Judges 8:29-32

Gideon's Children; His Death Judges 8:29-32

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
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.

15.

Why does the narrator mention Abimelech? Judges 8:31

Abimelech was the son of Gideon and his concubine who dwelt in Shechem. Since most of the history recorded in chapter nine deals with Abimelech's abortive attempt to be king over Israel, mention is made of him at this point. The closing verses of chapter eight are a summary of the closing days of the life of Gideon and make special reference of his family. He had seventy sons, and it is not clear whether Abimelech is counted among the seventy or is in addition to them. At any rate, special mention is made of him because of the importance of his role in later history.

16.

What is said of the character of Gideon? Judges 8:29-32

He was a good and venerable leader. We are told specifically that he did not erect a palace but went and dwelt in his own house. Mention is made of his seventy sons and his many wives. Special note is also made of Abimelech, the son of Gideon by a concubine in Shechem. We are finally told that he died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in their home Ophrah, a settlement of the Abiezrites.