Abimelech's Conspiracy and Downfall

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 9:1) And Abimelech the son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to his mother's brethren and communed with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

In the last chapter and post, Gideon, the same as Jerub-Baal, had passed away, and we learned that he had a son by a concubine who lived in Shechem named Abimelech.  He had also had seventy sons by his multiple wives.  Now Abimelech went to Shechem to his mother's family to visit with them and with all the family of his mother's father.

(2) "Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men in Shechem, 'Which is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerub-Baal, seventy persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you?' Remember that I am your own flesh and bone."

Although Gideon and his son Jether had refused kingship as it was the Lord only who should rule over His people, the son of his concubine, Abimelech, conspired to be ruler over the Israelites.  He asked his mother's relatives to talk to the men of Shechem and ask them if it would be better for the seventy sons of Gideon to rule over them, which might cause strife and division, or just one person, meaning himself, to rule.  He reminded them that he was their flesh and blood, hoping that would prompt them to do what he proposed.

(3) And his mother's brethren spoke 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."

Indeed, his mother's family was inclined to follow Abimelech because he was their flesh and blood kin, and they spoke of him to the men of Shechem using all the words and rationale he had given them.

(4) And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light persons who followed him.

The men of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver out of the treasury of the temple of their false god, Baal-Berith, the temple surely having been erected after the death of Gideon.  With the money Abimelech hired worthless scoundrels to follow him around and surely to do what he told them to do.

(5) And he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, seventy persons, on one stone; however, Jotham the youngest son of Jerub-Baal was left for he hid himself.

Abimelech and his followers went to the house of his father, Gideon, and killed his half-brothers, the sons of Gideon, brutally executing each one on one stone.  However, one of the seventy sons of Gideon escaped, Jotham, the youngest, because he hid himself.

(6) 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 in Shechem.

All the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo, which may have been a prominent family in or near Shechem, or as "beyth millo" that was translated as "house of Millo" means precisely "house of rampart," perhaps it was a sort of town hall or some such center of government or courthouse.  Regardless of who they all were, they made the decision to make Abimelech their king.  They anointed him king by the plain of the pillar in Shechem.  They may have erected a pillar in Shechem to commemorate the anointing of their king or simply chose to anoint him at a previously erected pillar.  This might be the stone pillar erected by Joshua under an oak tree as a testimony between God and His people.  If so, what an act of blasphemy and sacrilege!  They never consulted God about whether they should replace Him as their king, and Abimelech had killed sixty-nine innocent men to give himself that title.

(7) And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and cried, and said to them, "Hearken to me, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken to you!"

When it was told to Jotham that Abimelech had been made king, he went up to the top of Mount Gerizim and cried out to the men of Shechem to hear him if they wanted God to ever hear them when they cried to Him for mercy.

(8) "The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' (9) But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I leave my fatness with which by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?'"

Jotham began a parable, crying out in the hearing of the men of Shechem.  He spoke of trees who sought a king tree to rule over them.  They went to a fine olive tree and asked that it reign over them, but it refused them asking if it should leave its God-given purpose in providing oil that burned lamps in the tabernacle to rule over the trees, something for which God had not called.  The trees represented the people of Israel, especially the people of Shechem.  They had asked Gideon and his son after him to rule over them.  Gideon was a fine and honorable man who had refused them.  He would not leave the position to which God had called him to promote himself to something God had not asked him to do.  He had told the people that God ruled over them; there was no need for a king.

(10) "And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.' (11) But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit and go to be promoted over the trees?'"

The trees then went to the fig tree, which may have represented the people going to Gideon's son desiring that he reign over them.  The fig tree also refused to leave its purpose of providing sweet fruit to go and reign over the trees.

(12) "Then said the trees to the vine, 'Come and reign over us.' (13) And the vine said to them, 'Should I leave my wine which cheers God and man and go to be promoted over the trees?'"

The trees continued looking for a king and went to the grapevine which may have represented Gideon's son's son whom the people had desired to rule over them (Judges 8:22).  The vine also refused them, stating that it would not leave its purpose of providing wine that was pleasing to God and man.

