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Judges Chapter
Eight
Judges 8
Outlines
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 8
In
this chapter we are told how Gideon pacified the Ephraimites, who complained
because they were not sent unto to fight the Midianites, Judges 8:1 how he
pursued the Midianites, until he took their two kings, and on his return
chastised the men of Succoth and Penuel, because they refused to relieve his
men with food as they were pursuing, Judges 8:4 how he
slew the two kings of Midian, Judges 8:18 and
after this conquest refused to take the government of Israel when offered him, Judges 8:22 how he
requested of the Israelites the earrings they had taken from the Midianites,
with which he in weakness made an ephod, which proved a snare to his house, Judges 8:24 how
that the people were in peace forty years during his life, and that he had a
numerous issue, and died in a good old age, Judges 8:28 but
that after his death the Israelites fell into idolatry, and were ungrateful to
his family, Judges 8:33.
Judges 8:1 Now
the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us
when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.
YLT
1And the men of Ephraim say
unto him, `What [is] this thing thou hast done to us -- not to call for us when
thou didst go to fight with Midian?' and they strive with him severely;
And the men of Ephraim said unto him,.... To
Gideon, when they brought him the heads of Oreb and Zeeb; taking this to be a
proper opportunity to expostulate and chide with him, when they had done so
much service:
why hast thou served us thus; neglected them,
overlooked them, which they took as a reproach to them, and as if he had bore
them ill will:
that thou calledst us not when thou wentest to fight with the
Midianites? that he did not call them first, when he called other tribes, as
Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, when they were as near or nearer, and more nearly
allied, being both the descendants of Joseph; and were the tribe that Jacob had
given the preference to; and being of proud spirits they envied the glory that
Gideon, who was of the tribe of Manasseh, had got; and by which they were
jealous he would advance that tribe above theirs:
and they did chide with him sharply; used rough words and ill
language, and threw out many keen and biting expressions, which discovered
great anger and wrath, envy and ill will.
Judges 8:2 2 So he said to them, “What
have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the
grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
YLT
2and he saith unto them,
`What have I done now like you? are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than
the harvest of Abi-Ezer?
And he said unto them,.... In a very mild and
gentle manner, giving soft words, which turn away wrath:
what have I done in comparison of you? he and his
men, he signifies, had only blew trumpets, broke pitchers, and held torches; it
was the Lord that did all, and set the Midianites one against another to slay
each other; and in the pursuit as yet he had only picked up and slain some
common soldiers, they had taken two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and had
brought their heads in triumph to him:
is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the
vintage of Abiezer? the family of Abiezer, of which Gideon was; the meaning is, that
whereas he began the fight, which may be called the vintage, and they had
finished it, which was like gleaning; yet what they did last was much
preferable to what was done by him at first; or the princes of Midian, which
they had taken in the pursuit, and was like gleaning after a vintage, were
equal, yea, superior to all the camp of Midian, or that part of it that had
fallen into his hands. The Targum is,"are not the weak of the house of
Ephraim better than the strong of the house of Abiezer?'
Judges 8:3 3 God has delivered into
your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in
comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.
YLT
3Into your hand hath God
given the heads of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what have I been able to do like
you?' Then their temper desisted from off him in his speaking this thing.
God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and
Zeeb,.... A high honour this conferred upon you, and with which you
may be well contented:
and what was I able to do in comparison of you? what he had
done in defeating and pursuing the army of Midian, in slaying and taking any of
them prisoners, was nothing in comparison of what they had done; nay, he
signifies that he was not capable of doing anything worth mentioning without
them; the glory of finishing this conquest was reserved for them:
then their anger was abated towards him when he had said that; it being what
gratified their pride and was pleasing to them; and this conduct of Gideon
showed him to be a wise and humble man.
Judges 8:4 4 When Gideon came to the
Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over,
exhausted but still in pursuit.
YLT
4And Gideon cometh in unto
the Jordan, passing over, he and the three hundred men who [are] with him --
wearied, and pursuing,
And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over..... That
river; See Gill on Judges 7:25 he and
three hundred men that were with him, at the defeat of the Midianites in the
valley of Jezreel; so that neither at that nor in the pursuit of them hitherto,
had he lost one man:
faint, yet pursuing them: they were faint with
being up all night, and continually blowing their trumpets; and had been upon
the pursuit of their enemies ever since the defeat; and yet, though they were
so faint, they did not leave off the pursuit, but were eager at it.
Judges 8:5 5 Then he said to the men of
Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are
exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”
YLT
5and he saith to the men of
Succoth, `Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who [are] at my feet,
for they [are] wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna kings of
Midian.'
