1Na ka mea ki a ia nga tangata o Eparaima, He aha tenei mea i mea nei koe ki a matou, te karangatia matou i tou haerenga atu ki te whawhai ki a Miriana? Na nui atu ta ratou ngangau ki a ia. 2Na ka mea ia ki a ratou, Ko tehea mahi aku inaianei hei rite mo ta koutou? He teka ianei pai atu te hamunga waina a Eparaima i te whakinga katoa a Apietere? 3I homai e te Atua ki o koutou ringa nga rangatira o Miriana, a Orepe raua ko Teepe: a he aha te mea i taea e ahau hei rite mo ta koutou? Katahi ka iti haere to ratou riri ki a ia i tana korerotanga i taua kupu. 4Na kua tae a Kiriona ki Horano, kua whiti, ratou tahi ko ana tangata e toru rau; e ruha ana, otiia me te whai tonu. 5Na ka mea ia ki nga tangata o Hukota, Homai etahi rohi taro ma te hunga e haere tahi nei matou, e hemo ana hoki ratou, e whai ana hoki ahau i a Tepa raua ko Taramuna i nga kingi o Miriana. 6Na ka mea nga rangatira o Hukota, Kei roto koia i tou ringa nga ringa o Tepa raua ko Taramuna, e hoatu ai e matou he taro ma tou ope? 7Na ka mea a Kiriona, Mo reira kia homai e Ihowa a Tepa raua ko Taramuna ki toku ringa, ka haehaea e ahau o koutou kikokiko ki nga tataramoa o te koraha, ki nga tumatakuru. 8Na ka haere atu ia i reira ki Penuere, a ka korero pera ano ki a ratou; heoi, rite tonu ki ta nga tangata o Hukota i whakahoki ai ta nga tangata o Penuere i whakahoki ai ki a ia. 9Na ka korero ano hoki ia ki nga tangata o Penuere, ka mea, Ka hoki mai ahau i runga i te pai, ka wahia e ahau tenei pourewa. 10Na i Karakoro a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, me o raua ope hoki, me te mea tekau ma rima nga mano, ko te hunga katoa i mahue o te ope katoa o nga tangata o te rawhiti: i hinga hoki o te hunga mau hoari, kotahi rau e rua tekau nga mano. 11Na ka haere ki runga a Kiriona na te huarahi o te hunga noho teneti, na te rawhiti o Nopaha, o Iokopeha, a patua iho e ia te ope: kua tau hoki te ope. 12Na ka rere a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, a ka whaia e ia, ka mau i a ia nga kingi tokorua o Miriana, a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, a whati ana te ope katoa. 13A i hoki mai a Kiriona tama a Ioaha i te whawhai i te pikitanga atu o Herehe. 14A hopukia ana e ia tetahi taitama o nga tangata o Hukota, a uia ana e ia ki a ia: na ka tuhituhia e tera nga rangatira o Hukota me nga kaumatua ano o reira, e whitu tekau ma whitu nga tangata. 15Na ka tae atu ia ki nga tangata o Hukota, ka mea, Tenei a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, i whakorekore ra koutou ki ahau, i mea ra, Kei tou ringa ranei nga ringa o Tepa raua ko Taramuna e hoatu ai e matou he taro ma au tangata e hemo ra? 16Na ka mau ia ki nga kaumatua o te pa, ki nga tataramoa hoki o te koraha, ki nga tumatakuru, a whakaakona ana ki ena nga tangata o Hukota. 17I wahia iho hoki e ia te pourewa o Penuere, a patua iho nga tangata o taua pa. 18Katahi ia ka mea ki a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, He tangata pehea era i patua ra e korua ki Taporo? Ka mea raua, Ko koe, ko ratou; rite tonu ki to nga tama a te kingi te ahua o tenei, o tenei o ratou. 19Na ka mea ia, Ko oku teina ratou, ko nga tama a toku whaea: e ora ana a Ihowa, me i whakaorangia era e korua, kihai ahau i patu i a korua. 20A ka mea ia ki tana matamua, ki a Ietere, Whakatika, patua raua. Heoi kihai taua tamaiti i unu i tana hoari, i te wehi; he tamariki hoki. 21Na ka mea a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, Whakatika ko koe, ka rere ki runga i a maua; he tangata tonu hoki, pera ano tona kaha. Katahi ka whakatika a Kiriona, a patua iho a Tepa raua ko Taramuna, tangohia ana hoki e ia nga heitiki i nga kaki o o raua kamera. 22Katahi ka mea nga tangata o Iharaira ki a Kiriona, Hei kingi koe mo matou, a koe, tau tama, te tama hoki a tau tama: nau hoki matou i ora ai i te ringa o Miriana. 23Na ka mea a Kiriona ki a ratou, Kaua ahau e waiho hei kingi mo koutou, kaua ano taku tama e waiho hei kingi mo koutou. Ko Ihowa hei kingi mo koutou. 24I mea ano a Kiriona ki a ratou, He hiahia toku ki te tono i tetahi mea i a koutou, kia homai ki ahau e tena, e tena o koutou, nga whakakai o tana taonga parakete. He whakakai koura hoki a ratou, no nga Ihimaeri hoki ratou. 