(14) "Then said all the trees to the bramble, 'Come and reign over us.'"

The trees finally resorted to asking the bramble to reign over them.  The bramble could scarcely be called a tree, just a thorny bush barren and fruitless only providing distress and pain.  This, of course, represented the wicked Abimelech.

(15) "And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in truth you anoint me king over you, come put your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'"

The bramble said to the trees that if they truly wanted it to be king over them, then they would find protection in its shadow.  But how much protection can the shadow of a bramble really be?  It would only be a painful irritant to one who would try to find shelter under it.  The bramble was making promises it would never keep and demanding loyalty up front if the trees truly wanted it as king.  If they did not submit to the bramble as king and put all faith and confidence in it, then they would feel the fire of its wrath and vengeance.  The lowly bramble located under the tall trees could more easily catch fire than the trees and quickly burn up, but then its fire would catch the trees on fire and take them down with it, even the great cedars of Lebanon.  The bramble, of course, represented Abimelech, and the moral of the story was that if the people chose so low, worthless, and wicked a man to rule over them, then he would be the destruction of all of them.

(16) "Now therefore, if you have done truly and sincerely in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerub-Baal and his house and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands, (17) (For my father fought for you and adventured his life far and delivered you out of the hand of Midian, (18) And you are risen up against my father's house this day and have slain his sons, seventy persons upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem because he is your brother); (19) If you then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerub-Baal and with his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and let him also rejoice in you."

Jotham then applied his parable to what the people had done.  If they had truly and sincerely made Abimelech king, and if they had dealt truly and sincerely with Gideon and his house, dealing with him as well as he deserved according to what he had done for them, then so be it.  Jotham reminded them that Gideon had risked his life fighting for them to deliver them out of the hand of the Midianites.  However, they had risen up against his father's house and had slain his seventy sons.  At least that was their intention, to kill all seventy, but Jotham had survived.  They had then made Abimelech, the son of Gideon's maidservant, king over the men of Shechem because he was their kin.  If in all this, the people had dealt well and truly with Gideon and his house, then they should rejoice in their king Abimelech and let him rejoice in them.

(20) "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!"

However, if the people had not dealt rightly and sincerely with the house of Gideon, then he wished for wrath, fury, and rage to burn forth from Abimelech like fire, and let it destroy the men of Shechem and the house of Millo (verse 6).  May the men, in turn, turn on Abimelech and destroy him, as well.

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

Jotham then ran away and fled to Beer, a place remote from Shechem and out of Abimelech's reach.  He dwelt there because he was afraid of what Abimelech might do to him because after all, Abimelech had intended that Jotham be killed.

(22) When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, (23) Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, (24) That the cruelty to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother who killed them and on the men of Shechem who aided him in the killing of his brothers.

Abimelech was actually allowed by Israel to rule over them for three years.  He was not technically the king of Israel as he was only appointed by the men of Shechem (verse 6), but it appears that the children of Israel consented to him ruling over them.  After three years, the Lord God sent an evil spirit to stir up animosity between Abimelech and the men of Shechem in order to avenge the innocent blood of Gideon's sons.  He would righteously lay the blame on Abimelech and on the men of Shechem who aided in the killing of his brothers in order to make him a king.

(25) And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way by them, and it was told Abimelech.

The men of Shechem set men on the top of the mountains to lie in wait for Abimelech.  Meanwhile, they robbed all who went that way by them.  It was told to Abimelech that they were lying in wait for him, specifically.

(26) And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren and went over to Shechem, and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

A man named Gaal, the son of Ebed, came that way with his brethren, whether they be his birth brothers or brethren in general it's hard to say.  The men of Shechem put their confidence in them, telling them of their plan to ambush Abimelech.

(27) And they went out into the fields and gathered their vineyards and trod them and made merry, and went into the house of their god and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.

Now with a boost in courage because of the addition of Gaal and his brethren, the men went into their fields and gathered their grapes and trod them and had a good time, which may have been something they had been unable to do under the rule of Abimelech.  They went into the house of their god which was probably Baal-Berith (Judges 8:33), and they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.

