1 Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites
4 Succoth and Penuel refuse to deliver Gideon's army
10 Zebah and Zalmunna are taken
13 Succoth and Penuel are destroyed
17 Gideon revenges his brethren's death on Zebah and Zalmunna
22 He refuses government
24 His ephod the cause of idolatry
28 Midian subdued
29 Gideon's children, and death
33 The Israelites' idolatry and ingratitude

the men Jud 12:1-6 2Sa 19:41 Job 5:2 Ec 4:4 Jas 4:5,6

why, etc. Heb. What thins is this thou hast done unto us?
sharply. Heb. strongly

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

what 1Co 13:4-7 Ga 5:14,15 Php 2:2,3 Jas 1:19,20 3:13-18

is not the. That is, the Ephraimites have performed more important services than Gideon and his men had achieved. Abiezer Jud 6:11,34

3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

God Jud 7:24,25 Ps 44:3 115:1 118:14-16 Joh 4:37 Ro 12:3,6 15:18,19 Php 2:3

then Pr 15:1 16:32 25:11,15

anger. Heb. spirit

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

faint 1Sa 14:28,29,31,32 30:10 2Co 4:8,9,16 Ga 6:9 Heb 12:1-4

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

Succoth Ge 33:17 Ps 60:6

loaves Ge 14:18 De 23:4 1Sa 25:18 2Sa 17:28,29 3Jo 1:6-8

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

Jud 5:23 Ge 25:13 37:25,28 1Sa 25:10,11 1Ki 20:11 2Ki 14:9 Pr 18:23 Php 2:21

7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

tear. Heb. thresh Jud 8:16

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

Ge 32:30,31 1Ki 12:25

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

I come 1Ki 22:27,28

I will break Jud 8:17

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

Karkor. If this were the name of a place, it is no where else mentioned. Some contend that karkor signifies rest; and the Vulgate renders it rested. This seems the most likely; for it is said that Gideon 'smote the host: for the host was secure.' Children Jud 7:12

fell an hundred, etc. or, an hundred and twenty thousand, every one drawing a sword Jud 7:22 20:2,15,17,25,35,46 2Ki 3:26 2Ch 13:17 28:6,8 Isa 37:36

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.

Nobah. Nobah took its name from an Israelite who conquered it; and is said by Eusebius to have been, in his time, a forsaken place eight miles south from Heshbon. Jogbehah was probably near it. Nu 32:35,42

secure Jud 18:27 1Sa 15:32 30:16 1Th 5:3

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

took Jos 10:16-18,22-25 Job 12:16-21 34:19 Ps 83:11 Am 2:14 Re 6:15,16 19:19-21

discomfited. Heb. terrified

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

before. The words should most probably be rendered from the ascent of Chares; which is the reading of the LXX. Syriac, Arabic, and Houbigant.

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

caught Jud 1:24,25 1Sa 30:11-15

described. Heb. writ

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

upbraid Jud 8:6,7

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

the elders Jud 8:7 Pr 10:13 19:29 Ezr 2:6

thorns Mic 7:4

taught. Heb. made to know. Instead of wyyoda, Houbigant, Le Clerc, and others read wyyadosh, and he tore or threshed; and this is not only agreeable to what Gideon threatened, but is supported by the LXX. Vulgate, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Hebrew text might easily have been corrupted simply by the change of shin, into ayin, letters very similar to each other.

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

Jud 8:9 1Ki 12:25

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

Tabor Jud 4:6 Ps 89:12

as thou art Ps 12:2 Jude 1:16

resembled. Heb. according to the form of, etc.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

Jos 10:24 1Sa 15:33 Ps 149:9

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

rise thou. It was disgraceful to fall by the hands of a child; and death by the blows of such a person must be much more lingering and tormenting. Some have employed children to dispatch captives Jud 9:54 1Sa 31:3,5 Re 9:6

slew Ps 83:1

ornaments. or ornaments like the moon Isa 3:18

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

rule out Jud 9:8-15 1Sa 8:5 12:12 Joh 6:15

23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

I will Jud 2:18 10:18 11:9-11 Lu 22:24-27 2Co 1:24 1Pe 5:3

the Lord 1Sa 8:6,7 10:19 12:12 Isa 33:22 63:19

24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

give me Ge 24:22,53 Ex 12:35 32:3 1Pe 3:3-5

because Ge 16:10,11 25:13 37:25,28 1Sa 25:11 1Ki 20:11

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

a thousand. Taking the shekel at half an ounce, the sum of the gold ear-rings was 73lbs.4oz. and worth about f3300 sterling. collars. or, sweet jewels. purple Es 8:15 Jer 10:9 Eze 27:7 Lu 16:19 Joh 19:2,5 Re 17:4 18:12,16

chains Jud 8:21

27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

an ephod Jud 17:5 18:14,17 Ex 28:6-12 1Sa 23:9,10 Isa 8:20

Ophrah Jud 8:32 6:11,24 De 12:5

a whoring Ex 23:33 Ps 73:27 106:39 Ho 2:2 4:12-14

a snare Jud 8:33 De 7:16

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

was Midian Ps 83:9-12 Isa 9:4 10:26

forty years Jud 3:11,30 5:31

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

Jerubbaal Jud 6:32 1Sa 12:11

in his own house Ne 5:14,15

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

threescore Jud 9:2,5 10:4 12:9,14 Ge 46:26 Ex 1:5 2Ki 10:1

of his body begotten. Heb. going out of his thigh. many wives Ge 2:24 7:7 De 17:17 2Sa 3:2-5 5:13-16 1Ki 11:3 Mal 2:15 Mt 19:5-8 Eph 5:31-33

31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

concubine Jud 9:1-5 Ge 16:15 22:24

called. Heb. set. Abimelech Jud 9:18 Ge 20:2

32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

died in Ge 15:15 25:8 Jos 24:29,30 Job 5:26 42:17

Ophrah Jud 8:27 6:24

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

as soon Jud 2:7-10,17,19 Jos 24:31 2Ki 12:2 2Ch 24:17,18

went Jud 8:27 2:17 Ex 34:15,16 Jer 3:9

Baal-berith. Literally, the lord of the covenant Jud 9:4,46

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

remembered Ps 78:11,42 106:18,21 Ec 12:1 Jer 2:32

35 Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

shewed Jud 9:5,16-19 Ec 9:14,15

Jerubbaal. Rather, Jerubbaal Gideon; as we say, Simon Peter; or call a person by his Christian and surname. Gideon was a mighty man of valour, a true patriot, evidently disinterested and void of ambition. He loved his country, and hazarded his life for it; but refused the kingdom, when offered to him and his heirs. The act of making the ephod was totally wrong; yet, probably it was done with no reprehensible design.