Judges 8 Study Notes: Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna
Gideon calms the angry tribe of Ephraim, chases down and captures the two Midianite kings, then punishes the towns of Succoth and Penuel that refused his men food. He declines to become king, yet makes a gold ephod that Israel worships, and after his death the people turn back to Baal.
General
Who was the mother of Gideon’s son Abimelech (Judges 8:30-31)?
Answer: Gideon’s concubine who lived in Shechem
Gideon fathered seventy sons, for he had married many women (8:30). His concubine (a secondary wife of lower standing) who lived in Shechem gave birth to a son whom Gideon named Abimelech (8:31). This note prepares for chapter 9, where Abimelech uses his ties to Shechem against his seventy brothers, and Jotham calls him the son of Gideon’s maidservant (9:18). God’s law warned a future king against taking many wives, since they would turn his heart away (Deuteronomy 17:17); Gideon was not a king, but the next chapter shows the strife that grew within his large household.
- Judges 8:30-31 (BSB)“Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives. His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.”Gideon’s many wives, seventy sons, and the birth of Abimelech.
- Deuteronomy 17:17 (BSB)“He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”The law warned a king against taking many wives.
- Judges 9:18 (BSB)“but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother—”Jotham later calls Abimelech the son of Gideon’s maidservant.
Theological
Judges 8:30-31 introduces Abimelech. Who was his mother?
Answer: Gideon’s concubine who lived in Shechem
The narrator notes Gideon’s many wives and seventy sons (8:30) and a concubine in Shechem who bore Abimelech (8:31). The detail sets up chapter 9, where Abimelech exploits his Shechemite kinship and Jotham calls him the son of Gideon’s maidservant (9:18). The many wives resemble the excess Deuteronomy 17:17 warns a king against, and the following chapter shows bitter strife within Gideon’s house.
- Judges 8:30-31 (BSB)“Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives. His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.”Gideon’s many wives, seventy sons, and the birth of Abimelech.
- Deuteronomy 17:17 (BSB)“He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”The law warned a king against taking many wives.
- Judges 9:18 (BSB)“but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother—”Jotham later calls Abimelech the son of Gideon’s maidservant.
General
Why did Gideon say he would put Zebah and Zalmunna to death (Judges 8:18-19)?
Answer: They had killed his own brothers, his mother’s sons
Gideon asked the two kings about the men they had slain at Tabor, and they answered that the men looked like Gideon, each like a king’s son (8:18). Gideon said they were his own brothers, born of his mother, and he swore by the LORD that he would have spared the kings if they had spared his brothers (8:19). Their deaths were answered with the kings’ deaths. From the days of Noah, God had declared that whoever sheds human blood must answer for it, because people are made in God’s image (Genesis 9:6). A later psalm asks God to make Israel’s enemies like these two kings (Psalm 83:11).
- Judges 8:18-19 (BSB)“Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.” “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.””Gideon learns the kings killed his brothers at Tabor and swears he would have spared them otherwise.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”God requires an accounting for human blood because mankind bears His image.
- Psalm 83:11 (BSB)“Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,”The psalm asks God to deal with Israel’s enemies as He dealt with Zebah and Zalmunna.
Theological
What reason did Gideon give for executing Zebah and Zalmunna (Judges 8:18-19)?
Answer: They had killed his own brothers, his mother’s sons
Gideon’s question about the men killed at Tabor draws the admission that they resembled him (8:18). Identifying them as his full brothers, he swears by the LORD that he would have spared the kings had they spared his brothers (8:19). The execution is thus framed as answering for shed blood, a principle God established after the flood on the ground of the image of God in man (Genesis 9:6). Psalm 83:11 asks God to treat Israel’s enemies as He treated Zebah and Zalmunna.
- Judges 8:18-19 (BSB)“Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.” “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.””Gideon learns the kings killed his brothers at Tabor and swears he would have spared them otherwise.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”God requires an accounting for human blood because mankind bears His image.
- Psalm 83:11 (BSB)“Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,”The psalm asks God to deal with Israel’s enemies as He dealt with Zebah and Zalmunna.
General
According to Judges 8:27, what did the ephod Gideon made become?