(28) And Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, "Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal? And Zebul, his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, for why should we serve him?"

As they were making merry, probably drinking and carousing, while they cursed Abimelech, Gaal asked who Abimelech was anyway that they should serve him.  He was a Shechemite, and who was Shechem that they should serve him? He pointed out that he was the son of Jerub-Baal, that is Gideon, who had thrown down the altar of Baal.  Abimelech had evidently set Zebul as an officer over the people, and Gaal pondered who Zebul was that they should obey him.  He suggested that they should rather serve the descendants of Hamor, the old Canaanite prince, rather than Abimelech.  Of what importance was Abimelech that they should serve him?

(29) "And would to God this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech." And he said to Abimelech, "Increase your army and come out!"

Gaal said that if only the people were under his rule, he would remove Abimelech.  Then he said to Abimelech, as if he were really before him, to increase his army and strength and come out to him.  Perhaps he actually sent the message to Abimelech.

(30) And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

When Zebul, Abimelech's officer and ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal, either because someone told him or perhaps because Gaal had indeed sent a message to him, his anger was aroused against Gaal.  

(31) And he sent messengers to Abimelech privately, saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren have come to Shechem, and behold, they fortify the city against you."

Zebul then sent messengers to Abimelech privately, unknown to Gaal and the men of Shechem, to tell him that Gaal and his brethren had come to Shechem and were inciting the people of the city against him.  It is possible that he meant Gaal and his supporters were literally fortifying the city against Abimelech, perhaps not to let anyone leave or any help to come in.

(32) "Now therefore, up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field. (33) And it shall be in the morning, you shall rise early and set upon the city, and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall find occasion."

Zebul told Abimelech to get up in the night, he and the people with him, and lie in wait in the field.  Early in the morning, they were to rise up and rush upon the city, and when Gaal and his men came out against them, Abimelech and his men could do to Gaal and his men as opportunity offered them.

(34) And Abimelech rose up, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

Abimelech did as Zebul had suggested, and he and his men went by night to the field where they lay in wait in four companies, likely to cover the four sides of the city, for Gaal and the men of Shechem.

(35) And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and Abimelech rose up, and the people who were with him, from lying in wait.

Gaal and the men with him indeed came out as anticipated to the entrance gate of the city, and Abimelech and the men with him rose up from lying in wait.

(36) And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains." And Zebul said to him, "You see the shadow of the mountains as men."

When Gaal saw all the people with Abimelech, he said to his officer, Zebul, that he had people coming down from the mountains to aid him.  However, Zebul told him that he only saw the shadows of the mountains and thought they were men.

(37) And Gaal spoke again and said, "See there come people down by the middle of the land and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim."

Gaal spoke to Zebul again and told him there were people coming from the middle of the land, which might have meant the valley between the mountains, and also more people coming along by the plain of Meonenim.  Other Bible translations called Meonenim the "Diviners' Oak," but I'm not sure that the place or its name have any real significance.

(38) Then Zebul said to him, "Where now is your mouth with which you said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Is this not the people that you have despised? Go out, I pray now, and fight with them."

Zebul answered Gaal, taunting him, asking where his big talk was when he had asked who Abimelech was, that they should serve him.  He now had the people he had said he despised before him, so he should put his money where his mouth was, so to speak, and go out and fight them.

(39) And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. (40) And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded to the entering of the gate.

Gaal indeed went out with the men of Shechem behind him, and they fought Abimelech and his men.  Abimelech chased Gaal back to the entrance gate of the city, and many men were overthrown and wounded all the way back to the gate of the city.

(41) And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not dwell in Shechem.

Abimelech dwelt in a place called Arumah, probably near Shechem, while he waited for another opportunity to avenge his name.  His officer Zebul thrust Gaal and his brethren out of the city of Shechem, and they were forbidden to dwell in Shechem.

(42) And it came to pass on the next day, that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.

The next day the people went out to their fields, probably going back to their daily routines, as they thought Abimelech was gone and Gaal and his brethren had been thrown out of the city.  It was told to Abimelech that the people had returned to the fields.

