Discovery BoxJudges 8:10-24
Context8:10 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. 1 8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads 2 east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 3 8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon 4 chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised 5 their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass 6 of Heres. 8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth 7 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 8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! 9 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?’” 10 8:16 He seized the leaders 11 of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 12 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 13 the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 14 8:19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, 15 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! 16 Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, 17 because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, 18 “Come on, 19 you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” 20 So Gideon killed 21 Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.
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.” 22 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, 23 “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” 24 (The Midianites 25 had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)
[8:10] 1 tn 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 twenty thousand [in number], men drawing the sword.”
[8:11] 2 tn Heb “the ones living in tents.”
[8:11] 3 tn Heb “and attacked the army, while the army was secure.” The Hebrew term בֶטַח (vetakh, “secure”) probably means the army was undefended (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 156), not suspecting an attack at that time and place.
[8:12] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:12] 5 tn Or “routed”; Heb “caused to panic.”
[8:14] 7 tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”
[8:14] 8 tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
[8:15] 9 tn Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:15] 10 tn Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?”
[8:16] 12 tc The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The MT reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”
[8:18] 14 tn Heb “each one like the appearance of sons of the king.”
[8:19] 15 tn The words “I swear” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:20] 17 tn Heb “did not draw his sword for he was afraid.”
[8:21] 18 tn The words “to Gideon” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:21] 20 tn Heb “for as the man is his strength.”
[8:21] 21 tn Heb “arose and killed.”
[8:24] 23 tn Heb “said to them.”
[8:24] 24 tn Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
[8:24] 25 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