And he said to the men of Succoth,.... The inhabitants of
that place, the principal men of it, which lay in his way as he was pursuing
the Midianites in their flight to their own country; for this was a city on the
other side Jordan, and in the tribe of Gad and was inhabited by Israelites, Joshua 13:27 it had
its name from the booths or tents which Jacob erected here, Genesis 33:17.
give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; he did not
desire them to leave their habitations and families, and join him in pursuing
his and their enemies, or to furnish him and his men with arms; only to give
them some provisions and that not dainties, but loaves of bread; or
"morsels of bread"F20ככרות לחם "buccellas panis", Vatablus; "tractas
panis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so the Targum. , and broken
pieces; and these he did not demand in an authoritative manner, as he might
have done as a general, but in a way of entreaty; and the arguments he uses
are:
for they be faint; for want of food, through the long fatigue
from midnight hitherto, in the pursuit of the enemy, and which was not over:
and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian; who had fled
with 15,000 men, and were now, as Jarchi conjectures, destroying the countries
of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; and now Gideon and his men
were closely pursuing them, in hopes of taking them, and so complete the
conquest, and thoroughly deliver Israel from their bondage on both sides
Jordan, the benefits of which these men of Succoth would share with others;
these were the arguments, and cogent ones they were, to persuade them to give
his weary troops some refreshment.
Judges 8:6 6 And the leaders of Succoth
said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we
should give bread to your army?”
YLT
6And the heads of Succoth
say, `Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we give to thy
host bread?'
And the princes of Succoth said,.... The chief
magistrates of the place made answer, one in the name of the rest; for the word
said is in the singular number:
are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hands; that is, are
they taken prisoners, and handcuffed, or their hands bound behind them, and put
into the hands of Gideon, to do with them as he pleased? no, they were not; and
they suggest they never would, deriding him and his small number of men as not
a match for these kings, whom, perhaps a little before, they had seen pass by with
15,000 men; with whom his little army would not be able to encounter, should
they turn and fall upon them, which they supposed would be the case; and
therefore, say they, when these are in thine hands, which they thought would
never be, it will be time enough
that we should give bread to thine army? for they
feared, should they do that, these kings would hear of it, and they should
suffer for it, and their bondage be harder than it was before; so selfish and
diffident in themselves, so cruel and uncompassionate to their brethren, and so
ungrateful to their deliverers, which stirred up the spirit of this humble and
good man to great resentment.
Judges 8:7 7 So Gideon said, “For this
cause, when the Lord
has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with
the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!”
YLT
7And Gideon saith,
`Therefore -- in Jehovah's giving Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand -- I have
threshed your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with the threshing
instruments.'
And Gideon said,.... In answer to the princes of Succoth:
therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into
mine hand; of which he made no doubt, having the promise of God that he
would deliver the host of Midian into his hand, on which his faith rested; and
having it in great part performed already, most firmly believed the full
performance of it, see Judges 7:7.
then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and
with briers; which grew in a wilderness near this city, and from whence as
Kimchi thinks, it had its name; the word "Succoth" being used for
thorns in Job 41:7 and the
sense is, either that he would scourge them with thorns and briers; or, as the
Targum thrust their flesh upon them; which Kimchi interprets of casting their
naked bodies upon thorns and briers, and then treading on them with the feet;
or draw a cart over them as they thus lay, in like manner as it was usual to do
when corn was threshed out; see Isaiah 28:27.
Judges 8:8 8 Then he went up from there
to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him
as the men of Succoth had answered.
YLT
8And he goeth up thence [to]
Penuel, and speaketh unto them thus; and the men of Penuel answer him as the
men of Succoth answered.
And he went up thence to Penuel,.... A place not far from
Succoth, and to which also Jacob gave name, from the Lord's appearing to him
there face to face, Genesis 32:30 but
here was nothing of God in this place now:
and spoke unto them likewise; desired bread for his
men, as he had of the inhabitants of Succoth:
and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered
him; denied him his request in the same jeering manner.
Judges 8:9 9 So he also spoke to the
men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this
tower!”
YLT
9And he speaketh also to the
men of Penuel, saying, `In my turning back in peace, I break down this tower.'
In
a threatening way, as he had spoken to the men of Succoth: saying, when I come
again in peace: having conquered all his enemies, and delivered Israel from
their bondage, and restored peace and prosperity to them, of which he had no
doubt:
I will break down this tower; pointing to it and which
stood in their city, and in which they placed their confidence; and when he
threatened them, boasted of it as their security.
Judges 8:10 10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were
at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were
left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty
thousand men who drew the sword had fallen.