(43) And he took the people and divided them into three companies and laid wait in the field, and looked, and behold, the people came forth out of the city, and he rose up against them and struck them.

Abimelech took the people who were with him and divided them into three different companies, and they lay in wait in the fields.  When the people came out of the city to return to the fields, Abimelech and his company rose up and attacked them.

(44) And Abimelech and the company with him rushed forward and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and the two other companies ran upon all who were in the fields and killed them.

Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed toward the city and stood at the entrance gate, attacking the people before they had a chance to return to the fields.  His two other companies attacked and killed all the people who were already in the fields.

(45) And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and killed the people who were in it, and beat down the city and sowed it with salt.

Abimelech and his men fought against the city all day long, and he eventually took the city and killed the people who were in it, at least all who had turned against him.  He beat down the buildings of the city and sowed it with salt, a sign that it might never again be a fruitful city.

(46) And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard, they entered into a hold of the house of the god Berith.

It appears that the tower of Shechem must not have been within the city gates of Shechem, as the men of the tower heard about what Abimelech had done to the city, and they entered into what they thought to be a stronghold, the temple of their god, Baal-Berith.

(47) And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. (48) And Abimelech got him up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him, and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees and took it and laid it on his shoulder and said to the people who were with him, "What you have seen me do, make haste, do as I."

It was told to Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem had gathered themselves together.  He went up to Mount Zalmon, a mountain near Shechem, and all the people with him followed him.  He took an axe and cut down a bough from one of the trees and took and laid it on his shoulder.  He then told the people who were with him to do as he had done.

(49) And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough and followed Abimelech and put them to the hold and set the hold on fire upon them, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

All the people with Abimelech did as he had done and cut down a bough from a tree and laid it across their shoulders.  They followed Abimelech to the stronghold of the people of the tower, which was the temple of their god, Baal-Berith.  They all laid their boughs against the stronghold and set fire to them, which in turn, burned all the people held up in the stronghold, about a thousand people.

(50) Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and took it. (51) But there was a strong tower within the city, and there fled all the men and women, and all them of the city, and shut themselves in and got them up to the top of the tower.

Abimelech then went to Thebez, a city next to Shechem which must have also rebelled against him.  He camped across from it and took it.  However, there was a strong tower within the city, and all the people of the city ran to it and shut themselves up in it and got themselves to the top of the tower.

(52) And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and went hard to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it.  He went against the door of the tower to burn it with fire as he done at the temple of Baal-Berith.

(53) And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone on Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull.

A woman in the tower threw a piece of a millstone with the intention of breaking Abimelech's skull.  It was a fitting death for the man who killed his sixty-nine brothers on one stone that he should die by a stone.

(54) Then he called hastily to the young man his armourbearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, that men do not say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

The stone struck Abimelech in the head but did not kill him right away.  He called for his armorbearer to quickly draw his sword and kill him so that men would not remember him as having been killed by a woman.  Too late!  It was recorded and kept forever in the Bible that he had been essentially killed by a woman, but his armorbearer did finish the job by stabbing him through, and he died.

(55) And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they were able to return to their own places in peace.

(56) Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech which he did to his father, in slaying his seventy brethren.

God was the one who had sent the evil spirit that created the strife between Abimelech and the men of Shechem in order to avenge the death of Gideon's sixty-nine or seventy sons (verse 23).  I believe Abimelech actually killed sixty-nine of his half-brothers, as Jotham escaped.  Judges 8:30 said that Gideon had seventy sons by his wives and one son, Abimelech, by his concubine.  However, verse 5 above said that Abimelech killed seventy of his brothers on one stone.  That was definitely his intent, but Jotham escaped.  I've seen it written by some Bible commentators that Jotham was the seventy-first son of Gideon, but I don't believe that to be the case, according to Judges 8:30.

(57) And all the evil of the men of Shechem rendered upon their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerub-Baal.

