Discovery BoxJudges 8:1-9
Context8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us 1 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 2 are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 3 8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” 4 When he said this, they calmed down. 5
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. 6 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give 7 some loaves of bread to the men 8 who are following me, 9 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 10 bread to your army?” 11 8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, 12 after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh 13 your skin 14 with 15 desert thorns and briers.” 8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. 16 The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 17 8:9 He also threatened 18 the men of Penuel, warning, 19 “When I return victoriously, 20 I will tear down this tower.”
[8:1] 1 tn Heb “by not summoning us.”
[8:2] 3 sn Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest. Gideon employs an agricultural metaphor. He argues that Ephraim’s mopping up operations, though seemingly like the inferior grapes which are missed initially by the harvesters or left for the poor, are actually more noteworthy than the military efforts of Gideon’s family.
[8:3] 4 tn Heb “What was I able to do compared to you?”
[8:3] 5 tn Heb “Then their spirits relaxed from against him, when he spoke this word.”
[8:4] 6 tn Heb “And Gideon arrived at the Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, exhausted and chasing.” The English past perfect (“had crossed”) is used because this verse flashes back chronologically to an event that preceded the hostile encounter described in vv. 1-3. (Note that 7:25 assumes Gideon had already crossed the Jordan.)
[8:5] 7 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:5] 8 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because these were warriors and in ancient Israelite culture would have been exclusively males.
[8:5] 9 tn Heb “who are at my feet.”
[8:6] 10 tn Or perhaps, “sell.”
[8:6] 11 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your army bread?” Perhaps the reference to the kings’ “palms” should be taken literally. The officials of Succoth may be alluding to the practice of mutilating prisoners or enemy corpses (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 155).
[8:7] 13 sn I will thresh. The metaphor is agricultural. Threshing was usually done on a hard threshing floor. As farm animals walked over the stalks, pulling behind them a board embedded with sharp stones, the stalks and grain would be separated. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63-65. Gideon threatens to use thorns and briers on his sledge.
[8:7] 15 tn This is apparently a rare instrumental use of the Hebrew preposition אֵת (’et, note the use of ב [bet] in v. 16). Some, however, argue that אֵת more naturally indicates accompaniment (“together with”). In this case Gideon envisions threshing their skin along with thorns and briers, just as the stalks and grain are intermingled on the threshing floor. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 229-30.
[8:8] 16 tn Heb “and spoke to them in the same way.”
[8:8] 17 tn Heb “The men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered.”
[8:9] 18 tn Heb “said to.” The translation “threatened” is interpretive, but is clearly indicated by the context.