YLT
10And Zebah and Zalmunna
[are] in Karkor, and their camps with them, about fifteen thousand, all who are
left of all the camp of the sons of the east; and those falling [are] a hundred
and twenty thousand men, drawing sword.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor..... JeromF21De
loc. Heb. fol. 90. B. under this word says, there was in his time a castle
called Carcuria, a day's journey from Petra, which was the metropolis of
Idumea; but whether the same with this is not clear:
and their host with them, about fifteen thousand men; to which
number Gideon and his three hundred men were very unequal; and yet, faint and
weary as they were, closely pursued them, attacked and conquered them. JosephusF23Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 6. sect. 5. very wrongly makes this number to be about 18,000:
all that were left of the hosts of the children of the east; the Arabians,
who with the Amalekites joined the Midianites in this expedition; and perhaps
the remainder of the army chiefly consisted of Arabians, the others having
mostly suffered in the valley of Jezreel, and at the fords of Jordan:
for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword; besides
infirm men, women, and children, which may reasonably be supposed; so that this
host consisted of 135,000 fighting men.
Judges 8:11 11 Then Gideon went up by the
road of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he
attacked the army while the camp felt secure.
YLT
11And Gideon goeth up the way
of those who tabernacle in tents, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and
smiteth the camp, and the camp was confident;
And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwell in tents,.... That is
of the Arabians and Kedarenes, who dwelt in tents for the sake of feeding their
flocks, as the Targum and Jarchi; he did not pursue them in the direct road,
but went a roundabout way, where these people dwelt, that he might surprise the
host of the kings of Midian at an unawares: and he came upon them:
on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; the first was in the
tribe of Manasseh, and the latter in the tribe of Gad, and both it seems were
on the confines of those tribes; see Numbers 32:35 the
Targum calls the latter Ramatha; both words have the signification of height in
them, this city very probably being built on an eminence. According to BuntingF24Travels
of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 109. Penuel was two miles from Succoth, Nobah two
miles from Penuel, and Jogbehah four miles from Nobah and Karkor four miles
from Jogbehah, whither he pursued the kings, and took them, after he had
discomfited the army:
and smote the host, for the host was secure: having got
over Jordan, and at night very probably, they thought themselves safe from
Gideon's army, who they could have no thought that they would come up with them
so soon, on foot, weary, and fatigued.
Judges 8:12 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna
fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna,
and routed the whole army.
YLT
12and Zebab and Zalmunna
flee, and he pursueth after them, and captureth the two kings of Midian, Zebah
and Zalmunna, and all the camp he hath caused to tremble.
And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled,.... Their host being
smitten and thrown into confusion by the sudden approach of Gideon's army; and
who probably attacked them in somewhat like manner as before, blowing their
trumpets, and calling out the sword of the Lord and of Gideon; which were such
terrifying sounds to them, that they fled at once:
he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and
Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host; or terrified them, so
that they fled some one way and some another, and the kings being left alone
were easily taken.
Judges 8:13 13 Then Gideon the son of
Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres.
YLT
13And Gideon son of Joash
turneth back from the battle, at the going up of the sun,
And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle,.... To Penuel
and Succoth, to chastise them for their ill treatment of him and his men:
before the sun was up; by which it appears that
it was in the night that he fell upon the host at Karkor, which must be the
night following; it could not be the same night in which he had defeated them
in the valley of Jezreel; though Vatablus thinks this battle was begun and
finished in one night; but there were, according to this history, so many
things done after the first defeat, as sending messengers to Mount Ephraim and
the Ephraimites, upon the taking the fords of Jordan, and bringing the heads of
Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, expostulating with him, and his answer to them, and
his stay at Succoth and Penuel; which make it more probable that the day
following was spent in the pursuit, and that it was the night after that that
the whole affair was finished; and before sunrise Gideon returned to Penuel and
Succoth again; so Ben Gersom and Abarbinel; but according to the Targum,
Jarchi, and Kimchi, this phrase is to be rendered, "before the
sunset", while it yet appeared, and was above the horizon; and so it must
be in the daytime that he pursued the two kings and took them, and returned
before sunset. Abendana observes the word for "sun" may be the name
of a place, and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions call it the
ascent of Ares or Heres; as if it was the name of the place from whence Gideon
returned, so called in like manner as the ascent of Akrabbim, and the like.
Judges 8:14 14 And he caught a young man
of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the
leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.
YLT
14and captureth a young man
of the men of Succoth, and asketh him, and he describeth unto him the heads of
Succoth, and its elders -- seventy and seven men.
And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him,.... Just
before he came to the city, he spied a young man which belonged to it, and laid
hold on him, and inquired of him about the chief magistrates of the city, who
they were, what their names, and their places of abode:
and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders
thereof, even seventy seven men; by which it appears that this was no
inconsiderable city to have so many princes and elders in it; these the young
man described to Gideon, what sort of men they were, what their names, and where
they dwelt: or "he wrote unto him"F25ויכתב
אליו "et scripsit ad eum", Montanus,
Piscator; "et scripsit sibi", Pagninus, Munster; so some in Drusius.