Likewise, God rendered the wickedness of the men of Shechem, according to the curse stated by Jotham in verse 20 above.  He had said if the men of Shechem had not dealt honestly with the house of Gideon, his father, then may Abimelech and the men of Shechem destroy each other, which they did.  Abimelech had beat down the city of Shechem and burned the stronghold where the last of the people had hidden, and in the end, he, too, was killed.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that Jotham's parable in verses 8 through 15 which turned out to be a prophetic curse, was probably the first fable ever recorded, some five hundred years before Aesop's fables.

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 7:1) Then Jerub-Baal, who is Gideon, and all the people with him, rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod, so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

In the last chapter and post, God had called Gideon to deliver His people from the Midianites, and he had subsequently called tribes of large numbers of men to accompany him.  Gideon had cast down the altar of Baal, and his father called him Jerub-Baal.  Now Gideon, with all his men, rose up early in the morning and pitched a tent beside the well of Harod.  No one can say exactly where this well was located, but it was a location that put the Midianites on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh which was in the valley of Jezreel.

(2) And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'"

The Lord told Gideon that he had gathered too many men for His purpose to deliver Midian into Israel's hand.  Their numbers might so overpower the Midianites that they would think it was by their own might that they were able to defeat the Midianites.  However, it would be God who defeated them by the hand of a self-described poor and insignificant nobody (Judges 6:15).

(3) "Now therefore go to proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead.'" And there returned of the people twenty-two thousand, and there remained ten thousand.

Because there were too many men for His purpose, God told Gideon to go proclaim to the people that if any of them were fearful, they were free to leave Mount Gilead, which was apparently where they were at the time.  This cannot be the Mount Gilead on the eastern side of the Jordan River but must have been another by the same name.  22,000 people subsequently left, leaving 10,000 men.

(4) And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people are yet too many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them for you there, and it shall be of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you, and of whomever I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go."

The Lord told Gideon there were still too many men.  He told him to bring them down from the hill to the water where He Himself would tell Gideon who was to go with him and who was not to go.

(5) So he brought down the people to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue as a dog laps, him shall you set by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink." (6) And the number of them who lapped, their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men, but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.

Gideon brought all the men down to the water, and the Lord told him to separate the men into groups according to how they drank water from the stream.  Everyone who lapped water with his tongue was to be set aside in one group, and those who knelt down to drink were in another group.  The point was not so much the action of the tongue in lapping, but whether they scooped up water in their hand and did a quick lap or slurp or if they took the time to kneel down and drink water from the stream.  It might be that those who stood and took a quick lap from their hands would appear to be of greater stamina and haste to get the job done than those who took the time to get down on their knees to drink their fill.  Three hundred men stood and lapped a handful of water, ready to go forth into battle, while the rest of the men were kneeling at the creek and drinking.

(7) And the Lord said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his place."

Indeed, the Lord told Gideon that He would save him and the children of Israel and deliver the Midianites into his hand by the three hundred men who stood and lapped the water from their hand.  Interestingly, I now read that the historian Josephus wrote that the three hundred represented the most fearful men, taking a quick swipe of water, while the more courageous men knelt down, not so afraid of their surroundings.  With this reasoning, God would choose the weakest men so that there was no doubt that it was God alone who delivered the Midianites into Gideon's hand.  Whatever the reasoning, and perhaps there was none other than to separate some men into a small group, God chose the group of three hundred men to accompany Gideon.  Regardless of how strong and courageous they were, they were only three hundred against 135,000 according to Judges 8:10, so there was no doubt that it was God alone who would deliver Israel.

(8) So the people took provisions in their hand and their trumpets, and he sent all Israel every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men; and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

This would appear to be the three hundred men who gathered provisions and their trumpets and perhaps gathered of those of the people not chosen, and Gideon sent all the rest of the people back to their tents.  The Midianite army was below Gideon and his three hundred men in the valley of Jezreel.

(9) And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, "Arise, get down to the host, for I have delivered it into your hand. (10) But if you fear to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the host."

