Richtere 8:18

18 Daarna zeide hij tot Zebah en Tsalmuna: Wat waren het voor mannen, die gij te Thabor doodsloegt? En zij zeiden: Gelijk gij, alzo waren zij, enerlei, van gedaante als koningszonen.

Richtere 8:18 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 8:18

Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna
Not at Penuel or Succoth, but when he had brought them into the land of Canaan, and perhaps to his own city Ophrah:

what manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor?
Mount Tabor, to which these men had betaken and hid themselves, in some caves and dens there: see ( Judges 6:2 ) and these kings some little time before the battle had taken them, and slew them, of which it seems Gideon had notice; and some of his brethren being not to be found, he suspected they were the persons, and therefore asked this question:

and they answered, as thou art, so were they;
very much like him in countenance and stature, stout, able bodied men, of a graceful and majestic appearance. Abarbinel takes it to be a curse on Gideon, be thou, or thou shalt be, as they are; as they died by the hand of the Midianites, so shalt thou; but the former sense seems best, and agrees with what follows:

each one resembled the children of a king;
being brought up in a delicate manner, as these persons seemed to have been: according to Jarchi and Kimchi, the sense is, they were like him, and had all one and the same form and lovely aspect, resembling kings' children; but according to Ben Gersom they were in general very much like Gideon, and one of them was like his children, who were then present, particularly his eldest son, as appears from ( Judges 8:20 ) . It is said in the Misnah ^F1 all the Israelites are the children of kings.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Sabbat, c. 14. sect. 4.

Richtere 8:18 In-Context

16 En hij nam de oudsten dier stad, en doornen der woestijn, en distelen, en deed het den lieden van Sukkoth door dezelve verstaan.

17 En de toren van Pnuel wierp hij af, en doodde de lieden der stad.

18 Daarna zeide hij tot Zebah en Tsalmuna: Wat waren het voor mannen, die gij te Thabor doodsloegt? En zij zeiden: Gelijk gij, alzo waren zij, enerlei, van gedaante als koningszonen.

19 Toen zeide hij: Het waren mijn broeders, zonen mijner moeder; zo waarlijk als de HEERE leeft, zo gij hen hadt laten leven, ik zou ulieden niet doden!

20 En hij zeide tot Jether, zijn eerstgeborene: Sta op, dood hen; maar de jongeling trok zijn zwaard niet uit, want hij vreesde, dewijl hij nog een jongeling was.