25Na ka whakahoki ratou, Ae, me hoatu noa e matou. Na ka wharikitia e ratou tetahi kakahu, a maka ana ki runga e tera, e tera, nga whakakai o tana taonga parakete. 26A kotahi mano e whitu rau nga hekere koura te taimaha o nga whakakai koura i tonoa e ia; me nga heitiki, me nga poroporo, me nga kakahu papura o nga kingi o Miriana, me nga mekameka hoki o nga kakai o nga kamera. 27Na ka hanga e Kiriona hei epora, a ka waiho ki tona pa ki Opora: na ka whai a Iharaira katoa ki reira puremu ai ki taua mea: a ka waiho hei rore mo Kiriona ratou ko tona whare. 28Heoi hinga ana a Miriana i mua i nga tamariki a Iharaira, kihai ano i ara o ratou matenga i muri iho. Na ka okioki te whenua, e wha tekau nga tau, i nga ra o Kiriona. 29Na ka haere a Ierupaara tama a Ioaha, a ka noho ki tona whare. 30A e whitu tekau nga tama a Kiriona, he mea na tona tinana: he tokomaha hoki ana wahine. 31A ko tana wahine iti i Hekeme, i whanau ano hoki ta raua tama; a huaina iho e ia tona ingoa ko Apimereke. 32Na ka mate a Kiriona, tama a Ioaha, i a ia ka tino koroheke; a tanumia ana ki te rua o Ioaha, o tona papa, ki Opora o nga Apieteri. 33A, no te matenga o Kiriona, na ka hoki nga tama a Iharaira, ka puremu ki nga Paara; a ka waiho a Paaraperiti hei atua mo ratou. 34Kihai ano hoki nga tamariki a Iharaira i mahara ki a Ihowa, ki to ratou Atua, i whakaora nei i a ratou i te ringa o o ratou hoariri katoa i tetahi taha, i tetahi taha. 35Kihai ano hoki i puta to ratou aroha ki te whare o Ierupaara, ara o Kiriona; kihai i rite ki ana mahi pai katoa ki a Iharaira.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE EPHRAIMITES OFFENDED, BUT PACIFIED. (
Judg 8:1-
Judg 8:9)
the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus?--Where this complaint was made, whether before or after the crossing of the Jordan, cannot be determined. By the overthrow of the national enemy, the Ephraimites were benefited as largely as any of the other neighboring tribes. But, piqued at not having been sharers in the glory of the victory, their leading men could not repress their wounded pride; and the occasion only served to bring out an old and deep-seated feeling of jealous rivalry that subsisted between the tribes (
Isa 9:21). The discontent was groundless, for Gideon acted according to divine directions. Besides, as their tribe was conterminous with that of Gideon, they might, had they been really fired with the flame of patriotic zeal, have volunteered their services in a movement against the common enemy.
2 he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you?--His mild and truly modest answer breathes the spirit of a great as well as good man, who was calm, collected, and self-possessed in the midst of most exciting scenes. It succeeded in throwing oil on the troubled waters (
Pro 16:1), and no wonder, for in the height of generous self-denial, it ascribes to his querulous brethren a greater share of merit and glory than belonged to himself (
1Cor 13:4;
Phil 2:3).
4 Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over--much exhausted, but eager to continue the pursuit till the victory was consummated.
5 he said unto the men of Succoth--that is, a place of tents or booths. The name seems to have been applied to the whole part of the Jordan valley on the west, as well as on the east side of the river, all belonging to the tribe of Gad (compare
Gen 33:17;
1Kgs 7:46; with
Josh 13:27). Being engaged in the common cause of all Israel, he had a right to expect support and encouragement from his countrymen everywhere.
6 the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand--an insolent as well as a time-serving reply. It was insolent because it implied a bitter taunt that Gideon was counting with confidence on a victory which they believed he would not gain; and it was time-serving, because living in the near neighborhood of the Midianite sheiks, they dreaded the future vengeance of those roving chiefs. This contumelious manner of acting was heartless and disgraceful in people who were of Israelitish blood.
7 I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers--a cruel torture, to which captives were often subjected in ancient times, by having thorns and briers placed on their naked bodies and pressed down by sledges, or heavy implements of husbandry being dragged over them.