That night the Lord came to Gideon and told him to get up and go down to the Midianite army for He had already delivered them into Gideon's hand.  One would think that assurance that it was a done deal would be enough for this hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32), but God gave him another option if he was too fearful to go forth toward the enemy.  I find this amazing!  The Lord showed such incredible patience with Gideon from the beginning of His call to him.  He allowed his requests for multiple signs and now He offered him another option if he was too afraid, even after God had assured him that the huge Midianite army was delivered into his hand.  This should give us so much encouragement that the Lord can be so patient with our fears even though He constantly commands that we "fear not."  It all comes down to the heart that the Lord can see.  He can see our trembling faith, and if it is sincere but just needs a little boost of courage, He is gracious and patient to give us what we need.  God told Gideon if he was afraid to go forth with his small army, that he and his servant Purah could first go down privately.

(11) "And you shall hear what they say, and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to go down to the host." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outside of the armed men in the host.

The Lord continued with what Gideon could choose to do if he was afraid.  He could take his servant and go down secretly to hear what the Midianites said, and then he would be strengthened by what he heard.  Gideon indeed chose to take his servant Purah and went down to the edge of the Midianite army.

(12) And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude and their camels without number as the sand by the seaside for multitude.

Gideon saw that the Midianites, Amalekites, and Arabians, and all their camels lay in the valley as numerous as grains of sand on the seashore.  That sight could have put even more fear in Gideon's heart, but the Lord had told him to listen to what they said.

(13) And when Gideon had come, behold, a man told his dream to his companion, and said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian and came to a tent and struck it that it fell, and overturned it that the tent lay along." (14) And his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for into his hand has God delivered Midian and all the host."

When Gideon had come to the edge of the huge army, he heard a man telling his companion that he had had a dream.  He saw a small simple loaf of barley bread tumble into the Midianite army and take down a tent.  His companion interpreted the dream the only way he saw possible, that it must represent the small army of Gideon, a man of Israel, and the fact that God had delivered Midian into his hand.  The dream, as well as the interpretation, had surely been put into the minds of the Midianite soldiers by God to increase Gideon's courage and confidence.  It may have also had the effect of frightening the Midianites.

(15) And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation of it, that he worshiped and returned to the host of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the Lord has delivered into your hand the host of Midian."

Gideon was indeed strengthened after hearing the dream and its interpretation.  He worshiped God, surely thanking Him for giving him this extra sign of confirmation.  He then returned to the small Israelite army and told them to rise up for the Lord had delivered the army of the Midianites into their hand, and it was now the time to go take it.

(16) And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

Gideon divided the three hundred men into three companies, probably one hundred in each company.  He put a trumpet in every man's hand.  There were enough trumpets for every man to have one because they had gathered them from the people not chosen (verse 8).  He gave every man a pitcher empty of any liquid and put lamps inside each one.  As it was night, the lamps would provide a little light for the small army, yet the light would be concealed from the enemy as they approached them.

(17) And he said to them, "Look on me and do likewise, and behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be, as I do, so shall you do. (18) When I blow a trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!'"

Gideon told the men in his army to watch him and do just what he did, especially when he came to the outside of the Midianite camp.  Then it appears that the two other companies than the one Gideon was with were to go on other sides of the Midianite camp.  Then when Gideon and his company blew their trumpets, the other companies were to blow their trumpets at the same time, and cry out, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"

(19) So Gideon and the hundred men with him came to the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, and they had but newly set the watch, and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers in their hands. (20) And the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers and held the lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to blow, and they cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"

Gideon and his company came to the outside of the Midianite camp in the beginning of the midnight watch.  In the Old Testament the night was divided into three watches, the first watch being the hours after sunset, the middle watch included the hours around midnight, and then there was the pre-dawn watch.  The middle watch had just begun when Gideon and his company blew their trumpets and broke the pitchers, and the other companies blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers and held their lamps in their left hands.  They all cried out, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"  What a fearsome sight and sound this must have been that awakened the Midianites.  Three hundred trumpets, three hundred breaking pitchers, and three hundred men all yelling at once, as well as three hundred lights surrounding their camp.

(21) And they stood every man in his place around the camp, and all the host ran and cried and fled.

All of Gideon's army stood every man in his place while the Midianites cried out and ran.

(22) And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow throughout all the host, and the host fled to Beth Shittah in Zererah to the border of Abel Meholah to Tabbath.

