Judges 8:1-32

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:6

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 put into the hands of Gideon, to do with them as he pleased? no, they were not; and they suggest they never would, deriding him and his small number of men as not a match for these... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:7

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 performed already, most firmly believed the full performance of it, see Judges 7:7 . then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with briers ; which grew in a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:8

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, Genesis 32:30 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 the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him ; denied him his request in the same jeering manner. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:9

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 down this tower ; pointing to it and which stood in their city, and in which they placed their confidence; and when he threatened them, boasted of it as their security. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:10

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor ..... Jerom F21 De loc. Heb. fol. 90. B. 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 number Gideon and his three hundred men were very unequal; and yet, faint and weary as they were, closely pursued them, attacked and conquered them. Josephus F23 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:11

And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwell in tents ,.... 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 surprise the host of the kings of Midian at an unawares: and he came upon them: on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah ; the first was in the tribe of Manasseh, and the latter in the tribe of Gad, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:12

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 sounds to them, that they fled at once: he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host ; or terrified them, so that they fled some... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:13

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 night in which he had defeated them in the valley of Jezreel; though Vatablus thinks this battle was begun and finished in one night; but there were, according to this history, so many... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:14

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 described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even seventy seven men ; by which it appears that this was no inconsiderable city to have so many princes and elders in it;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 8:15

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 he had taken them, and brought them with him, and perhaps spared them for this very reason, to let them see they were in his hands, and now calls upon them to behold them with their own... read more

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