 8:4; Jdg 8:5; Jdg 8:5; Jdg 8:5; Jdg 8:6; Jdg 8:6; Jdg 8:6; Jdg 8:7; Jdg 8:7; Jdg 8:7; Jdg 8:7; Jdg 8:8; Jdg 8:8; Jdg 8:9; Jdg 8:9; Jdg 8:9; Jdg 8:10; Jdg 8:11; Jdg 8:11; Jdg 8:12; Jdg 8:12; Jdg 8:13; Jdg 8:14; Jdg 8:14; Jdg 8:15; Jdg 8:15; Jdg 8:15; Jdg 8:16; Jdg 8:16; Jdg 8:18; Jdg 8:18; Jdg 8:19; Jdg 8:20; Jdg 8:20; Jdg 8:21; Jdg 8:21; Jdg 8:21; Jdg 8:21; Jdg 8:22; Jdg 8:24; Jdg 8:24; Jdg 8:24; Jdg 8:25; Jdg 8:25; Jdg 8:26; Jdg 8:26; Jdg 8:26; Jdg 8:27; Jdg 8:27; Jdg 8:27; Jdg 8:27; Jdg 8:28; Jdg 8:28; Jdg 8:29; Jdg 8:30; Jdg 8:31; Jdg 8:31; Jdg 8:32
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:2 Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest. Gideon employs an agricultural metaphor. He argues that Ephraim’...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:4 Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and chasing.” The English ...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:6 The officials of Succoth are hesitant to give (or sell) food to Gideon’s forces because they are not sure of the outcome of the battle. Perhaps ...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:7 This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (’et, note the use of ב [bet] in v. 16). Some, ...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:10 Heb “About fifteen thousand [in number] were all the ones remaining from the army of the sons of the east. The fallen ones were a hundred and tw...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:11 Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”)...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:14 Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:15 Gideon changes their actual statement (see v. 6) by saying exhausted men rather than “army.” In this way he emphasizes the crisis his men ...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:16 The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַי...
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:24 Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:25 In the LXX the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
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NET Notes: Jdg 8:30 Heb “Gideon had seventy sons who went out from his thigh, for he had many wives.” The Hebrew word יָרֵך...
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