; wrote down their names, and what part of the city they dwelt in; or Gideon
took down in writing for himself their names and places of abode from the young
man, that he might not forget: and in this Gideon showed great wisdom, and
strict justice; being desirous to punish only the delinquents, and not the
innocent with the wicked, the people with their rulers; for though he asked
bread of the men of Succoth, the answer was returned in the ill natured manner
it was by the princes.
Judges 8:15 15 Then he came to the men of
Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me,
saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we
should give bread to your weary men?’”
YLT
15And he cometh in unto the
men of Succoth, and saith, `Lo Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye reproached me,
saying, Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand that we give to thy
men who [are] wearied bread?'
And he came unto the men of Succoth,.... Entered the city,
and bespoke the inhabitants of it in the following manner:
and said, behold, Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me; as not in his
hands, and never would be, he being with his three hundred men an unequal match
to them with 15,000; but he had taken them, and brought them with him, and
perhaps spared them for this very reason, to let them see they were in his
hands, and now calls upon them to behold them with their own eyes, concerning
whom they had flouted and jeered him:
saying, are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that
we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? he delivers their own
express words, which he had carefully observed and laid up in his memory, for
their greater conviction and confusion; only adds the character of his men,
that they were "weary", to expose their vile ingratitude the more,
that they should refuse them a few loaves of bread, who were faint and weary in
the service of them.
Judges 8:16 16 And he took the elders of
the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the
men of Succoth.
YLT
16And he taketh the elders of
the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the threshing instruments, and
teacheth by them the men of Succoth,
And he took the elders of the city,.... All of them,
especially those of them who had been most guilty, and had them to a proper
place, where they might be made public examples of:
and thorns of the wilderness, and briers; which were
near at hand, and soon cut up, for which he gave orders to proper persons:
and with them he taught the men of Succoth; either the
inhabitants of the place, as distinct from the elders, whose punishment he
taught them to be cautious not to follow such examples, or to behave ill to
their superiors; or the princes and elders of the city are meant by the men of
it, whom Gideon taught or chastised with thorns and briers; and so it is usual
with us for a parent or master to say to his child or servant that has
offended, I will "teach" you to do so or so, or to do otherwise, when
he threatens to chastise: or "with them he made them to know"F26וידע "et cognoscere fecit", Montanus; so some in
Vatablus; "notificavit", Piscator. ; that is, their sin and the
heinousness of it, by the punishment he inflicted on them. Abarbinel thinks the
word "know" has the signification of mercy in it, as in Exodus 2:25 in that
he did not punish in general the men of that city, only the elders of it. The
Targum is,"he broke upon them, or by them, the men of Succoth;'so Jarchi
and others; that is, he broke the briers and thorns upon them, scourging them
with them; or rather broke and tore their flesh by them: whether they died or
no is not certain.
Judges 8:17 17 Then he tore down the
tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
YLT
17and the tower of Penuel he
hath broken down, and slayeth the men of the city.
And he beat down the tower of Penuel,.... As he
threatened he would, Judges 8:9 whether
this was before or after he had chastised the elders of Succoth, is not clear;
one would think by the course he steered going from Succoth to Penuel, as he
went, he should come to Penuel first at his return; however, he demolished
their tower in which they trusted:
and slew the men of the city; perhaps they might, as
Kimchi conjectures, resist when he went about to beat down their tower; on
which a fray might ensue, in which they were slain; or they might upon his
approach, sensible of the offence they had given him, fly to their tower for
safety, and were killed in it when that was beaten down about them. In what
manner this was done is not said; no doubt they had instruments in those days
for demolishing such edifices.
Judges 8:18 18 And he said to Zebah and
Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?”
So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each
one resembled the son of a king.”
YLT
18And he saith unto Zebah and
unto Zalmunna, `How -- the men whom ye slew in Tabor?' and they say, `As thou
-- so they, one -- as the form of the king's sons.'
Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna,.... Not at
Penuel or Succoth, but when he had brought them into the land of Canaan, and
perhaps to his own city Ophrah:
what manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? Mount Tabor,
to which these men had betaken and hid themselves, in some caves and dens
there: see Judges 6:2 and
these kings some little time before the battle had taken them, and slew them,
of which it seems Gideon had notice; and some of his brethren being not to be
found, he suspected they were the persons, and therefore asked this question:
and they answered, as thou art, so were they; very much
like him in countenance and stature, stout, able bodied men, of a graceful and
majestic appearance. Abarbinel takes it to be a curse on Gideon, be thou, or
thou shalt be, as they are; as they died by the hand of the Midianites, so
shalt thou; but the former sense seems best, and agrees with what follows:
each one resembled the children of a king; being brought
up in a delicate manner, as these persons seemed to have been: according to
Jarchi and Kimchi, the sense is, they were like him, and had all one and the
same form and lovely aspect, resembling kings' children; but according to Ben
Gersom they were in general very much like Gideon, and one of them was like his
children, who were then present, particularly his eldest son, as appears from Judges 8:20. It is
said in the MisnahF1Sabbat, c. 14. sect. 4. all the Israelites are
the children of kings.
