Judges 8:7

8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, ¹  after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh ²  your skin ³  with ⁴  desert thorns and briers.”

Judges 9:29

9:29 If only these men ⁵  were under my command, ⁶  I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, ⁷  “Muster ⁸  your army and come out for battle!” ⁹ 

[8:7]  ¹ tn Heb “Therefore.”

[8:7]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “flesh.”

[8:7]  ⁴ 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.

[9:29]  ⁵ tn Heb “people.”

[9:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “in my hand.”

[9:29]  ⁷ tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”

[9:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “Make numerous.”

[9:29]  ⁹ tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.