Judges 8:1

Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

1 1Then the men of Ephraim said to him, "What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they accused him fiercely.

Judges 8:1 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:1

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 8:1 In-Context

1 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, "What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they accused him fiercely.
2 And 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 grape harvest of Abiezer?
3 God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?"Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.
4 And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing.
5 So 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 after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

Cross References 1

  • 1. [Judges 12:1; 2 Samuel 19:41]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.