Answer: A trap for Gideon and for his whole family
An ephod was normally a sacred garment worn by Israel’s high priest (Exodus 28:6). Gideon made one from the gold and set it up in his hometown of Ophrah (8:27). The text does not say what he intended, but it says plainly what followed: all Israel worshiped it there, which the narrator calls prostituting themselves (a picture of unfaithfulness to God), and it turned into a trap for Gideon and his family. God had warned that false worship would ensnare Israel (Exodus 23:33; Judges 2:3), and a psalm later sums up Israel’s history the same way: their idols became a snare (Psalm 106:36). The man who refused a throne still left a trap behind.
- Judges 8:27 (BSB)“From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.”Gideon’s ephod becomes an object of worship and a snare.
- Exodus 28:6 (BSB)“They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.”The ephod was a sacred garment for Israel’s high priest.
- Exodus 23:33 (BSB)“They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.””God warned that serving false gods would be a snare to Israel.
- Judges 2:3 (BSB)“So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.””The angel of the LORD warned that foreign gods would ensnare Israel.
- Psalm 106:36 (BSB)“They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.”Israel’s history is summed up as idols becoming a snare.
Theological
How does the narrator evaluate the ephod Gideon set up in Ophrah (Judges 8:27)?
Answer: A trap for Gideon and for his whole family
Gideon fashions an ephod, ordinarily the high priest’s vestment (Exodus 28:6), and installs it in Ophrah (8:27). The narrator does not state his motive but gives his verdict: all Israel went after it in spiritual harlotry, and it ensnared Gideon and his house. The outcome matches the covenant warnings that false worship would ensnare Israel (Exodus 23:33; Judges 2:3) and the summary of Israel’s idolatry in Psalm 106:36. Gideon’s right confession in 8:23 is followed by an object that draws Israel into idolatry.
- Judges 8:27 (BSB)“From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.”Gideon’s ephod becomes an object of worship and a snare.
- Exodus 28:6 (BSB)“They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.”The ephod was a sacred garment for Israel’s high priest.
- Exodus 23:33 (BSB)“They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.””God warned that serving false gods would be a snare to Israel.
- Judges 2:3 (BSB)“So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.””The angel of the LORD warned that foreign gods would ensnare Israel.
- Psalm 106:36 (BSB)“They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.”Israel’s history is summed up as idols becoming a snare.
General
Judges 8:34-35 names two failures of Israel after Gideon’s death. Which pair is correct?
Answer: They forgot the LORD and showed Gideon’s family no kindness
The narrator says Israel did not keep in mind the LORD, who had rescued them from all their enemies around them (8:34), and that they showed no kindness to Gideon’s family in return for the great good he had done them (8:35). Moses had warned Israel never to let the LORD, their Rescuer from Egypt, slip from memory (Deuteronomy 6:12), and the psalms recall this same forgetfulness (Psalm 78:42). Their ingratitude prepares for chapter 9, where Shechem backs the murder of Gideon’s sons. Proverbs warns that whoever repays good with evil will never be free of evil in his own house (Proverbs 17:13).
- Judges 8:34-35 (BSB)“The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.”Israel forgets the LORD and shows no kindness to Gideon’s family.
- Deuteronomy 6:12 (BSB)“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses warned Israel not to forget the LORD who delivered them.
- Psalm 78:42 (BSB)“They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,”The psalm recalls Israel failing to remember God’s rescue.
- Proverbs 17:13 (BSB)“If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.”Returning evil for good brings evil on one’s own house.
Theological
Which two failures does the narrator charge against Israel in Judges 8:34-35?
Answer: They forgot the LORD and showed Gideon’s family no kindness
Israel’s failure is twofold: forgetfulness of the LORD their Deliverer (8:34) and no kindness toward Jerubbaal’s family in return for his good (8:35). Deuteronomy 6:12 had warned against just such forgetting, and Psalm 78:42 traces it through Israel’s history. The second failure sets up the slaughter of Gideon’s sons in chapter 9; Proverbs 17:13 states the principle that returning evil for good brings evil home.
- Judges 8:34-35 (BSB)“The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.”Israel forgets the LORD and shows no kindness to Gideon’s family.
- Deuteronomy 6:12 (BSB)“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Moses warned Israel not to forget the LORD who delivered them.
- Psalm 78:42 (BSB)“They did not remember His power—the day He redeemed them from the adversary,”The psalm recalls Israel failing to remember God’s rescue.
