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,
Judges 8:1 how he pursued the Midianites, until he took their two
kings, and on his return chastised the men of Succoth and Penuel,
becau... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MEN OF EPHRAIM SAID UNTO HIM,.... To Gideon, when they brought
him the heads of Oreb and Zeeb; taking this to be a proper opportunity
to expostulate and chide with him, when they had done so much service:
WHY HAST THOU SERVED US THUS; neglected them, overlooked them, which
they took as a re... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM,.... In a very mild and gentle manner, giving
soft words, which turn away wrath:
WHAT HAVE I DONE IN COMPARISON OF YOU? he and his men, he signifies,
had only blew trumpets, broke pitchers, and held torches; it was the
Lord that did all, and set the Midianites one against anot... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD HATH DELIVERED INTO YOUR HANDS THE PRINCES OF MIDIAN, OREB AND
ZEEB,.... A high honour this conferred upon you, and with which you
may be well contented:
AND WHAT WAS I ABLE TO DO IN COMPARISON OF YOU? what he had done in
defeating and pursuing the army of Midian, in slaying and taking any
of t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON CAME TO JORDAN, AND PASSED OVER..... That river;
Judges 7:25 he and three hundred men that were with him, at the defeat
of the Midianites in the valley of Jezreel; so that neither at that
nor in the pursuit of them hitherto, had he lost one man:
FAINT, YET PURSUING [THEM]: they were fai... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID TO THE MEN OF SUCCOTH,.... The inhabitants of that place,
the principal men of it, which lay in his way as he was pursuing the
Midianites in their flight to their own country; for this was a city
on the other side Jordan, and in the tribe of Gad and was inhabited by
Israelites, Joshua 13... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PRINCES OF SUCCOTH SAID,.... The chief magistrates of the
place made answer, one in the name of the rest; for the word said is
in the singular number:
ARE THE HANDS OF ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA NOW IN THINE HANDS; that is, are
they taken prisoners, and handcuffed, or their hands bound behind
them,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON SAID,.... In answer to the princes of Succoth:
THEREFORE WHEN THE LORD HATH DELIVERED ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA INTO MINE
HAND; of which he made no doubt, having the promise of God that he
would deliver the host of Midian into his hand, on which his faith
rested; and having it in great part per... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WENT UP THENCE TO PENUEL,.... A place not far from Succoth, and
to which also Jacob gave name, from the Lord's appearing to him there
face to face, Genesis 32:30 but here was nothing of God in this place
now:
AND SPOKE UNTO THEM LIKEWISE; desired bread for his men, as he had of
the inhabitan... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 9 AND HE SPOKE ALSO UNTO THE MEN OF PENUEL,.... In a threatening
way, as he had spoken to the men of Succoth: saying, when I come again
in peace: having conquered all his enemies, and delivered Israel from
their bondage, and restored peace and prosperity to them, of which he
had no doubt:
I WI... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA WERE IN KARKOR..... Jerom u under this word
says, there was in his time a castle called Carcuria, a day's journey
from Petra, which was the metropolis of Idumea; but whether the same
with this is not clear:
AND THEIR HOST WITH THEM, ABOUT FIFTEEN THOUSAND MEN; to which number... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON WENT UP BY THE WAY OF THEM THAT DWELL IN TENTS,.... That is
of the Arabians and Kedarenes, who dwelt in tents for the sake of
feeding their flocks, as the Targum and Jarchi; he did not pursue them
in the direct road, but went a roundabout way, where these people
dwelt, that he might surpr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA FLED,.... Their host being smitten and
thrown into confusion by the sudden approach of Gideon's army; and who
probably attacked them in somewhat like manner as before, blowing
their trumpets, and calling out the sword of the Lord and of Gideon;
which were such terrifying... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON THE SON OF JOASH RETURNED FROM BATTLE,.... To Penuel and
Succoth, to chastise them for their ill treatment of him and his men:
BEFORE THE SUN WAS UP; by which it appears that it was in the night
that he fell upon the host at Karkor, which must be the night
following; it could not be the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND CAUGHT A YOUNG MAN OF THE MEN OF SUCCOTH, AND INQUIRED OF HIM,....
Just before he came to the city, he spied a young man which belonged
to it, and laid hold on him, and inquired of him about the chief
magistrates of the city, who they were, what their names, and their
places of abode:
AND HE DE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CAME UNTO THE MEN OF SUCCOTH,.... Entered the city, and bespoke
the inhabitants of it in the following manner:
AND SAID, BEHOLD, ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA, WITH WHOM YE DID UPBRAID ME; as
not in his hands, and never would be, he being with his three hundred
men an unequal match to them with 15,000;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE TOOK THE ELDERS OF THE CITY,.... All of them, especially those
of them who had been most guilty, and had them to a proper place,
where they might be made public examples of:
AND THORNS OF THE WILDERNESS, AND BRIERS; which were near at hand, and
soon cut up, for which he gave orders to proper... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BEAT DOWN THE TOWER OF PENUEL,.... As he threatened he would,
Judges 8:9 whether this was before or after he had chastised the
elders of Succoth, is not clear; one would think by the course he
steered going from Succoth to Penuel, as he went, he should come to
Penuel first at his return; howe... [ Continue Reading ]
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
th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, THEY WERE MY BRETHREN, EVEN THE SONS OF MY MOTHER,....
