Shofetim 8:26

26 And the weight of the nizmei hazahav that he requested was 1,700 shekels of zahav; beside ornaments, and pendants, and purple raiment that was on the melachim of Midyan, and apart from the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

Shofetim 8:26 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:26

And the weight of the golden earrings he requested was
one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold
Which, as Schcuchzer ^F5 computes, was eight hundred and ten ounces, five drachms, one scruple, and ten grains, of the weight of physicians; but as reckoned by Moatanus ^F6 amounted to eight hundred and fifty ounces, and were of the value of 6800 crowns of gold; and, according to Waserus ^F7, it amounted to 3400 Hungarian pieces of gold, and of their money at Zurich upwards of 15,413 pounds, and of our money 2,380 pounds:

besides ornaments;
such as were upon the necks of the camels, ( Judges 8:21 ) for the same word is used here as there:

and collars;
the Targum renders it a crown, and Ben Melech says in the Arabic language the word signifies clear crystal; but Kimchi and Ben Gersom take them to be golden vessels, in which they put "stacte", or some odoriferous liquor, and so were properly smelling bottles:

and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian;
which it seems was the colour that kings wore, as they now do; so Strabo ^F8 says of the kings of Arabia, that they are clothed in purple:

and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks;
which seem to be different from the other ornaments about them, since another word is here used; now all these seem to have been what fell to his share, as the general of the army, and not what were given him by the people.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Physica Sacra, vol. 3. p. 468.
F6 Tubal Cain, p. 15.
F7 De Numis. Heb. l. 2. c. 10.
F8 Geograph. l. 16. p. 539.

Shofetim 8:26 In-Context

24 And Gid’on said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every ish the nezem (earring) of his booty—for they had nizmei zahav (gold earrings), because they were Yishmaelim [descendents of Ishmael].

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread out a simlah (upper garment), and did cast therein every ish the nezem of his booty.

26 And the weight of the nizmei hazahav that he requested was 1,700 shekels of zahav; beside ornaments, and pendants, and purple raiment that was on the melachim of Midyan, and apart from the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

27 And Gid’on made an ephod thereof, and put it in his Ir, even in Ophrah; and kol Yisroel went there a-whoring after it; which thing became a mokesh (snare) unto Gid’on, and to his Bais.

28 Thus was Midyan subdued before the Bnei Yisroel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And HaAretz was in quietness arba’im shanah in the days of Gid’on.