Gideon

13Then Gideon son of Joash came back from the battle, before the sun came up.

And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

NoteThe King James says Gideon came back "before the sun was up." The old Hebrew words may instead be the name of a hill road. Nobody today is fully sure which it means.

14He caught a young man from Succoth and asked him questions. The young man wrote down the names of the town's leaders and older men. There were seventy-seven of them.

And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

NoteA score means twenty. So "threescore and seventeen" is seventy-seven. The elders were the older men who made decisions for the town.

15Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You made fun of me about them. You said, 'Have you caught them yet? Why should we feed your tired men?'"

And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

16So he took the older leaders of the town. He used sharp desert thorns and prickly branches, and he punished the men of Succoth with them.

And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

NoteThe King James says Gideon "taught" the men of Succoth. Here taught means punished. It is an old, grim way of saying he taught them a lesson.

17He also knocked down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of that town.

And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What were the men like that you killed at Mount Tabor?" They answered, "They looked like you. Each one looked like a king's son."

Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

NoteTabor is a round hill in the north of the land. Saying the men looked like a king's sons meant they looked strong and important.

19Gideon said, "Those were my brothers, my own mother's sons. As surely as the LORD lives, I would not kill you if you had let them live."

And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

Note"As the LORD liveth" was a way of making a very strong promise. It is like saying, I really mean this. In those days a man was expected to punish whoever killed his brother.

20He said to Jether, his oldest son, "Get up and kill them." But the boy did not pull out his sword. He was afraid, because he was still young.

And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

NoteKilling captured kings was a job for an honored fighter. Letting his son do it would have shown the boy as a grown warrior. Jether was too young and too scared.

21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Do it yourself. A grown man has a grown man's strength." So Gideon got up and killed them both. He took the curved ornaments off their camels' necks.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

NoteCamels wore fancy ornaments shaped like little curved moons. They hung around the animal's neck and showed the owner was rich.

22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Be our ruler. You, then your son, then your son's son. You saved us from Midian."

Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

NoteAsking for Gideon, then his son, then his son's son, meant one thing. They wanted his family to rule forever, like a royal family.

23Gideon said, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. The LORD will rule over you."

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

24Then Gideon said, "I do want to ask you for one thing. Each of you give me an earring you took from the enemy." The enemy soldiers wore gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

NoteIshmaelites were desert people who traveled around trading goods. Here the name is used for the Midianites. Gold earrings were part of how they dressed.

25They said, "We will gladly give them." So they spread out a coat on the ground. Every man threw in an earring he had taken.

And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26The gold earrings he asked for weighed one thousand seven hundred shekels. He also got curved ornaments, hanging jewels, and the purple robes the Midianite kings wore. He got the chains from their camels' necks too.

And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

NoteA shekel was a weight, not a coin. All that gold weighed about forty pounds, as much as a big dog. Purple cloth cost a huge amount to make, so only rich and royal people wore it.

27Gideon used the gold to make an ephod, a special coat like the ones priests wore. He put it in his hometown, Ophrah. All Israel went there and worshiped it, turning away from God. It became a trap for Gideon and his family.

And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

NoteAn ephod was a special vest that a priest wore. A priest was a man who led people in worshiping God. Priests used the ephod when asking God questions. The King James says Israel went "a whoring after it." That is an old way of saying the people broke their promise to God.

28So Midian was beaten down in front of Israel and never rose up again. The land was quiet and peaceful for forty years, while Gideon lived.

Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

NoteForty years is the Bible's way of saying a long, full stretch of time. It is about how long grown-ups live and raise children.

29Jerubbaal son of Joash, which was another name for Gideon, went home and lived there.

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

NoteJerubbaal was a nickname Gideon got earlier in the story. It means something like, let Baal argue with him.

30Gideon had seventy sons of his own, because he had many wives.

And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

NotePowerful leaders back then often had many wives and huge families. A big family made a man look strong, almost like a king.

31He also had a woman in Shechem who lived with him like a wife, but with less honor. She had a son, and Gideon named him Abimelech.

And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

NoteThe name Abimelech means, my father is king. That name matters a lot in the next chapter.

32Gideon son of Joash died when he was very old. He was buried in his father Joash's grave, in Ophrah, the town of the Abiezrites.

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

NoteFamilies were often buried together in one cave or rock tomb. Being buried with your father was a comfort and an honor.

