Judges 8:24

24 But Gideon said to them, "May I make one request of you? Everyone give me the earrings from their loot"; the Midianites had worn gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.

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 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and then your son and then your grandson, because you've rescued us from Midian's power."

23 Gideon replied to them, "I'm not the one who will rule over you, and my son won't rule over you either. The LORD rules over you."

24 But Gideon said to them, "May I make one request of you? Everyone give me the earrings from their loot"; the Midianites had worn gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.

25 "We'll gladly give them," they replied. And they spread out a piece of cloth, and everyone pitched in the earrings from their loot.

26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, not counting the crescents, the pendants, and the purple robes worn by the Midianite kings, or the collars that were on their camels' necks.