Judges 8 Footnotes

8:27 What did the author mean when he wrote that “all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping [the ephod]”? The Bible speaks of prostitutes (Jos 2:1; 6:17,25; Heb 11:31; Jms 2:25) and of people acting as literal prostitutes (Gn 38:13-19; Jdg 19:22), but when Scripture declares that the people of Israel “prostituted themselves,” the reference is to forsaking its loyalty to the one true God. Veneration of religious objects such as this “ephod,” worship of false gods (i.e., idols), occult practices, or spiritism (Lv 20:1-6) are forms of spiritual adultery. Within the framework of his covenant with Israel, the Lord places himself, in effect, in the position of a husband (Jr 31:32).

8:30-31 Was Gideon sinning in having more than one wife (v. 30) and a concubine (v. 31)? Even though Scripture nowhere directly forbids polygamy (i.e., there are no “Do not” statements against it, it is clear that monogamy is the preferred, or God’s ideal, for marriage). Having more than one spouse simultaneously would complicate the “one flesh” understanding of marriage expressed in several passages (Gn 2:24; Mt 19:5-6; Mk 10:7-8; 1Co 7:2; Eph 5:31). Usually, when Scripture describes a polygamous situation, either the husband is having problems with, or because of, his wives (Gn 30:1; 1Kg 11:4) or the wives are creating problems between themselves (Gn 30:14-16; 1Sm 1:1-6). Additionally, believers today would not consider a multiple marriage because it would be in violation of the laws of the government under which they live (Ti 3:1). A man with more than one wife would be barred from serving as an elder or deacon (1Tm 3:2,12; Ti 1:6).