Judges 8:24

24 Then he added, "But I have this request to make of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from the booty you have taken." For the enemy soldiers had worn gold earrings, like all the other tribes descended from Yishma'el.

Judges 8:24 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:24

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you,
&c.] 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 Genesis 37:28 Genesis 37:36 ) 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 ) ( Exodus 32:2 Exodus 32:3 ) . So Pliny says ^F3 in the east it was reckoned ornamental for men to wear gold in their ears.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 37.

Judges 8:24 In-Context

22 The men of Isra'el said to Gid'on: "Rule over us, you, your son and your grandson, because you saved us from the power of Midyan.

23 Gid'on replied, "Neither I nor my son will rule over you; ADONAI will rule over you."

24 Then he added, "But I have this request to make of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from the booty you have taken." For the enemy soldiers had worn gold earrings, like all the other tribes descended from Yishma'el.

25 They replied, "We're glad to give them to you." They spread out a robe, and each man threw in the earrings from his booty.

26 The gold earrings he requested weighed more than forty-two pounds; and this doesn't include the crescents, pendants and purple cloth worn by the kings of Midyan and the chains around their camels' necks.