Judges 8:19 19 Then he said, “They were
my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you
had let them live, I would not kill you.”
YLT
19And he saith, `My brethren
-- sons of my mother -- they; Jehovah liveth, if ye had kept them alive -- I
had not slain you.'
And he said, they were my brethren, even the sons of my mother,.... His
brethren by his mother's side, but not by his father's side; or the phrase
the sons of my mother is added, to show that he did not
mean brethren in a large sense, as all the Israelites were, but in a strict
sense, being so nearly related as his mother's children:
as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay
you; for not being Canaanites, he was not obliged by the law of God
to put them to death, and by the law of nations, as they had surrendered
themselves, and were made prisoners of war, they ought to have been saved; but
as they appeared to be murderers, and had slain the Israelites in cold blood,
they deserved to die; and the persons they had slain being Gideon's brethren,
he was the avenger of blood, and it became him to put them to death.
Judges 8:20 20 And he said to Jether his
firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he
was afraid, because he was still a youth.
YLT
20And he saith to Jether his
first-born, `Rise, slay them;' and the young man hath not drawn his sword, for
he hath been afraid, for he [is] yet a youth.
And he said unto Jether, his firstborn, up, and slay them,.... Being the
near kinsman of his father's brethren, whom these kings had slain, was a proper
person to avenge their blood on them; and the rather Gideon might order him to
do it, for the greater mortification of the kings, to die by the hand of a
youth; and for the honour of his son, to be the slayer of two kings, and to inure
him to draw his sword against the enemies of Israel, and embolden him to do
such exploits:
but the youth drew not his sword, for he feared, because he was
yet a youth; his not drawing is sword was not out of disobedience to his
father, but through fear of the kings; not of their doing him any harm, being
bound; but there was perhaps a ferocity, as well as majesty in their
countenances, which made the young man timorous and fearful.
Judges 8:21 21 So Zebah and Zalmunna
said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.”
So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments
that were on their camels’ necks.
YLT
21And Zebah saith -- also
Zalmunna -- `Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man -- his might;' and
Gideon riseth, and slayeth Zebah and Zalmunna, and taketh their round ornaments
which [are] on the necks of their camels.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, rise thou and fall upon us,.... Since
they must die, they chose rather to die by the hand of so great a man and
valiant a commander as Gideon, which was more honourable than to die by the
hand of a youth:
for as the man is, so is his strength; signifying,
that as he was a stout able man, he had strength sufficient to dispatch them at
once, which his son had not, and therefore they must have died a lingering and
painful death: wherefore as they consulted their honour, so their ease, in
desiring to die by the hand of Gideon:
and Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna; nor was it
unusual in those early times for great personages, as judges and generals, to
be executioners of others, as were Samuel and Benaiah, 1 Samuel 15:33.
and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks; the Targum
calls them chains, as in Judges 8:26 no
doubt of gold; so the horses of King LatinusF2Virg. Aeneid. l. 7. v.
278. had golden poitrels or collars hanging down their breasts. They were,
according to Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Gersom, in the form of the moon; see Isaiah 3:18 some have
thought that these were worn in honour of Astarte, or the moon, the goddess of
the Phoenicians, from whom these people had borrowed that idolatry.
Judges 8:22 22 Then the men of Israel
said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also;
for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
YLT
22And the men of Israel say
unto Gideon, `Rule over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, for thou
hast saved us from the hand of Midian.'
Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon,.... Some time
after his return, the chief men of Israel having met in a body, and consulted
matters among themselves, sent a deputation to Gideon with an offer of the
government of them:
rule thou over us, both thou and thy son, and thy son's son also; by which they
meant, that he would take the kingly government of them, and which they
proposed to settle in his posterity for ages to come; for, as a judge in
Israel, he had a sort of rule and government of them under God already, but
amounted not to regal power and authority; and this was what the people of
Israel were fond of, that they might be like their neighbours; and this they
tempted Gideon with, who had done such very wonderful and extraordinary things
for them, which they allege as a reason:
for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian; from the
bondage they were in to them, and therefore fit to be a king over them.
Judges 8:23 23 But Gideon said to them,
“I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over
you.”
YLT
23And Gideon saith unto them,
`I do not rule over you, nor doth my son rule over you; Jehovah doth rule over
you.'
