Judges 8 [Judges 8:1] AND THE MEN OF EPHRAIM SAID UNTO HIM, WHY HAST THOU SERVED US THUS, THAT THOU CALLEDST US NOT, WHEN THOU WENTEST TO FIGHT WITH THE MIDIANITES? AND THEY DID CHIDE WITH HIM SHARPLY. We see here the Tribe of Ephraim attempting to asset their pre-eminence over the other tribes. Gideon was from the clan of Abiezer in the Tribe of Manasseh. [Judges 8:2] 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? This expression and the tact it concealed is the theme of an article by Chanya Leah that was included as one of the Appendices in our Hebrew Book, "Achim Acharim". Chanya Leah uses this verse and its message as a suggested guideline as to how Judah should relate to "Ephraim". The article has been translated into English and will be published in the next issue of our magazine "Brit-Am Truth". [Judges 8:3] 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. [Judges 8:4] AND GIDEON CAME TO JORDAN, AND PASSED OVER, HE, AND THE THREE HUNDRED MEN THAT WERE WITH HIM, FAINT, YET PURSUING THEM. His original 300 chosen men were with him at this stage but it seems that shortly afterwards he was joined by other members of his force. [Judges 8:5] 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. The people of Succoth were Israelites from the tribe of Gad. We see here how Israelites out of fear or expediency sometimes hesitate to assist their fellow tribesmen and even side with the enemy. An inscription has been found at the site of Succoth dating from before 750 BCE. It mentions Balaam the pagan prophet who was forced to bless Israel (though he intended to curse them) as described in the Book of Numbers, chapter 22. This inscription is given and interpreted in our book "Ephraim". It was written in an Aramaic dialect influenced by Hebrew. This shows that some of the Israelite Tribes used Aramaic before their exile which is interesting since also in parts of Scythia Aramaic was spoken. [Judges 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? [Judges 8:7] 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. [Judges 8:8] 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.. [Judges 8:9] AND HE SPAKE ALSO UNTO THE MEN OF PENUEL, SAYING, WHEN I COME AGAIN IN PEACE, I WILL BREAK DOWN THIS TOWER. [Judges 8:10] 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. [Judges 8:11] 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. [Judges 8:12] 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. [Judges 8:13] AND GIDEON THE SON OF JOASH RETURNED FROM BATTLE BEFORE THE SUN WAS UP., [Judges 8:14] AND CAUGHT A YOUNG MAN OF THE MEN OF SUCCOTH, AND ENQUIRED OF HIM: AND HE  DESCRIBED UNTO HIM THE PRINCES OF SUCCOTH, AND THE ELDERS THEREOF, EVEN THREESCORE AND         SEVENTEEN MEN. [Judges 8:15] 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? [Judges 8:16] AND HE TOOK THE ELDERS OF THE CITY, AND THORNS OF THE WILDERNESS AND BRIERS, AND WITH THEM HE TAUGHT THE MEN OF SUCCOTH. [Judges 8:17] AND HE BEAT DOWN THE TOWER OF PENUEL, AND SLEW THE MEN OF THE CITY..                     . [Judges 8:18] 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 Apparently family members of Gideon had been massacred by the Midianites. This is the first we are told of it. There may have been quite a few of them. Gideon himself was to father seventy sons and he may have been continuing a family pattern. [Judges 8:19] 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. [Judges 8:20] 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.. [Judges 8:21] 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.. [Judges 8:22] 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. [Judges 8:23] AND GIDEON SAID UNTO THEM, I WILL NOT RULE OVER YOU, NEITHER SHALL MY SON RULE OVER YOU: THE LORD SHALL RULE OVER YOU. [Judges 8:24] 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. [Judges 8:25] AND THEY ANSWERED, WE WILL WILLINGLY GIVE THEM. AND THEY SPREAD A GARMENT, AND DID CAST THEREIN EVERY MAN THE EARRINGS OF HIS PREY. [Judges 8:26] 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. [Judges 8:27] 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. What exactly is meant by "Ephod" is not clear to me. The "Ephod" that was used in the Sanctuary (Exodus 28:6) and later in the Temple looked in shape like a modern bullet-proof vest. It was made of linen and gold and fine fibres and folded over in front. Into the fold was inserted the breastplate which was stabilized by tying a ribbon at the sides.   The High Priest would wear it when serving in the Temple or asking advice from God at the request of the King or Sanhedrin. The Breast plate in the Temple had 12 stones one for each tribe but Joseph was represented by Ephraim. Manasseh was included in Joseph and therefore also represented by Ephraim. The Midrash (Yalkut Shimeoni 2;64) says that Gideon made his ephod to compensate Manasseh, to make a holy instrument that demonstrates the God is with Manasseh just as Gideon who was from Manasseh had been inspired by the Almighty to save all Israel and great miracles had been performed through him. Perhaps at first the ephod did work and miracles did occur though this article. Bin Nun ("Harari Oz") points out that too much emphasis came to be placed on the ephod and it was ascribed miraculous powers of its own. Reverence for the Ephod of Gideon came to take on an idolatrous character. [Judges 8:28] 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. [Judges 8:29] AND JERUBBAAL THE SON OF JOASH WENT AND DWELT IN HIS OWN HOUSE. [Judges 8:30] AND GIDEON HAD THREESCORE AND TEN SONS OF HIS BODY BEGOTTEN: FOR HE HAD MANY WIVES. It has been suggested that even though Gideon refused the stature of king he did in fact conduct himself as a kind of minor monarch and his numerous wives were one of the royal prerogatives at that time. According to the Bible a man could have as many wives as he could get but in practice most of the time most of the people appear to have been monogamous. [Judges 8:31] AND HIS CONCUBINE THAT WAS IN SHECHEM, SHE ALSO BARE HIM A SON, WHOSE NAME HE  CALLED ABIMELECH. .   [Judges 8:32] 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. There is now a settlement named Ophra in the area of Binyamin -on the "West" bank in the sense that both banks are the rightful property of Israel. It is quite large and prosperous. [Judges 8:33] 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 <<BAALBERITH>> i.e. the Lord of the Covenant. [Judges 8:34] 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. [Judges 8:35] NEITHER SHEWED THEY KINDNESS TO THE HOUSE OF JERUBBAAL, NAMELY, GIDEON, ACCORDING TO ALL THE GOODNESS WHICH HE HAD SHEWED UNTO ISRAEL. <<JERUBBAAL>> means "Quarrel with baal" and Gideon had destroyed the sanctuary of baal and apparently curtailed for a time his worship in Israel. By stopping or diminishing the worship of baal his victory and the miracles associated with it had been made possible. Gideon deserves to be remembers not only for his victories but also for his "Quarell with baal".   Back to Judges Index Home