His brethren by his mother's side, but not by his father's side; or
the phrase
THE SONS OF MY MOTHER IS ADDED, to show that he did not mean brethren
in a large sense, as all the Israelites were, but in a strict sense,
being so near... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO JETHER, HIS FIRSTBORN, UP, AND SLAY THEM,.... Being
the near kinsman of his father's brethren, whom these kings had slain,
was a proper person to avenge their blood on them; and the rather
Gideon might order him to do it, for the greater mortification of the
kings, to die by the han... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA SAID, RISE THOU AND FALL UPON US,.... Since
they must die, they chose rather to die by the hand of so great a man
and valiant a commander as Gideon, which was more honourable than to
die by the hand of a youth:
FOR AS THE MAN IS, SO IS HIS STRENGTH; signifying, that as he wa... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE MEN OF ISRAEL SAID UNTO GIDEON,.... Some time after his
return, the chief men of Israel having met in a body, and consulted
matters among themselves, sent a deputation to Gideon with an offer of
the government of them:
RULE THOU OVER US, BOTH THOU AND THY SON, AND THY SON'S SON ALSO; by
wh... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON SAID UNTO THEM, I WILL NOT RULE OVER YOU,.... Not that he
declined the government of them as a judge, to which he was raised of
God, but as a king, for which he had no authority and call from God;
the choice of a king belonging to him, and not to the people:
NEITHER SHALL MY SON RULE OVE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON SAID UNTO THEM, I WOULD DESIRE A REQUEST OF YOU,.... Which
he thought they would scarcely deny, and it was now a fair opportunity
to make it, since they had offered him a crown, or to be king over
them: and the favour he asked was,
THAT YOU WOULD GIVE ME EVERY MAN THE EARRINGS OF HIS PRE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY ANSWERED, WE WILL WILLINGLY GIVE THEM,.... Or, "in giving we
will give" d; give them with all their hearts, most freely and
cheerfully:
AND THEY SPREAD A GARMENT, AND DID CAST THEREIN EVERY MAN THE EARRINGS
OF HIS PREY; every man one, which would amount to no more than three
hundred; thoug... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WEIGHT OF THE GOLDEN EARRINGS HE REQUESTED WAS ONE THOUSAND
AND SEVEN HUNDRED SHEKELS OF GOLD,.... Which, as Schcuchzer e
computes, was eight hundred and ten ounces, five drachms, one scruple,
and ten grains, of the weight of physicians; but as reckoned by
Moatanus f amounted to eight hundre... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON MADE AN EPHOD THEREOF,.... That is, of some of this gold;
for such a quantity could never have been expanded on an ephod only,
even taking it not for a linen ephod, but such an one as the high
priest wore, made of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen, with curious wor... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS WAS MIDIAN SUBDUED BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... By the hand
of Gideon humbled and brought under, their power over Israel was
broken, and they delivered out of their hands:
SO THAT THEY LIFTED UP THEIR HEADS NO MORE; in a proud and haughty
manner to insult them, and in an hostile way to i... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JERUBBAAL THE SON OF JOASH,.... That is, Gideon, Jerubbaal being
another name of his; see Judges 6:32 went and dwelt in his own house;
which was at Ophrah, as appears from Judges 9:5 the war being ended,
he disbanded his army, and retired to his own house; not that he lived
altogether a private... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON HAD SEVENTY SONS OF HIS BODY BEGOTTEN,.... Not after his
victories, for it is plain he had children before; mention is made of
Jether, his firstborn, as a youth able to draw a sword, and slay with
it, Judges 8:20 but this was the number of all his sons, both before
and after, and a large... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS CONCUBINE THAT WAS IN SHECHEM,.... Which was not an harlot,
but a secondary or half wife; such were generally taken from
handmaids, and of the meaner sort, and were not in such esteem as
proper wives, had not the management of household affairs, only a
share in the bed, and their children di... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GIDEON THE SON OF JOASH DIED IN A GOOD OLD AGE,.... Having lived
it seems forty years after his war with Midian, blessed with a large
family, much wealth and riches, great credit and esteem among his
people, and in favour with God and men:
AND WAS BURIED IN THE SEPULCHRE OF JOASH HIS FATHER, IN... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS SOON AS GIDEON WAS DEAD, THAT THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL TURNED AGAIN,.... from God, and the pure worship of him, to
idolatry:
AND WENT A WHORING AFTER BAALIM; the gods of the Phoenicians and
Canaanites, the several Baals of other nations, the lords many which
they served; these... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL REMEMBERED NOT THE LORD THEIR GOD,.... Or,
as the Targum, the worship of the Lord their God; they forgot him, and
forsook him, which showed base ingratitude:
WHO HAD DELIVERED THEM OUT OF THE HANDS OF THEIR ENEMIES ON EVERY
SIDE; not only out of the hands of Midian, but a... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER SHOWED THEY KINDNESS TO THE HOUSE OF JERUBBAAL, NAMELY
GIDEON,.... But, on the contrary, great unkindness and cruelty,
slaying his seventy sons, as related in the following chapter:
ACCORDING TO ALL THE GOODNESS WHICH HE HAD SHOWED UNTO ISRAEL; in
exposing his life to danger for their sake,... [ Continue Reading ]