And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you,.... Not that
he declined the government of them as a judge, to which he was raised of God,
but as a king, for which he had no authority and call from God; the choice of a
king belonging to him, and not to the people:
neither shall my son rule over you; which Abarbinel thinks
he spake as a prophet, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; for after
his death neither Jether his eldest son, nor any of the rest of his legitimate
sons, ruled over them; for they were all slain by Abimelech, the son of his
concubine, who was made king:
the Lord shall rule over you; as he did; their
government was a theocracy, which they would have changed, but Gideon would not
agree to it.
Judges 8:24 24 Then Gideon said to them,
“I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the
earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were
Ishmaelites.
YLT
24And Gideon saith unto them,
`Let me ask of you a petition, and give ye to me each the ring of his prey, for
they have rings of gold, for they [are] Ishmaelites.'
And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you,.... Which he
thought they would scarcely deny, and it was now a fair opportunity to make it,
since they had offered him a crown, or to be king over them: and the favour he
asked was:
that you would give me every man the earrings of his prey; or, "an
earring of his prey"; for it is in the singular number; every man one
earring, as Abarbinel interprets it; for though they might have more, yet only
one ear ring of every man is desired:
for they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites; so the
Midianites and Ishmaelites are spoken of as the same, they being mixed and
dwelling together, or very near each other, Genesis 37:25 and
Kimchi accounts for it thus, why the Midianites are called Ishmaelites; because
they were the sons of Keturah, and Keturah was Hagar the mother of Ishmael. The
Targum calls them Arabians, and who it seems used to wear earrings, as men in
the eastern countries did; see Genesis 35:4. So
Pliny saysF3Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 37. in the east it was reckoned
ornamental for men to wear gold in their ears.
Judges 8:25 25 So they answered, “We will
gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw
into it the earrings from his plunder.
YLT
25And they say, `We certainly
give;' and they spread out the garment, and cast thither each the ring of his
prey;
And they answered, we will willingly give them,.... Or,
"in giving we will give"F4נתון נתן "dando dabimus", Pagninus, Montanus. ; give
them with all their hearts, most freely and cheerfully:
and they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the
earrings of his prey; every man one, which would amount to no more than three hundred;
though perhaps those who joined in the pursuit might take many more, or
otherwise the weight of them would not amount to what in the next verse they
are said to weigh.
Judges 8:26 26 Now the weight of the gold
earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of
gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were
on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their
camels’ necks.
YLT
26and the weight of the rings
of gold which he asked is a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, apart
from the round ornaments, and the drops, and the purple garments, which [are]
on the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains which [are] on the necks of
their camels,
And the weight of the golden earrings he requested was one
thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold,.... Which, as SchcuchzerF5Physica
Sacra, vol. 3. p. 468. computes, was eight hundred and ten ounces, five
drachms, one scruple, and ten grains, of the weight of physicians; but as
reckoned by MoatanusF6Tubal Cain, p. 15. amounted to eight hundred
and fifty ounces, and were of the value of 6800 crowns of gold; and, according
to WaserusF7De Numis. Heb. l. 2. c. 10. , it amounted to 3400
Hungarian pieces of gold, and of their money at Zurich upwards of 15,413
pounds, and of our money 2,380 pounds:
besides ornaments; such as were upon the necks of the camels, Judges 8:21 for the
same word is used here as there:
and collars; the Targum renders it a crown, and Ben Melech says in the Arabic
language the word signifies clear crystal; but Kimchi and Ben Gersom take them
to be golden vessels, in which they put "stacte", or some odoriferous
liquor, and so were properly smelling bottles:
and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian; which it
seems was the colour that kings wore, as they now do; so StraboF8Geograph.
l. 16. p. 539. says of the kings of Arabia, that they are clothed in purple:
and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks; which seem to
be different from the other ornaments about them, since another word is here
used; now all these seem to have been what fell to his share, as the general of
the army, and not what were given him by the people.
Judges 8:27 27 Then Gideon made it into
an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot
with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.
YLT
27and Gideon maketh it into
an ephod, and setteth it up in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel go a-whoring
after it there, and it is to Gideon and to his house for a snare.
And Gideon made an ephod thereof,.... That is, of some of
this gold; for such a quantity could never have been expanded on an ephod only,
even taking it not for a linen ephod, but such an one as the high priest wore,
made of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, with curious
work, together with a curious girdle of the same work; unless we suppose such a
breastplate with it, of twelve precious stones, as Aaron had; and with little
images of teraphim or cherubim in it, as Dr. Spencer thinksF9De leg.