- Proverbs 17:13 (BSB)“If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.”Returning evil for good brings evil on one’s own house.
General
True or False: After Midian’s defeat, Israel enjoyed forty years of peace while Gideon lived (Judges 8:28).
Answer: True
This is true. Midian was humbled before Israel and never again lifted its head, and Israel enjoyed forty years of peace while Gideon lived (8:28). This follows the pattern of the book: Israel did evil, the LORD handed them over to Midian’s oppression for seven years (6:1), they cried out, the LORD raised up a deliverer, and peace followed, as it had after Othniel and after Deborah and Barak (3:11; 5:31).
- Judges 8:28 (BSB)“In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,”Midian is subdued and the land rests forty years.
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”Israel’s evil had led the LORD to hand them over to Midian for seven years.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”The same forty years of rest followed Othniel’s deliverance.
- Judges 5:31 (BSB)“So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.”Forty years of rest also followed the victory of Deborah and Barak.
Theological
True or False: Midian’s subjugation was followed by forty years of rest during Gideon’s lifetime (Judges 8:28).
Answer: True
This is true. Midian is subdued and never raises its head again, and the land rests forty years in Gideon’s days (8:28). The cycle runs its course: evil, seven years under Midian (6:1), crying out, a raised-up deliverer, and rest, as under Othniel and after Deborah and Barak (3:11; 5:31).
- Judges 8:28 (BSB)“In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,”Midian is subdued and the land rests forty years.
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”Israel’s evil had led the LORD to hand them over to Midian for seven years.
- Judges 3:11 (BSB)“So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”The same forty years of rest followed Othniel’s deliverance.
- Judges 5:31 (BSB)“So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.”Forty years of rest also followed the victory of Deborah and Barak.
General
What did Gideon ask the Israelites to give him right after refusing to rule (Judges 8:24-26)?
Answer: A gold earring from each man’s share of the spoil
Gideon asked each man for an earring out of his share of the spoil, since the enemy, called Ishmaelites, wore gold earrings (8:24). The men gladly laid a cloak on the ground and tossed earrings onto it; the gold weighed 1,700 shekels, besides the kings’ ornaments, pendants, purple robes, and camel chains (8:25-26). The scene resembles Aaron at Sinai, who asked Israel for the gold rings in their ears and made the golden calf from them (Exodus 32:2-4). God’s law had warned that a future king of Israel must not pile up gold (Deuteronomy 17:17), and Gideon, though he refused a crown, gathered a large store of it.
- Judges 8:24 (BSB)“Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)”Gideon asks for an earring from each man’s plunder.
- Judges 8:26 (BSB)“The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.”The gold totals 1,700 shekels, besides royal spoils.
- Exodus 32:2-4 (BSB)“So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!””Aaron’s collection of gold earrings led to the golden calf.
- Deuteronomy 17:17 (BSB)“He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”God’s law warned Israel’s king against amassing silver and gold.
Theological
What request did Gideon make of Israel immediately after declining the throne (Judges 8:24-26)?
Answer: A gold earring from each man’s share of the spoil
Having refused the throne, Gideon requests an earring from every man’s spoil (8:24), amassing 1,700 shekels of gold besides royal ornaments and purple garments (8:25-26). The collection of gold earrings resembles Aaron’s request at Sinai that issued in the golden calf (Exodus 32:2-4), and the gathering of gold resembles what Deuteronomy 17:17 warns a king against. Gideon declines the title while amassing wealth of a royal kind.
- Judges 8:24 (BSB)“Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)”Gideon asks for an earring from each man’s plunder.
- Judges 8:26 (BSB)“The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.”The gold totals 1,700 shekels, besides royal spoils.
- Exodus 32:2-4 (BSB)“So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!””Aaron’s collection of gold earrings led to the golden calf.
- Deuteronomy 17:17 (BSB)“He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”God’s law warned Israel’s king against amassing silver and gold.
General
When Ephraim’s men complained that Gideon had not called them to fight Midian, how did he calm their anger (Judges 8:1-3)?