8 he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise--a neighboring city, situated also in the territory of Gad, near the Jabbok, and honored with this name by Jacob (
Gen 32:30-
Gen 32:31).
9 he spake . . ., When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower--Intent on the pursuit, and afraid of losing time, he postponed the merited vengeance till his return. His confident anticipation of a triumphant return evinces the strength of his faith; and his specific threat was probably provoked by some proud and presumptuous boast, that in their lofty watchtower the Penuelites would set him at defiance.
10 ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA TAKEN. (Jdg. 8:10-27)
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor--a town on the eastern confines of Gad. The wreck of the Midianite army halted there.
11 Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east--He tracked the fugitives across the mountain range of Gilead to the northeast of the Jabbok, and there came upon them unexpectedly while they were resting secure among their own nomadic tribes. Jogbehah is supposed to be Ramoth-gilead; and, therefore, the Midianites must have found refuge at or near Abela, "Abel-cheramim," "the plain of the vineyards."
12 when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them--A third conflict took place. His arrival at their last quarters, which was by an unwonted path, took the fugitives by surprise, and the conquest of the Midianite horde was there completed.
13 Gideon returned from battle before the sun was up--He seems to have returned by a nearer route to Succoth, for what is rendered in our version "before the sun was up," means "the heights of Heres, the sun-hills."
14 he described--wrote the names of the seventy princes or elders. It was from them he had received so inhospitable a treatment.
16 he took . . . the thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth--By refusing his soldiers refreshment, they had committed a public crime, as well as an act of inhumanity, and were subjected to a horrible punishment, which the great abundance and remarkable size of the thorn bushes, together with the thinness of clothing in the East, has probably suggested.
18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor?--This was one of the countless atrocities which the Midianite chiefs had perpetrated during their seven years' lawless occupancy. It is noticed now for the first time when their fate was about to be determined.
each one resembled the children of a king--An Orientalism for great beauty, majesty of appearance, uncommon strength, and grandeur of form.
19 They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother--That is, uterine brothers; but, in all countries where polygamy prevails, "the son of my mother" implies a closeness of relationship and a warmth of affection never awakened by the looser term, "brother."
20 he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them--The nearest of kin was the blood-avenger; but a magistrate might order any one to do the work of the executioner; and the person selected was always of a rank equal or proportioned to that of the party doomed to suffer (
1Kgs 2:29). Gideon intended, then, by the order to Jether, to put an honor on his son, by employing him to slay two enemies of his country; and on the youth declining, he performed the bloody deed himself.
22 the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us . . . Gideon said unto them, the Lord shall rule over you--Their unbounded admiration and gratitude prompted them, in the enthusiasm of the moment, to raise their deliverer to a throne, and to establish a royal dynasty in his house. But Gideon knew too well, and revered too piously the principles of the theocracy, to entertain the proposal for a moment. Personal and family ambition was cheerfully sacrificed to a sense of duty, and every worldly motive was kept in check by a supreme regard to the divine honor. He would willingly act as judge, but the Lord alone was King of Israel.
24 Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you--This was the contribution of an earring (singular). As the ancient Arabians (Ishmaelites and Midianites being synonymous terms,
Gen 37:25,
Gen 37:28) were gorgeously adorned with barbaric pearl and gold, an immense amount of such valuable booty had fallen into the hands of the Israelitish soldiers. The contribution was liberally made, and the quantity of gold given to him is estimated at Ł3113 sterling.
26 ornaments--crescent-like plates of gold suspended from the necks, or placed on the breasts of the camels.
collars--rather, "earrings," or drops of gold or pearl.
purple--a royal color. The ancient, as well as modern Arabs, adorned the necks, breasts, and legs, of their riding animals with sumptuous housing.
27 Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, . . . Ophrah--That no idolatrous use was in view, nor any divisive course from Shiloh contemplated, is manifest from
Judg 8:33. Gideon proposed, with the gold he received, to make an ephod for his use only as a civil magistrate or ruler, as David did (
1Chr 15:27), and a magnificent pectoral or breastplate also. It would seem, from the history, that he was not blamable in making this ephod, as a civil robe or ornament merely, but that it afterward became an object to which religious ideas were attached; whereby it proved a snare, and consequently an evil, by perversion, to Gideon and his house [TAYLOR, Fragments].
28 MIDIAN SUBDUED. (
Judg 8:28)
Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel--This invasion of the Arab hordes into Canaan was as alarming and desolating as the irruption of the Huns into Europe. It was the severest scourge ever inflicted upon Israel; and both it and the deliverance under Gideon lived for centuries in the minds of the people (
Ps 83:11).