Heb. l. 3. c. 3. Dissert. 7. sect. 5. . The Jewish commentators generally
understand this ephod to be made as a memorial of the great salvation God had
wrought by his hands for Israel, and of the wonderful things done by him; so
Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Gersom; but such a garment, whether worn by him, or
hung up in some certain place, seems not so proper and pertinent to perpetuate
the memory of his victories, as a monument or pillar would have been; it looks
therefore more likely to be done with a religious view, which afterwards was
perverted to superstitious uses; and whereas Gideon had built an altar already
by the command of God, and had sacrificed upon it, he might think himself
authorized as a priest, and therefore provided this ephod for himself; or
however for a priest he might think of taking into his family, and so use it as
an oracle to consult upon special occasions, without going to Shiloh, the
Ephraimites having displeased him in their rough expostulations with him; and
so R. Isaiah interprets it of a kind of divination or oracle which gave
answers:
and put it in his city, even in Ophrah; hung it up in
some proper place as a monument of his victories, as is generally thought; or
in a structure built on purpose for it, to which he might resort as to an
oracle:
and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: made an idol
of it and worshipped it, and so committed spiritual fornication, which is
idolatry. Some render it, "after him"F11אחריו "post ipsum", Vatablus. ; not after the
ephod, but after Gideon; that is, after his death, so Jarchi; no ill use was
made of it in Gideon's time, though he cannot be altogether excused from sin
and weakness in making it; but after his death it was soon made an ill use of:
which thing proved a snare to Gideon and to his house; it was a
snare to him if he consulted it as an oracle, which could not be without sin,
since the only Urim and Thummim to be consulted were in the breastplate of the
high priest at the tabernacle; and it was what led his family into idolatry,
and was the ruin of it, as well as it reflected great discredit and disgrace
upon so good and brave a man: some read the wordsF12So Junius &
Tremellius, Noldius, p. 280. No. 1205. : "to Gideon, that is, to his
house"; or family; he being so good a man himself, it is not thought that
he could be ensnared into idolatry itself; though it is apparent that men as
wise and as good have fallen into it, as particularly Solomon.
Judges 8:28 28 Thus Midian was subdued
before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the
country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
YLT
28And Midian is humbled before
the sons of Israel, and have not added to lift up their head; and the land
resteth forty years in the days of Gideon.
Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel,.... By the
hand of Gideon humbled and brought under, their power over Israel was broken,
and they delivered out of their hands:
so that they lifted up their heads no more; in a proud
and haughty manner to insult them, and in an hostile way to invade and oppress
them; such a blow was given them that they could not recover themselves, nor do
we read of any effort of theirs ever after, or of their giving or attempting to
give any disturbance to Israel, or any other nation:
and the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon; that is, the
land of Canaan; it was free from wars with Midian, or any other people, and
enjoyed undisturbed peace and tranquillity. According to Bishop UsherF13Annal.
Vet. Test. p. 43. , this was the fortieth year from the rest restored by
Deborah and Barak; and, according to Abarbinel and others, these forty years
are to be reckoned from the beginning of the servitude; that is, the seven
years' oppression under the Midianites are included in them; but I cannot see
that in this instance, and in others before met with, years of bondage can be
counted with years of peace and prosperity, and go under that general name. The
true sense seems to be, that after the Israelites had been in subjection to the
Midianites for seven years, and Gideon had delivered them, that from
thenceforward they had rest and quietness forty years, which in all probability
was the time Gideon lived after his victories.
Judges 8:29 29 Then Jerubbaal the son of
Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
YLT
29And Jerubbaal son of Joash
goeth and dwelleth in his own house,
And Jerubbaal the son of Joash,.... That is, Gideon,
Jerubbaal being another name of his; see Judges 6:32 went
and dwelt in his own house; which was at Ophrah, as appears from Judges 9:5 the war
being ended, he disbanded his army, and retired to his own house; not that he
lived altogether a private life there, but as a judge in Israel.
Judges 8:30 30 Gideon had seventy sons
who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.
YLT
30and to Gideon there have
been seventy sons, coming out of his loin, for he had many wives;
And Gideon had seventy sons of his body begotten,.... Not after
his victories, for it is plain he had children before; mention is made of
Jether, his firstborn, as a youth able to draw a sword, and slay with it, Judges 8:20 but
this was the number of all his sons, both before and after, and a large number
it was; and the phrase "of his body begotten", or "that went out
of his thigh" is used to show that they were his own sons, begotten in
wedlock, and not sons that he had taken into his family by adoption, or that he
was father-in-law to, having married a woman or women that had sons by a former
husband; but these were all his own:
for he had many wives; which, though not
agreeable to the original law of marriage, was customary in those times, and
even with good men, and was connived at; and this is a reason accounting for
his having so many sons.
Judges 8:31 31 And his concubine who was
in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
YLT
31and his concubine, who [is]
in Shechem, hath born to him -- even she -- a son, and he appointeth his name
Abimelech.
And his concubine that was in Shechem,.... Which was
not an harlot, but a secondary or half wife; such were generally taken from
handmaids, and of the meaner sort, and were not in such esteem as proper wives,
had not the management of household affairs, only a share in the bed, and their
children did not inherit. This concubine of Gideon's seems not to have been
taken into his house at all, but lived at Shechem, perhaps in her father's
house, and here Gideon met with her when he went to Shechem as a judge to try
causes; her name, according to JosephusF12Antiqu. l. 5. c. 7. sect.
