Judges 8:1-27

Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

1 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, "¹What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they contended with him vigorously.

2 But he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 "God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger toward * him subsided when he said that.

4 Then Gideon and the 300 * men who were with him came ²to the Jordan and crossed over, weary yet pursuing.

5 He said to the men of ³Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

6 The leaders of Succoth said, "⁴Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?"

7 Gideon said, "All right, ⁵when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."

8 He went up from there to ⁶Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.

9 So he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I return safely, ⁷I will tear down this tower."

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about 15,000 * * men, all who were left of the entire army of the sons of the east; ⁸for the fallen were 120,000 * * swordsmen * *.

11 Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting.

12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.

14 And he captured a youth from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

15 He came to the men of Succoth and said, "Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, '⁹Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?' "

16 He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.

17 ¹⁰He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" And they said, "They were like you, each one resembling the son of a king."

19 He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you."

20 So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Rise, kill them." But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise up yourself, and fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength." ¹¹So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and ¹²took the crescent ornaments which were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian."

23 But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; ¹³the LORD shall rule over you."

24 Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request * of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil." (For they had gold earrings, because they were ¹⁴Ishmaelites.)

25 They said, "We will surely give them." So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil.

26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 * * shekels of gold, besides * the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides * the neck bands that were on their camels' necks.

27 Gideon made it into ¹⁵an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Judges 8:1-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 8

In this chapter we are told how Gideon pacified the Ephraimites, who complained because they were not sent unto to fight the Midianites, Jud 8:1-3 how he pursued the Midianites, until he took their two kings, and on his return chastised the men of Succoth and Penuel, because they refused to relieve his men with food as they were pursuing, Jud 8:4-17 how he slew the two kings of Midian, Jud 8:18-21 and after this conquest refused to take the government of Israel when offered him, Jud 8:22,23 how he requested of the Israelites the earrings they had taken from the Midianites, with which he in weakness made an ephod, which proved a snare to his house, Jud 8:24-27 how that the people were in peace forty years during his life, and that he had a numerous issue, and died in a good old age, Jud 8:28-32 but that after his death the Israelites fell into idolatry, and were ungrateful to his family, Jud 8:33-35.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 12:1
• 2. Judges 7:25
• 3. Genesis 33:17
• 4. Judges 8:15
• 5. Judges 7:15
• 6. Genesis 32:31
• 7. Judges 8:17
• 8. Judges 6:5; Judges 7:12; Isaiah 9:4
• 9. Judges 8:6
• 10. Judges 8:9
• 11. Psalms 83:11
• 12. Judges 8:26
• 13. 1 Samuel 8:7; 1 Samuel 10:19; 1 Samuel 12:12; Psalms 10:16
• 14. Genesis 25:13-16
• 15. Exodus 28:6-35; Judges 17:5; Judges 18:14-20

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "spirit"
• [b]. Lit "this thing"
• [c]. Lit "Is the palm"
• [d]. Lit "For thus"
• [e]. Or "trample"
• [f]. Lit "flesh"
• [g]. In Gen 32:30, "Peniel"
• [h]. Or "camps"
• [i]. Or "camp"
• [j]. Lit "men who drew sword"
• [k]. Lit "smote"
• [l]. Or "secure"
• [m]. Or "camp"
• [n]. Or "from"
• [o]. Lit "of the men of"
• [p]. Lit "Is the palm"
• [q]. Lit "made the men...to know"
• [r]. Lit "like the form of the sons"
• [s]. Lit "request a request"
• [t]. Or "a nose ring"