Answer: He honored their capture of Midian’s princes above his own deeds
Ephraim accused Gideon of leaving them out of the fight and quarreled with him fiercely (8:1). Gideon did not defend himself. Instead he made little of his own work and praised theirs: even Ephraim’s leftover pickings were better than his clan’s whole harvest, and God had handed Midian’s two princes, Oreb and Zeeb, to Ephraim (8:2-3). At these words their anger cooled. Proverbs teaches that a soft reply calms fury and that patient, gentle words can win over stubborn opposition (Proverbs 15:1; 25:15). Gideon’s humble reply is a picture of putting others ahead of oneself (Philippians 2:3).
- Judges 8:1 (BSB)“Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.”Ephraim protests that Gideon did not summon them against Midian.
- Judges 8:2-3 (BSB)“But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.”Gideon praises Ephraim’s part and credits God with giving them Midian’s princes.
- Proverbs 15:1 (BSB)“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”A gentle reply turning away anger is exactly what happens with Ephraim.
- Proverbs 25:15 (BSB)“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”Gentle, patient speech overcomes even hard resistance.
- Philippians 2:3 (BSB)“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.”Counting others more important than oneself describes Gideon’s answer.
Theological
How did Gideon defuse Ephraim’s sharp complaint about being left out of the campaign against Midian (Judges 8:1-3)?
Answer: He honored their capture of Midian’s princes above his own deeds
Faced with Ephraim’s angry charge of exclusion (8:1), Gideon answers with self-effacing praise: Ephraim’s gleanings outweigh Abiezer’s vintage, and God gave Midian’s two princes into Ephraim’s hand (8:2-3). Their anger subsides at once. The episode illustrates the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1 and 25:15, where a gentle tongue disarms wrath, and the humility Paul commends in Philippians 2:3, esteeming others above oneself. Gideon also credits God, not Ephraim’s strength, with the capture.
- Judges 8:1 (BSB)“Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.”Ephraim protests that Gideon did not summon them against Midian.
- Judges 8:2-3 (BSB)“But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.”Gideon praises Ephraim’s part and credits God with giving them Midian’s princes.
- Proverbs 15:1 (BSB)“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”A gentle reply turning away anger is exactly what happens with Ephraim.
- Proverbs 25:15 (BSB)“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”Gentle, patient speech overcomes even hard resistance.
- Philippians 2:3 (BSB)“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.”Counting others more important than oneself describes Gideon’s answer.
General
What reason did the Israelites give when they asked Gideon, his son, and his grandson to rule over them (Judges 8:22)?
Answer: Gideon had rescued them from Midian’s power
The people credited the victory to Gideon himself: they wanted him and his descendants to rule because he had saved them from Midian (8:22). Yet the LORD had cut Gideon’s army down to three hundred for this very reason, so that Israel could not boast that their own hand had saved them (7:2). Scripture consistently gives the credit for Israel’s victories to God’s own power and favor, not to human strength (Psalm 44:3). Israel’s request forgot who had really won the battle.
- Judges 8:22 (BSB)“Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.””Israel asks Gideon and his line to rule because he saved them.
- Judges 7:2 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”The LORD shrank the army so Israel could not claim it saved itself.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel’s victories came by God’s power and favor, not their own arm.
Theological
On what basis did Israel offer Gideon a ruling dynasty (Judges 8:22)?
Answer: Gideon had rescued them from Midian’s power
Israel grounds its offer of hereditary rule in Gideon’s deliverance of them (8:22), attributing salvation to the human instrument. That is precisely the boast the LORD had guarded against by reducing the army, lest Israel claim its own hand had saved it (7:2). Psalm 44:3 states the principle: victory came by God’s right hand and favor, not Israel’s arm.
- Judges 8:22 (BSB)“Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.””Israel asks Gideon and his line to rule because he saved them.
- Judges 7:2 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”The LORD shrank the army so Israel could not claim it saved itself.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel’s victories came by God’s power and favor, not their own arm.
General
True or False: Gideon’s firstborn son Jether put Zebah and Zalmunna to death when his father told him to (Judges 8:20-21).
Answer: False
This is false. Gideon told Jether to do it, but the boy was too afraid to pull out his blade, being only a lad (8:20). The kings then challenged Gideon to do it himself, saying a man’s strength matches the man, so Gideon killed them and took the moon-shaped ornaments from their camels’ necks (8:21). With this the last leaders of Midian’s invasion were gone. A later psalm asks God to deal with Israel’s enemies as He dealt with these two (Psalm 83:11), and Isaiah recalls the LORD’s striking of Midian (Isaiah 10:26).