1. , was Druma:
she also bare him a son; as his other wives did;
perhaps all the children he had were sons, and this was one over and above the
seventy, and not to be reckoned into that number:
whose name he called Abimelech: which signifies,
"my father a king"; which he gave him either in memory of the offer
made him to be king of Israel, or through foresight of what this son of his
would be; or he might be moved to it by the mother from pride and vanity, and
which name might afterwards inspire the young man to be made a king, as he was;
and the account given of his name is because of the narrative of him in the
following chapter.
Judges 8:32 32 Now Gideon the son of
Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father,
in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
YLT
32And Gideon son of Joash
dieth, in a good old age, and is buried in the burying-place of Joash his
father, in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrite.
And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age,.... Having
lived it seems forty years after his war with Midian, blessed with a large
family, much wealth and riches, great credit and esteem among his people, and
in favour with God and men:
and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of
the Abiezrites; a city which belonged to the family of the Abiezrites, who were
of the tribe of Manasseh, in which Gideon lived, and his father before him; and
where there was a family vault, in which he was interred. In the days of this
judge it is supposedF13Gerard. Voss Chronolog. Sacr. Dissert. 1. p.
4. was the famous expedition of the Argonauts to Colchis, to fetch from thence
the golden fleece.
Judges 8:33 33 So it was, as soon as
Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the
Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god.
YLT
33And it cometh to pass, when
Gideon [is] dead, that the sons of Israel turn back and go a-whoring after the
Baalim, and set over them Baal-Berith for a god;
And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children
of Israel turned again,.... from God, and the pure worship of him, to idolatry:
and went a whoring after Baalim; the gods of the
Phoenicians and Canaanites, the several Baals of other nations, the lords many
which they served; these they committed spiritual whoredom with; that is,
idolatry: particularly
and made Baalberith their god; which was the
idol of the Shechemites, as appears from a temple being built at Shechem for
it, Judges 9:4 and had
its name either from Berytus, a city of Phoenicia, of which MelaF14De
Situ Orbis, l. 1. c. 12. and PlinyF15Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 20. make
mention, and where this Baal might be first worshipped; it was fifty miles from
Sidon, and was in later times a seat of learningF16Eunapius in Vita
Proaeresii, p. 117. ; of this city was Sanchoniatho, a Phoenician historian,
who is said to receive many things he writes about the Jews from Jerombalus,
supposed to be Jerubbaal, or Gideon; See Gill on Judges 6:32 and who
tellsF17Apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 1. p. 38. us, that Cronus
or Ham gave this city to Neptune and the Cabiri, and who also relatesF18Apud
Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 1. p. 36. that Beruth is the name of a Phoenician
deity. Though it may be rather this idol had its name from its supposed concern
in covenants, the word "Berith" signifying a covenant; and so the
Targum and Syriac version call him the lord of covenant; and the Septuagint and
Vulgate Latin versions are,"and they made a covenant with Baal, that he
should be their god;'as if he had his name from hence; though rather from his
presiding over covenants, as Janus is saidF19Servius in Virgil.
Aeneid. l. 12. "Latonaeque genus", &c. Vid. Liv. Hist. l. 8. c.
5, 6. to do, and from his avenging the breach of them, and rewarding those that
kept them; the same with Jupiter Fidius Ultor, and SponsorF20Vid.
Kipping. Antiqu. Roman. l. 1. c. 1. p. 48. with the Romans, and HorciusF21Pausan.
Eliac. 1. sive. l. 5. p. 336. Sophocles in Philoctete, prope finem. with the
Greeks.
Judges 8:34 34 Thus the children of
Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had
delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;
YLT
34and the sons of Israel have
not remembered Jehovah their God, who is delivering them out of the hand of all
their enemies round about,
And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God,.... Or, as
the Targum, the worship of the Lord their God; they forgot him, and forsook
him, which showed base ingratitude:
who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies on every
side; not only out of the hands of Midian, but all other nations round
about them, as Edom, Moab, Ammon, &c. not one attempting to oppress them.
Judges 8:35 35 nor did they show kindness
to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for
Israel.
YLT
35neither have they done
kindness with the house of Jerubbaal -- Gideon -- according to all the good
which he did with Israel.
Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely
Gideon,.... But, on the contrary, great unkindness and cruelty, slaying
his seventy sons, as related in the following chapter:
according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel; in exposing
his life to danger for their sake, in delivering them out of the hands of their
oppressors, in administering justice to them, in protecting them in their civil
and religious liberties, and leaving them in the quiet and peaceable possession
of them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》