33As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned away from God again. They worshiped the Baals, which were false gods. They chose Baal-berith as their god.

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

NoteBaal was a god the nearby peoples prayed to for rain and good crops. Baalim just means more than one Baal. Baal-berith means Baal of the promise.

34The people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God. He was the one who had saved them from all their enemies all around them.

And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35They also were not kind to Gideon's family, even though Gideon had done so much good for Israel.

Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

NoteThe King James says "the house of Jerubbaal." House here means a person's family, not a building.

1Abimelech was a son of Jerubbaal. He went to Shechem to see his mother's brothers. He talked with them and with all his mother's family.

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

NoteJerubbaal is another name for Gideon, a leader God had used to save Israel. Shechem was a town where Abimelech's mother's family lived.

2He said, "Ask the leaders of Shechem a question. Is it better for seventy sons of Jerubbaal to rule you, or one man? Remember, I am your own family."

Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

NoteIn those days a man could have several wives and many sons. That is how Gideon had seventy sons.

3His mother's brothers said all this to the leaders of Shechem. The leaders decided to follow Abimelech. They said, "He is our own relative."

And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

4They took seventy pieces of silver from the temple of the god Baal-berith. They gave the silver to Abimelech. He used it to hire rough, worthless men who followed him.

And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

NoteThere were no coins yet. People weighed out pieces of silver to pay for things.

5He went to his father's house at Ophrah. There he killed his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But the youngest brother, Jotham, hid himself and lived.

And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

NoteOphrah was the town where Gideon lived. Killing the brothers on one stone meant it was planned, not an accident.

6All the leaders of Shechem and of Beth-millo came together. They met by the big tree beside the stone pillar in Shechem. There they made Abimelech their king.

And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

NoteA king was a ruler for life, and his son ruled after him. Beth-millo was a strong part of the town. The big tree and stone pillar marked the place where people met for important things.

16"Now think about what you did. Were you honest and fair when you made Abimelech king? Did you treat Jerubbaal and his family the way they deserved?

Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

17"My father fought for you. He risked his own life. He saved you from the army of Midian.

(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

NoteMidian was a desert people who came and stole Israel's crops. Gideon, Jotham's father, drove them away.

18"But today you turned against my father's family. You killed his seventy sons on one stone. You made Abimelech king over Shechem, only because his mother was a servant here and he is your relative.

And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

NoteA maidservant was a woman who worked in someone's house. Her son was not treated as highly as the other sons.

19"If you have been honest and fair with Jerubbaal and his family today, then be happy with Abimelech. And let him be happy with you.

If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

20"But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo. And may fire come out of them and burn up Abimelech."

But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

NoteJotham is not lighting a real fire. He is wishing out loud that they will destroy each other.

21Then Jotham ran away. He escaped to a place called Beer and lived there. He was afraid of his brother Abimelech.

And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

NoteBeer was a town far enough away to be safe. We do not know exactly where it was.

9"But your families forgot God. So he handed them over to their enemies. Sisera, the army leader from Hazor, fought them. The Philistines fought them. The king of Moab fought them too."

And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

NoteSisera led an army from a city called Hazor. The Philistines lived near the sea and had strong soldiers. Moab was a country next door. All of them attacked Israel at different times.

10"Then they cried out to God. They said, 'We have done wrong. We left you and served Baal and Ashtoreth. Save us from our enemies, and we will serve you.'"

And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

NoteBaal and Ashtoreth were gods that other nations prayed to. People made statues of them and brought them gifts. Israel was told to worship only the real God.

11"So God sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel. God saved you from your enemies all around. You lived in your land safely."

And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

NoteThese were leaders God sent to rescue Israel long ago. Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon. They were called judges, leaders who fought for the people and helped them.

32What else can I say? There is not enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. There is not time for David, Samuel, and the prophets, people who told others what God said.

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

NoteThese are all famous people from earlier in the Bible. Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah were leaders who rescued Israel from enemies. David was Israel's greatest king. Samuel chose kings and told people what God said.

33They trusted God. They won wars against kingdoms. They ruled in a fair way. They received things God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions.

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

NoteShutting the mouths of lions points to Daniel. He was thrown to hungry lions, and God kept them from hurting him.

34They put out raging fires. They got away from swords. They were weak, and God made them strong. They grew brave in battle and chased enemy armies away.

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

NotePutting out fires points to three friends of Daniel. They were thrown into a burning oven and came out unhurt.