- Judges 8:20 (BSB)“So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.”Jether is too afraid to draw his sword.
- Judges 8:21 (BSB)“Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.”Gideon kills the kings himself.
- Psalm 83:11 (BSB)“Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,”The psalm asks God to make Israel’s enemies like Zebah and Zalmunna, recalling what He did to them.
- Isaiah 10:26 (BSB)“And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.”The LORD’s striking of Midian is recalled as His act.
Theological
True or False: Jether, Gideon’s firstborn, executed the two Midianite kings at his father’s command (Judges 8:20-21).
Answer: False
This is false. Jether, still a youth, was afraid and would not unsheathe his weapon (8:20). Taunted by the kings that strength befits a grown man, Gideon killed them himself and stripped the crescent ornaments off their camels (8:21). The episode closes the campaign against Midian’s leadership, which Scripture later recalls as the LORD’s own work: a psalm asks God to treat Israel’s enemies like these princes (Psalm 83:11), and Isaiah 10:26 remembers how the LORD struck Midian.
- Judges 8:20 (BSB)“So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.”Jether is too afraid to draw his sword.
- Judges 8:21 (BSB)“Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.”Gideon kills the kings himself.
- Psalm 83:11 (BSB)“Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,”The psalm asks God to make Israel’s enemies like Zebah and Zalmunna, recalling what He did to them.
- Isaiah 10:26 (BSB)“And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.”The LORD’s striking of Midian is recalled as His act.
General
What did the Israelites do right after Gideon’s death (Judges 8:33)?
Answer: They turned to the Baals and took Baal-berith as god
Right after Gideon’s death Israel again went after the Baals, the false gods of Canaan, and made Baal-berith their god (8:33). This is the pattern described at the start of the book: Israel did not listen even to its judges, and after each judge died the people went after other gods and sank deeper into corruption than the generation before them (2:17, 19). Forty years of peace had not changed their hearts. A psalm sums up the period: God rescued them many times, but they kept rebelling (Psalm 106:43).
- Judges 8:33 (BSB)“And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.”Israel turns to the Baals as soon as Gideon dies.
- Judges 2:17 (BSB)“Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.”Israel quickly turned from their fathers’ ways to other gods.
- Judges 2:19 (BSB)“But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.”After each judge died, Israel became more corrupt than before.
- Psalm 106:43 (BSB)“Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.”God rescued Israel many times, yet they kept rebelling.
Theological
What happened in Israel immediately after Gideon’s death (Judges 8:33)?
Answer: They turned to the Baals and took Baal-berith as god
No sooner is Gideon dead than Israel prostitutes itself to the Baals and adopts Baal-berith (8:33), exactly the relapse described in the book’s opening summary (2:17, 19). Forty years of rest leave the people’s hearts unchanged, displaying the depth of human corruption. Psalm 106:43 summarizes the era: repeated rescue met by persistent rebellion.
- Judges 8:33 (BSB)“And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.”Israel turns to the Baals as soon as Gideon dies.
- Judges 2:17 (BSB)“Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.”Israel quickly turned from their fathers’ ways to other gods.
- Judges 2:19 (BSB)“But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.”After each judge died, Israel became more corrupt than before.
- Psalm 106:43 (BSB)“Many times He rescued them, but they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.”God rescued Israel many times, yet they kept rebelling.
General
Why did Succoth’s leaders refuse to give bread to Gideon’s worn-out troops (Judges 8:4-6)?
Answer: They doubted he would really capture the two Midianite kings
Gideon’s three hundred men crossed the Jordan worn out but still chasing Midian’s two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna; he asked Succoth for bread for them (8:4-5). The city’s leaders mocked him: the kings were not yet in his power, so why should they feed his army (8:6)? They would not help their fellow Israelites until the victory was certain. Penuel answered the same way (8:8). Scripture tells God’s people not to hold back good from those who deserve it when it is in their power to act (Proverbs 3:27-28). Nabal’s later refusal to share his bread with David’s men is a similar act of hard-hearted contempt (1 Samuel 25:10-11).
- Judges 8:5 (BSB)“So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.””Gideon asks Succoth for bread for his exhausted men.
- Judges 8:6 (BSB)“But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?””Succoth’s leaders taunt him because the kings are not yet captured.
