1Ug ang mga tawo sa Ephraim miingon kaniya: Nganong nagbuhat ka kanamo sa ingon, nga ikaw wala magtawag kanamo diha nga ikaw miadto sa pagpakig-away sa mga Madianhon? Ug siya gikasab-an nila sa hilabihan gayud. 2Ug siya miingon kanila: Unsa man karon ang akong nabuhat sa pagpakigtanding kaninyo? Dili ba ang paghipos sa mga parras sa Ephraim labi pang maayo kay sa pagpangani sa Abiezer? 3Ang Dios nagtugyan nganha sa inyong kamot sa mga principe sa Madian, si Oreb ug si Zeeb: ug unsay akong hing-arangan sa pagbuhat sa pakigtanding kaninyo? Unya ang ilang kasuko alang kaniya napuypuy sa pag-ingon niya niini. 4Ug si Gedeon nahiabut sa Jordan, ug milabang siya, ug ang totolo ka gatus ka tawo nga iyang kauban, nangaluya, apan nanaggukod. 5Ug siya miingon sa mga tawo sa Succoth: Hatagi ako, nagahangyo ako kaninyo, ug mga tinapay alang sa katawohan nga nanagsunod kanako; kay sila nangaluya, ug ako nagagukod kang Zeba ug kang Zalmunna, ang mga hari sa Madian. 6Ug ang mga principe sa Succoth ming-ingon: Ang mga kamot ni Zeba ug Zalmunna anaa ba karon sa imong kamot, aron kami mohatag ug tinapay sa imong mga sundalo? 7Ug si Gedeon miingon: Tungod niini sa diha nga si Jehova nagtugyan kang Zeba ug kang Zalmunna sa akong kamot, unya pagasamaran ko ang inyong unod tungod sa mga katunokan sa kamingawan ug tungod sa mga sapinit. 8Ug mitungas siya gikan didto ngadto sa Penuel, ug misulti kanila sa maong paagi; ug ang mga tawo sa Penuel mingtubag kaniya sama sa pagtubag sa mga tawo sa Succoth. 9Ug siya misulti usab sa mga tawo sa Penuel, nga nagaingon: Sa diha nga ako mahibalik dinhi pag-usab sa pakigdait, akong gun-obon kining torreha. 10Karon si Zeba ug si Zalmunna didto na sa Carcor, ug ang ilang mga panon uban kanila, duolan sa napulo ug lima ka libo ka tawo, ang tanan nga nahasalin sa tibook nga panon sa mga anak sa silangan; kay may napukan nga usa ka gatus ug kaluhaan ka libo ka tawo nga ming-ibut sa pinuti. 11Ug si Gedeon mitungas nga miagi sa mga nanagpuyo sa mga balong-balong sa silangan sa Noba ug Jogbea, ug gidasmagan ang panon; kay ang panon may panalipod. 12Ug si Zeeb ug Zalmunna mingkalagiw; ug iyang gigukod sila: ug iyang gidakup ang duha ka hari sa Madian, si Zeba ug si Zalmunna, ug gidaug ang tibook nga panon. 13Ug si Gedeon ang anak nga lalake ni Joas nahiuli gikan sa gubat gikan sa tungasan sa Heres. 14Ug iyang nadakpan ang usa ka batan-on nga lalake sa mga tawo sa Succoth, ug nangutana kaniya; ug iyang gipaila kaniya ang mga principe sa Succoth, ug ang mga anciano didto, nga kapitoan ug pito ka tawo. 15Ug siya miadto sa mga tawo sa Succoth, ug miingon: Ania karon, si Zeba ug si Zalmunna nga tungod kanila kamo nagayubit kanako sa pag-ingon: Ang mga kamot ni Zeba ug ni Zalmunna karon anaa na ba sa imong kamot, aron kami mohatag ug tinapay sa inyong mga tawo nga nangaluya? 16Ug gidala niya ang mga anciano sa ciudad, ug ang mga tunok sa kamingawan ug ang mga sapinit, ug uban niini iyang gitudloan ang mga tawo sa Succoth. 17Ug iyang giguba ang torre sa Penuel, ug gipatay ang mga tawo sa ciudad. 