Jueces 8:19

19 —¡Eran mis hermanos —replicó Gedeón—, los hijos de mi propia madre! Tan cierto como que vive el SEÑOR, si les hubieran perdonado la vida, yo no los mataría a ustedes.

Jueces 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.

Jueces 8:19 In-Context

17 También derribó la torre de Peniel y mató a los hombres de la ciudad.

18 Entonces les preguntó a Zeba y a Zalmuna:—¿Cómo eran los hombres que ustedes mataron en Tabor?—Parecidos a ti —respondieron ellos—; cada uno de ellos tenía el aspecto de un príncipe.

19 —¡Eran mis hermanos —replicó Gedeón—, los hijos de mi propia madre! Tan cierto como que vive el SEÑOR, si les hubieran perdonado la vida, yo no los mataría a ustedes.

20 Volviéndose a Jéter, su hijo mayor, le dijo:—¡Vamos, mátalos!Pero Jéter no sacó su espada, porque era apenas un muchacho y tenía miedo.

21 Zeba y Zalmuna dijeron:—Vamos, mátanos tú mismo. “¡Al hombre se le conoce por su valentía!”Gedeón se levantó y mató a Zeba y Zalmuna, y les quitó a sus camellos los adornos que llevaban en el cuello.