- Proverbs 3:27-28 (BSB)“Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.”Refusing good to the deserving when one is able to act is forbidden.
- 1 Samuel 25:10-11 (BSB)“But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?””Nabal’s refusal to give bread to David’s men shows the same contempt.
Theological
On what grounds did Succoth’s officials refuse provisions to Gideon’s pursuing army (Judges 8:4-6)?
Answer: They doubted he would really capture the two Midianite kings
Succoth’s officials taunt Gideon that Zebah and Zalmunna are not yet in his grasp, so they will not feed his exhausted men (8:5-6); Penuel gives the same reply (8:8). They withhold help from fellow Israelites engaged in the LORD’s deliverance until the outcome is secure. Proverbs 3:27-28 forbids withholding good when it is in one’s power to give, and Nabal’s contemptuous refusal of bread to David’s men (1 Samuel 25:10-11) is a later parallel.
- Judges 8:5 (BSB)“So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.””Gideon asks Succoth for bread for his exhausted men.
- Judges 8:6 (BSB)“But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?””Succoth’s leaders taunt him because the kings are not yet captured.
- Proverbs 3:27-28 (BSB)“Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act. Do not tell your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.”Refusing good to the deserving when one is able to act is forbidden.
- 1 Samuel 25:10-11 (BSB)“But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?””Nabal’s refusal to give bread to David’s men shows the same contempt.
General
How did Gideon answer the offer to rule over Israel (Judges 8:23)?
Answer: He refused, saying the LORD would be their ruler
Gideon declined for himself and for his son and pointed the people to the LORD as their true ruler (8:23). Israel had sung at the Red Sea that the LORD would reign forever (Exodus 15:18). Much later, when Israel demanded a king in Samuel’s day, the LORD said they had rejected Him as their king, and Samuel reminded them that the LORD was already their King (1 Samuel 8:7; 12:12). Gideon’s words were right; the next verses show that he did not fully live by them.
- Judges 8:23 (BSB)“But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.””Gideon refuses to rule and names the LORD as Israel’s ruler.
- Exodus 15:18 (BSB)“The LORD will reign forever and ever!””Israel confessed from the start that the LORD reigns forever.
- 1 Samuel 8:7 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.”Asking for a human king in the LORD’s place is called rejecting Him as king.
- 1 Samuel 12:12 (BSB)“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.”Samuel reminds Israel that the LORD was already their king.
Theological
What was Gideon’s response to the offer of hereditary rule (Judges 8:23)?
Answer: He refused, saying the LORD would be their ruler
Gideon refuses dynastic rule and confesses the LORD’s kingship over Israel (8:23), the same kingship celebrated at the exodus (Exodus 15:18). Samuel’s day shows what is at stake: demanding a human king in place of the LORD amounts to rejecting Him as king (1 Samuel 8:7; 12:12). Gideon’s confession is sound, though his next act (8:24-27) undercuts it.
- Judges 8:23 (BSB)“But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.””Gideon refuses to rule and names the LORD as Israel’s ruler.
- Exodus 15:18 (BSB)“The LORD will reign forever and ever!””Israel confessed from the start that the LORD reigns forever.
- 1 Samuel 8:7 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.”Asking for a human king in the LORD’s place is called rejecting Him as king.
- 1 Samuel 12:12 (BSB)“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.”Samuel reminds Israel that the LORD was already their king.
General
True or False: After capturing Zebah and Zalmunna, Gideon carried out the threats he had made against both Succoth and Penuel (Judges 8:13-17).
Answer: True
This is true. Gideon had warned Succoth that he would punish its leaders with desert thorns once the LORD had given the two kings into his hand, and he had warned Penuel that he would tear down its tower when he came back victorious (8:7, 9). The LORD had already promised to give Midian’s camp into Gideon’s hand (7:9). On his way back he learned the names of Succoth’s 77 leaders and elders from a youth of the city, showed the town the captured kings it had mocked, and punished the elders with thorns and briers; at Penuel he tore down the tower and put the city’s men to death (8:14-17). The narrator records this severity without praising it. Earlier, when Ammon and Moab refused Israel bread and water as it came up from Egypt, God’s law counted it against them (Deuteronomy 23:3-4).
- Judges 8:7 (BSB)““Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!””Gideon warns Succoth of punishment once the LORD gives him the kings.