18Unya miingon siya kang Zeba ug Zalmunna: Unsang mga tawohana sila nga inyong gipatay sa Tabor? Ug sila mingtubag: Sama kanimo, mao sila; ang tagsatagsa sama sa mga anak sa usa ka hari. 19Ug siya miingon: Sila akong mga igsoon ang mga anak nga lalake sa akong inahan: ingon nga si Jehova buhi, kong giluwas pa ninyo sila nga buhi, dili ko unta kamo patyon. 20Ug siya miingon kang Jeter, ang iyang kamagulangan: Tindog, patya sila. Apan ang batan-on wala moibut sa iyang pinuti kay siya nahadlok kay siya batan-on pa. 21Unya si Zeba ug si Zalmunna ming-ingon; Tumindog ka, ug dasmagi kami; kay unsa ang tawo mao usab ang iyang kusog. Ug si Gedeon mitindog, ug gipatay si Zeba ug si Zalmunna, ug gikuha ang mga dayandayan nga daw pikas nga bulan nga diha sa liog sa ilang mga camello. 22Unya ang mga tawo sa Israel miingon kang Gedeon: Maghari ka kanamo, ikaw ug ang imong anak nga lalake, ug ang anak nga lalake sa imong anak usab, kay ikaw ang nagluwas kanamo gikan sa kamot sa Madian. 23Ug si Gedeon miingon kanila: Ako dili maghari kaninyo, ni ang akong anak magahari kaninyo: si Jehova ang magahari kaninyo. 24Ug si Gedeon miingon kanila: Ako magahimo ug usa ka hangyo kaninyo, nga ihatag ninyo kanako sa tagsatagsa ka tawo ang mga ariyos nga iyang inagaw. (Kay sila may bulawang ariyos tungod kay sila mga Ismaelhanon.) 25Ug sila mingtubag: Kami sa kinabubut-on mohatag niini. Ug nagbuklad sila sa panapton ug giitsa didto sa tagsatagsa ang mga ariyos nga iyang inagaw. 26Ug ang gibug-aton sa bulawan nga mga ariyos nga iyang napangayo may usa ka libo ug pito ka gatus ka siclo sa bulawan; labut pa ang mga dayan-dayan nga daw bulan, ug mga kulintas, ug ang mga panapton nga purpura nga gusul-ob sa hari sa Madian, ug labut pa sa mga talikala nga gibugkos sa mga liog sa ilang mga camello. 27Ug si Gedeon naghimo ug usa ka ephod gikan niini ug gibutang kini sa iyang ciudad sa Ophra: ug ang tibook Israel nagpakighilawas niana didto; ug kini nahimong lit-ag kang Gedeon ug sa iyang balay. 28Busa ang Madian, nadaug sa atubangan sa mga anak sa Israel, ug wala na nila patoyhakawa ang ilang mga ulo. Ug ang yuta may pahulay sulod sa kap-atan ka tuig sa mga adlaw ni Gedeon. 29Ug si Jerobaal ang anak nga lalake ni Joas milakaw ug mipuyo sa kaugalingon niyang balay. 30Ug si Gedeon may kapitoan ka anak nga lalake nga gianak sa iyang lawas; kay siya daghan ug mga asawa. 31Ug ang iyang puyo-puyo nga didto sa Sichem, siya usab nanganak kaniya ug usa ka anak nga lalake ug iyang ginganlan nga si Abimelech. 32Ug si Gedeon ang anak nga lalake ni Joas namatay sa panuigon nga tigulang na kaayo, ug gilubong sa lubnganan ni Joas nga iyang amahan, sa Ophra sa mga Abiezertanhon. 33Ug nahitabo nga sa diha nga si Gedeon namatay na, nga ang mga anak sa Israel mingbalik pag-usab sa pagpakighilawas sunod sa mga Baal, ug gihimo si Baal-berith nga ilang dios. 34Ug ang mga anak sa Israel wala mahanumdum kang Jehova nga ilang Dios, nga nagluwas kanila gikan sa kamot sa tanan nilang mga kaaway sa bisan diin nga dapit; 35Ni magpakita sila ug kalolot sa balay ni Jerobaal, nga mao si Gedeon, sumala sa tanang kaayo nga iyang gipakita sa Israel.
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).