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1 And the men of Ephraim said vnto him, Why hast thou serued vs thus, that thou calledst vs not when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharpely.
2 And he said vnto them, What haue I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer?
3 God hath deliuered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to doe in comparison of you? then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
4 ¶ And Gideon came to Iordan, and passed ouer, hee, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
5 And he said vnto the men of Succoth, Giue, I pray you, loaues of bread vnto the people that follow me, for they bee faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
6 ¶ And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hands, that wee should giue bread vnto thine armie?
7 And Gideon said, Therfore when the Lord hath deliuered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I wil teare your flesh with the thornes of the wildernesse, and with briers.
8 ¶ And he went vp thence to Penuel, and spake vnto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him, as the men of Succoth had answered him.
9 And he spake also vnto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come againe in peace, I will breake downe this towre.
10 ¶ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hostes with them, about fifteene thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the East: for there fell an hundred and twentie thousand men that drew sword.
11 ¶ And Gideon went vp by the way of them that dwelt in tents, on the East of Nobah, and Iogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.
12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah, and Zalmunna, & discomfited all the host.
13 ¶ And Gideon the sonne of Ioash returned from battel before the Sunne was vp,
14 And caught a yong man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described vnto him the princes of Succoth and the elders thereof, euen threescore and seuenteene men.
15 And he came vnto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did vpbraid me, saying, Are the handes of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should giue bread vnto thy men that are wearie?
16 And hee tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes, and briers, and with them hee taught the men of Succoth.
17 And he beat downe the towre of Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.
18 ¶ Then said he vnto Zebah and Zalmunna, What maner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they, ech one resembled the children of a king.
19 And hee said, They were my brethren, euen the sonnes of my mother: as the Lord liueth, if yee had saued them aliue, I would not slay you.
20 And he said vnto Iether his first borne, Up, and slay them: but the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall vpon vs: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slewe Zebah and Zalmunna, & tooke away the ornaments that were on their camels neckes.
22 ¶ Then the men of Israel saide vnto Gideon, Rule thou ouer vs, both thou, and thy sonne, & thy sonnes sonne also: for thou hast deliuered vs from the hand of Midian.
23 And Gideon said vnto them, I will not rule ouer you, neither shall my sonne rule ouer you: the Lord shall rule ouer you.
24 ¶ And Gideon said vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue me euery man the earerings of his pray. For they had golden eare-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.
25 And they answered, We will willingly giue them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein, euery man the earerings of his pray.
26 And the weight of the golden eare-rings that hee requested, was a thousand and seuen hundred shekels of gold, beside ornaments, and collars, & purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chaines that were about their camels necks.
27 And Gideon made an Ephod thereof, and put it in his citie, euen in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it; which thing became a snare vnto Gideon, and to his house.
28 ¶ Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel; so that they lifted vp their heads no more: and the countrey was in quietnesse fourtie yeeres, in the dayes of Gideon.
29 ¶ And Ierubbaal the sonne of Ioash went & dwelt in his owne house.
30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sonnes of his body begotten: for he had many wiues.
31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, shee also bare him a sonne, whose name he called Abimelech.
32 ¶ And Gideon the sonne of Ioash died, in a good olde age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Ioash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrites.
33 And it came to passe as soone as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned againe, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-Berith their god.
34 And the children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God, who had deliuered them out of the hands of all their enemies, on euery side:
35 Neither shewed they kindnesse to the house of Ierubbaal, namely Gideon, according to all the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto Israel.
Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites. (1-3) Succoth and Penuel refuse to relieve Gideon. (4-12) Succoth and Penuel punished. (13-17) Gideon avenges his brethren. (18-21) Gideon declines the government, but given occasion for idolatry. (22-28) Gideon's death, Israel's ingratitude. (29-35)1-3 Those who will not attempt or venture any thing in the cause of God, will be the most ready to censure and quarrel with such as are of a more zealous and enterprising spirit. And those who are the most backward to difficult services, will be the most angry not to have the credit of them. Gideon stands here as a great example of self-denial; and shows us that envy is best removed by humility. The Ephraimites had given vent to their passion in very wrong freedom of speech, a certain sign of a weak cause: reason runs low when chiding flies high.
4-12 Gideon's men were faint, yet pursuing; fatigued with what they had done, yet eager to do more against their enemies. It is many a time the true Christian's case, fainting, and yet pursuing. The world knows but little of the persevering and successful struggle the real believer maintains with his sinful heart. But he betakes himself to that Divine strength, in the faith of which he began his conflict, and by the supply of which alone he can finish it in triumph.
13-17 The active servants of the Lord meet with more dangerous opposition from false professors than from open enemies; but they must not care for the behaviour of those who are Israelites in name, but Midianites in heart. They must pursue the enemies of their souls, and of the cause of God, though they are ready to faint through inward conflicts and outward hardships. And they shall be enabled to persevere. The less men help, and the more they seek to hinder, the more will the Lord assist. Gideon's warning being slighted, the punishment was just. Many are taught with the briers and thorns of affliction, who would not learn otherwise.
18-21 The kings of Midian must be reckoned with. As they confessed themselves guilty of murder, Gideon acted as the avenger of blood, being the next of kin to the persons slain. Little did they think to have heard of this so long after; but murder seldom goes unpunished in this life. Sins long forgotten by man, must be accounted for to God. What poor consolation in death from the hope of suffering less pain, and of dying with less disgrace than some others! yet many are more anxious on these accounts, than concerning the future judgment, and what will follow.
22-28 Gideon refused the government the people offered him. No good man can be pleased with any honour done to himself, which belongs only to God. Gideon thought to keep up the remembrance of this victory by an ephod, made of the choicest of the spoils. But probably this ephod had, as usual, a teraphim annexed to it, and Gideon intended this for an oracle to be consulted. Many are led into false ways by one false step of a good man. It became a snare to Gideon himself, and it proved the ruin of the family. How soon will ornaments which feed the lust of the eye, and form the pride of life, as well as tend to the indulgences of the flesh, bring shame on those who are fond of them!
29-35 As soon as Gideon was dead, who kept the people to the worship of the God of Israel, they found themselves under no restraint; then they went after Baalim, and showed no kindness to the family of Gideon. No wonder if those who forget their God, forget their friends. Yet conscious of our own ingratitude to the Lord, and observing that of mankind in general, we should learn to be patient under any unkind returns we meet with for our poor services, and resolve, after the Divine example, not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.