- Judges 8:9 (BSB)“So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!””Gideon warns Penuel that he will tear down its tower when he returns.
- Judges 8:15 (BSB)“And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’””Gideon confronts Succoth with the kings they had mocked.
- Judges 8:16-17 (BSB)“Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth. He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.”Gideon punishes Succoth’s elders and destroys Penuel’s tower.
- Judges 7:9 (BSB)“That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.”The LORD had already promised to give the Midianite camp into Gideon’s hand, the ground of 8:7’s confidence.
- Deuteronomy 23:3-4 (BSB)“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.”Ammon and Moab were barred from the assembly partly because they brought Israel no food and water.
Theological
True or False: On his return from capturing the Midianite kings, Gideon fulfilled his earlier threats against both Succoth and Penuel (Judges 8:13-17).
Answer: True
This is true. Gideon’s threat against Succoth was tied to the LORD delivering the kings into his hand (8:7), echoing the LORD’s earlier promise to give him Midian’s camp (7:9); his threat against Penuel was to fall when he returned victorious (8:9). Returning with Zebah and Zalmunna, he obtained the names of Succoth’s 77 officials and elders, confronted the city with the kings it had taunted him about, and disciplined its elders with thorns and briers, then pulled down Penuel’s tower and killed its men (8:14-17). The narrator reports these acts without commending them. The law had counted it against Ammon and Moab that they gave Israel no bread or water as it came up from Egypt (Deuteronomy 23:3-4).
- Judges 8:7 (BSB)““Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!””Gideon warns Succoth of punishment once the LORD gives him the kings.
- Judges 8:9 (BSB)“So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!””Gideon warns Penuel that he will tear down its tower when he returns.
- Judges 8:15 (BSB)“And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’””Gideon confronts Succoth with the kings they had mocked.
- Judges 8:16-17 (BSB)“Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth. He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.”Gideon punishes Succoth’s elders and destroys Penuel’s tower.
- Judges 7:9 (BSB)“That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.”The LORD had already promised to give the Midianite camp into Gideon’s hand, the ground of 8:7’s confidence.
- Deuteronomy 23:3-4 (BSB)“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.”Ammon and Moab were barred from the assembly partly because they brought Israel no food and water.
General
What happened when Gideon reached the remaining Midianite army at Karkor (Judges 8:10-12)?
Answer: Gideon caught them off guard and seized their two kings
Some 15,000 men were left with Zebah and Zalmunna at Karkor, after 120,000 had already fallen (8:10). Gideon came by the caravan route, struck the army when it did not expect him, routed it, and captured both kings as they fled (8:11-12). Midian’s defeat became a byword in Israel for a total rescue by God: Isaiah speaks of Midian’s day, when the LORD broke the oppressor’s yoke (Isaiah 9:4), and Isaiah 10:26 recalls how the LORD struck Midian.
- Judges 8:10 (BSB)“Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.”The remnant of the Midianite armies gathers at Karkor.
- Judges 8:11-12 (BSB)“And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.”Gideon surprises the army and captures both kings.
- Isaiah 9:4 (BSB)“For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.”The day of Midian is remembered as the LORD shattering an oppressor’s yoke.
- Isaiah 10:26 (BSB)“And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.”The LORD’s striking of Midian becomes a pattern for His later judgments.
Theological
What was the outcome of Gideon’s attack on the Midianite remnant at Karkor (Judges 8:10-12)?
Answer: Gideon caught them off guard and seized their two kings
With some fifteen thousand left of the eastern armies and 120,000 already fallen (8:10), Gideon approached by the caravan route, surprised the camp, routed it, and captured Zebah and Zalmunna (8:11-12). The completeness of the rout made Midian’s day proverbial for the LORD’s decisive deliverance (Isaiah 9:4), and Isaiah 10:26 cites the LORD’s striking of Midian as a pattern for future judgment.
- Judges 8:10 (BSB)“Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.”The remnant of the Midianite armies gathers at Karkor.
- Judges 8:11-12 (BSB)“And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.”Gideon surprises the army and captures both kings.
- Isaiah 9:4 (BSB)“For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.”The day of Midian is remembered as the LORD shattering an oppressor’s yoke.
- Isaiah 10:26 (BSB)“And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.”The LORD’s striking of Midian becomes a pattern for His later judgments.