Daniel P. Barron

1 And men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him in strength. ⁱ 2 And he said to them, “What have I done now like you? Is not the gleaning ⁱⁱ of Ephraim better than the vintage ⁱⁱⁱ of Abiezer? ^iv 3 In your hand, Gods, he gave officers of Midian, Raven and Wolf. And what am I able to do like you?” Then their spirit ^v relaxed ^vi toward ^vii him when he spoke this word. 4 And Gideon came to the Jordan, he and three hundred men with him, crossing over exhausted and pursuing.

5 And he said to men of Huts, ^viii “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are on foot with me, ^ix for they are exhausted. And I am pursuing after Sacrifice ^x and Zalmunna, ^xi kings of Midian.” 6 And the officers of Huts said, “Is the palm ^xii of Sacrifice and Zalmunna now in your hand for us to give to your army bread?” 7 And Gideon said, “For this, when Yehvah gives Sacrifice and Zalmunna in my hand, so I will thresh your flesh with thorns of the wilderness and with the briers.” 8 And he went up from there to Penuel, and he spoke to them as that. ^xiii And men of Penuel answered him just as men of Huts answered. 9 And he spoke also to men of Penuel saying, “When I return in peace, I will tear down this tower.”

10 And Sacrifice and Zalmunna were in the Karkor ^xiv and their camp with them, about 15,000, all who were left from all camp of sons of East. And those fallen were 120,000, men who drew a sword. 11 And Gideon went up the road of those who dwell in the tents East of Nobah ^xv and Jogbehah. And he struck the camp, though the camp was secure. ^xvi 12 And Sacrifice and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued after them, and captured two kings of Midian, Sacrifice and Zalmunna, and routed ^xvii the whole camp.

13 And Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. 14 And he captured a young man from men of Huts and asked him, and he wrote down for him officers of Huts and her elders, seventy seven men. 15 And he came to men of Huts, and said, “Behold, Sacrifice and Zalmunna, about whom you reproached me saying, 'Is the palm of Sacrifice and Zalmunna now in your hand for us to give ^xviii to your men, who are weary, bread?' 16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and the briers, and with them taught ^xix men of Huts. 17 And he tore down tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.

18 And he said to Sacrifice and Zalmunna, “Where ^xx are the men who you killed at Tabor?” And they said, “As you, as they, each one as the form of the king's sons.” ^xxi 19 And he said, “They were my brothers, sons of my mother. Yehvah lives. ^xxii If you had let them live, I would not have killed you.” 20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Arise, kill them.” And the young man did not draw out his sword, because he was afraid; for he was still a youth. 21 And Sacrifice and Zalmunna said, “Arise yourself and attack ^xxiii us. For as a man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Sacrifice and Zalmunna. And he took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 And men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, also your son, also your son's son. For you saved us from hand of Midian!” 23 And Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yehvah shall rule over you.” 24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me ask from you a request. So, give to me each a ring of his spoil.” For they had rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites. 25 And they said, “Giving, we will give.” And they spread out the garment and threw there each a ring of his spoil. 26 And the weight of the gold rings which he requested was one thousand seven hundred of gold, apart from the crescent ornaments, and the pendants, and the purple robes that were on kings of Midian, and apart from the necklaces which were on their camels necks. 27 And Gideon made it into an ephod and placed it in his city in Ophrah. And all Israel played the prostitute after it there. And it was to Gideon and to his house for a snare. ^xxiv 28 So, Midian was subdued before sons of Israel, and they did not again lift their head. And the land was quiet forty years in Gideon's days.

29 And Jerubaal, son of Joash, went and dwelt in his house. 30 And Gideon had seventy ^xxv sons going out his loins, for he had many women. ^xxvi 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore to him a son, and he made his name Abimelech. ^xxvii 32 And Gideon, son of Joash, died in a good old age. And he was buried in tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrite. 33 And it was, just as Gideon died, so sons of Israel turned and played the prostitute after the Baals. And they set up for themselves Covenant Baal ^xxviii for Gods. ^xxix 34 And sons of Israel did not remember Yehvah their Gods who delivered them from hand of all their enemies roundabout. 35 And they did not deal kindly with house of Jerubaal, Gideon, for all the good which he did with Israel.

Judges 7 - Judges 9

Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdfs here and here.

