Judges 8:19

19 Gideon replied, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not have to kill you now."

Judges 8:19 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:19

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 8:19 In-Context

17 Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of that city.

18 He asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" They answered, "They were like you. Each one looked like a king's son."

19 Gideon replied, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not have to kill you now."

20 Then he told Jether, his firstborn son, "Get up and kill them!" But Jether didn't draw his sword. He was afraid because he was only a young man.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up and do it yourself! It's a man's job!" So Gideon got up and killed them. Then he took the half-moon ornaments that were on their camels' necks.