And Jerubbaal the son of Joash ,.... That is, Gideon, Jerubbaal being another name of his; see Judges 6:32 went and dwelt in his own house; which was at Ophrah, as appears from Judges 9:5 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 in Israel. read more
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, Judges 8:20 but this was the number of all his sons, both before and after, and a large number it was; and the phrase "of his body begotten", or "that went out of his thigh" is used to show that they were his own sons, begotten in wedlock, and not sons that he had taken into his... read more
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 not inherit. This concubine of Gideon's seems not to have been taken into his house at all, but lived at Shechem, perhaps in her father's house, and here Gideon met with her when he went to... read more
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 Ophrah of the Abiezrites ; a city which belonged to the family of the Abiezrites, who were of the tribe of Manasseh, in which Gideon lived, and his father before him; and where there was a... read more
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 committed spiritual whoredom with; that is, idolatry: particularly and made Baalberith their god; which was the idol of the Shechemites, as appears from a temple being built at... read more
And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God ,.... 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 all other nations round about them, as Edom, Moab, Ammon, &c.; not one attempting to oppress them. read more
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 delivering them out of the hands of their oppressors, in administering justice to them, in protecting them in their civil and religious liberties, and leaving them in the quiet and... read more
His concubine - A lawful but secondary wife, whose children could not inherit. Whose name he called Abimelech - That is, my father is king, or my father hath reigned. This name was doubtless given by the mother, and so it should be understood here; she wished to raise her son to the supreme government, and therefore gave him a name which might serve to stimulate him to seek that which she hoped he should enjoy in his father's right. See the following chapter, Judges 9 (note). read more
Gideon - died in a good old age - Supposed to have been A.M. 2799; b.c. 1205. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 8:29-35
We have here the conclusion of the story of Gideon. 1. He lived privately, Jdg. 8:29. He was not puffed up with his great honours, did not covet a palace or castle to dwell in, but retired to the house he had lived in before his elevation. Thus that brave Roman Who was called from the plough upon a sudden occasion to command the army when the action was over returned to his plough again. 2. His family was multiplied. He had many wives (therein he transgressed the law); by them he had seventy... read more