1. In other words, they strongly contended with him. ^
2. ת לו עללל`) ollot) “gleaning” = “going over a second time” BDB – e.g. Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:21; Ruth 2:2. ^
3. יר צי בצ) bâtsiyr) “vintage” as used here = “a season's yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard “ MW ^
4. See Judges 6:34. Abiezer was called up to war, whereas Ephriam was not, and that's their beef with Gideon. ^
5. ם רוחצ) ruchâm) “their spirit” Green, DARBY, DRA; “their anger” NKJV, KJV, NAS; “anger” is not in the Hebrew. ^
6. רצפלתצהה) râphtâh) “relaxed” (BDB “sink, relax”); “subsided” NKJV, NAS; “abated” KJV  ^
7. יו לצי עצ ע מע) mê`âlâyv) “toward him” - more literally, “from upon him” ^
8. ות כי סכ) sukkot) “Huts” - NKJV, etc. “Succoth” - see footnote for Genesis 33:17. ^
9. יי לצ גל רג בל) beraglây) “on foot with me” TLV; “at my feet” YLT, Green; “on foot” CEB; “following me” NKJV, KJV  ^
10. בגחַזח) zevach) “Sacrifice” - NKJV, etc. “Zebah” - same exact word for sacrifice e.g. Numbers 6:18; 7:88; 15:3; etc. - for this man's name, found also in Judges 8:6-7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21; Psalm 83:11(H12). ^
11. ע נצ מכ לל צג) tsalmunnâ`) “Zalmunna” - found also in Judges 8:6-7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21; Psalm 83:11(H12). ^
12. כגף) kaph) “palm” Green; “palms” DRA, WYC; “hand” YLT; “hands” NKJV, KJV, NAS  ^
13. את ז כצ) kâzo't) “as that” - NKJV “in the same way”; NAS “similarly”; KJV “likewise”  ^
14. קגרלקלרר) qarqor) “Karkor” - only here, location unknown. ^
15. ח בג נלע) novach) “Nobah” - see Numbers 32:42. ^
16. בעטגחַבח) vetach) “secure” KJV; “confident” YLT; “felt secure” NKJV; “unsuspecting” NAS; “at ease” Green – similar use of this term in Genesis 34:25.  ^
17. רריעידִבחַהח) hecheriyd) “routed” - NKJV, etc. - “A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops” (Wikipedia) well describes the use of this word in this context. Elsewhere used for trembling (e.g. Zephaniah 3:13 “make . . . tremble”; “make . . . afraid” NKJV). ^
18. “Is the palm of Sacrifice and Zalmunna now in your hand for us to give” = Judges 8:6 exactly in the Hebrew, last part reads, “to your army bread” (in vs 6). ^
19. ע ילדג) yoda`) “taught” NKJV, KJV, Green, etc.; “disciplined” NAS ^
20. ה אפייפ') êyphoh) “Where” ESV, RSV, LXX (ποῦ [pou]); “How” YLT; “What kind of” NKJV, NAS; “What manner of” KJV – this is a peculiar use. Elsewhere, always “where” (Genesis 37:16; Ruth 2:19; 1 Samuel 19:22; 2 Samuel 9:4; Job 4:7; 38:4; Isaiah 49:21; Jeremiah 3:2; 36:19; ). ^
21. נפיי בנ) benêy) “sons” (plural noun) YLT, CJB, etc.; “son” NKJV, NAS; “children” KJV ^
22. ה חי) chay-yehvâh) “Yehvah lives” - YLT “Jehovah liveth”; Green “As Jehovah lives”; NKJV, etc. “As the LORD lives” - same exact words as in Psalm 18:46(H47) “The LORD lives!” (NKJV). Used when taking an oath (e.g. 1 Samuel 20:3; 1 Kings 1:29). This exact phrase can also be found in Ruth 3:13; 1 Samuel 14:39, 45; 19:6; 20:21; 25:26, 34; 26:10, 16; 28:10; 29:6; 2 Samuel 4:9; 12:5; 14:11; 15:21; 22:47; 1 Kings 2:24; 17:1, 12; 18:10, 15; 22:14; 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6; 3:14; 4:30; 5:16, 20; 2 Chronicles 18:13; Jeremiah 4:2; 5:2; 12:16; 16:14-15; 23:7-8; 38:16; Hosea 4:15. There is also חיי־אפיל (chay-'êl) “God lives” in Job 27:2; ים להי אל א הה י חי) chay hâ'elohym, singular adjective, plural noun) “the God lives” or “the Gods, He lives” in 2 Samuel 2:27; הה ינהוי יי הנה ד י־אד חי) chay-'adonây yehvih) “Yehvih Lords lives” in Jeremiah 44:26; ה ינהוה י חי ת צנבהאו) chay yehvâh tsevâot) "Yehvah of armies lives" in Kings 18:15; 2 Kings 3:14; ם עולה הה י חפי) chay hâ`olâm) “the eternal one lives” in Daniel 12:7; by God Himself, ניי י־אה חי) chay-'âniy) “I live” in Numbers 14:21, 28; Isaiah 49:18; Jeremiah 22:24; 46:18; Ezekiel 5:11; 14:16, 18, 20; 16:48; 17:16, 19; 18:3; 20:3, 31, 33; 33:11, 27; 34:8; 35:6, 11; Zephaniah 2:9; and ם הלה ע לנ י הכי נ אה י חי) chay 'ânokiy le`olâm) “I live forever” in Deuteronomy 32:40. ^
23. גיע פנ) phega`) “attack” ISV, MEV; “kill” NKJV; “fall” YLT, KJV, NAS – not technically a word for “kill” or “fall” - basic idea of the word is to “meet” in a hostile way (e.g. Numbers 35:19, 21), thus here “attack.” ^
24. שֵמו) moqêsh) “snare” - same word used in Psalm 106:36 for the snare of idolatry. ^
25. Gideon actually had a total of 72 sons (recorded). The concubine's son in verse 31 is an additional (“also”) son, and the youngest, Jotham, mentioned in Judges 9:5, is an additional son, since Abimelech killed seventy, but Jotham escaped. ^
26. This illustrates the blessedness of polygamy (Psalm 127:3-5; Ecclesiastes 6:3). ^
27. ך לך א ימך בי אד') aviymelek) “Abimelech” = “My Father is King” ^
28. ת י רי בנ ל עי בי) ba`al beriyt) “Covenant Baal” - EHV “Baal of the Covenant “; GNT “Baal-of-the-Covenant”; NKJV, etc. “Baal-Berith” - ת י רי בנ) beriyt) = “covenant” (e.g. Judges 2:1-2, 20). ^
29. ים אלהיא לפי) lê'lohiym) “for Gods” ^