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Text -- Judges 8:19-35 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
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 .
Israel Returns to Baal-Worship
8:33 After Gideon died , the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals . They made Baal-Berith their god .
8:34 The Israelites did not remain true to the Lord their God , who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them.
8:35 They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon ) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel .
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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 |
Oppression |
Midianites |
Judge |
Israel |
Ophrah |
Joash |
JUDGES, PERIOD OF |
Abimelech |
God |
Jether |
MIDIAN |
CHAIN |
Teraphim |
Zalmunna |
ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA |
Penuel |
Zalmua |
Retaliation |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> 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; Jdg 8:33; Jdg 8:34; Jdg 8:35
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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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NET Notes: Jdg 8:33 Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s coven...
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