In this chapter we are told how Gideon pacified the Ephraimites, who complained because they were not sent unto to fight the Midianites, Jude 1–3 how he pursued the Midianites, until he took their two kings, and on his return chastised the men of Succoth and Penuel, because they refused to relieve…

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…

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 another…

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 them…

And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over. &c.] That river; (See Gill on Judg. 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:…

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, it had its…

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, and…

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…

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, 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 inhabitants of Succoth: and…

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 will break…

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. &c.] Jerom [[19]] 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…

And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwell in tents, &c.] 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…

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…

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 same…

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…

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; but…

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…

And he beat down the tower of Penuel As he threatened he would, 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; however, he…

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 there:…

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 nearly…

And he said unto Jether, his firstborn, up, and slay them, &c.] 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…

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 was a…

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 which…

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 over…

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, &c.] 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…

And they answered, we will willingly give them Or, “in giving we will give” [[3]]; 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; though…

And the weight of the golden earrings he requested was one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold Which, as Schcuchzer [[4]] computes, was eight hundred and ten ounces, five drachms, one scruple, and ten grains, of the weight of physicians; but as reckoned by Moatanus [[5]] amounted to eight…

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 work,…

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 invade…

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash That is, Gideon, Jerubbaal being another name of his; see went and dwelt in his own house; which was at Ophrah, as appears from the war being ended, he disbanded his army, and retired to his own house; not that he lived altogether a private life there, but as a judge…

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, but this was the number of all his sons, both before and after, and a large number it was;…

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 did…

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…

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 they…

And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, &c.] 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…

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, in…