Gideon's three hundred men continued blowing their trumpets, and the Lord so confused the Midianites that they used their swords against one another throughout the whole Midianite army.  Those who remained of the Midianites fled to places most of which were unknown by the Biblical commentators I study, but they went as far as Abel Meholah which was in the Jordan valley.

(23) And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

The men of Israel, probably the same ones Gideon had initially called (Judges 6:35) before the Lord cut them down to size, gathered themselves together out of the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites who had fled.  It appears that the tribe of Zebulun did not accompany the Israelite army this time.

(24) And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and take before them the waters to Beth Barah and Jordan." Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together and took the waters to Beth Barah and Jordan.

Gideon sent messengers throughout Mount Ephraim telling them to go down against the Midianites cutting them off at the Jordan River before they had a chance to cross over it back to Midian.  The men of the tribe of Ephraim did just that.

(25) And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb on the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

The Israelites killed two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb.  They killed Oreb on the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb.  They killed these princes at places that would afterward be called by those names, or more likely they pursued them into Midian, as they brought the heads of those princes to Gideon "on the other side of the Jordan."

(Judges 8:1) And the men of Ephraim said to him, "Why have you served us thus that you did not call us when you went to fight with the Midianites?" And they did chide him sharply.

Then the men of Ephraim asked Gideon why he had done such a thing as to not call them when he went to fight the Midianites.  The fact that they chided him so sharply shows that this was probably out of pride rather than a desire to help.  They didn't like the fact that they had played a subordinate part and that Gideon would get all the glory.

(2) And he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? (3) God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and what was I able to do in comparison to you?" Then their anger was abated toward him when he had said that.

Gideon gave the tribe of Ephraim a calm and gentle answer, as "a soft answer turns away wrath..." (Proverbs 15:1).  There could have been an all-out civil war between the tribes if Gideon had become puffed up himself, telling Ephraim they had no right to question him as, after all, God had chosen him to deliver Israel.  But he downplayed his part, asking what he had done in comparison to them.  After all, God Himself delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into their hands.  Wasn't the gleaning of the grapes by Ephraim, that final act of finishing up the harvest, better than the entire vintage or campaign?  I am struck by Gideon's meekness and the fact that God chose such a meek and gentle man for this task.  Gideon constantly downplayed himself.  He called himself poor and the least in his father's house when God initially called him (Judges 6:15).  He called for multiple signs to be sure that it was God calling him.  God, knowing Gideon's heart, obviously did not take these requests as a lack of faith, as He was quite patient in granting them, and he was called one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.  If there was any lack of faith on Gideon's part, it was a lack of faith in himself.  He wanted to be sure he was acting in God's will and not some misplaced will of his own.  In Gideon's calm and humble answer in the above verse, he gives the bulk of the glory to Ephraim and averts what could have been a civil war among the tribes.  God, in His great wisdom, of course, chose the right man for the job.

(4) And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet in pursuit.

Gideon and his army of three hundred crossed the Jordan River pursuing the remaining Midianites.  They were getting fatigued having been up all night.

(5) And he said to the men of Succoth, "Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian."

When they came to Succoth on the east side of the Jordan River in the tribe of Gad, he asked the men there to please give his army of men loaves of bread as they were fatigued and hungry, but they were still in pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

(6) And the princes of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand that we should give bread to your army?"

The chief magistrates of Succoth, men of Israel, refused them!  Once they saw that they had captured Zebah and Zalmunna, then maybe they would give bread to Gideon's army.  I imagine that they did not see how so little an army was a match for the Midianites and feared if they helped their brethren, they would surely pay for it and their bondage would be harder than it was before.  It was very cruel of them to show no sympathy or compassion for their brethren, and it demonstrated selfishness and concern only for themselves.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that these men had to be worshippers of Baal to turn their backs on God's own people, their brethren.

(7) And Gideon said, "Therefore when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."

The humble and meek Gideon was brought to righteous anger.  He told the men of Succoth that when the Lord had delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into his hands, as he had no doubt He would, he would return to tear their flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, suggested that Succoth may have been known for all the thorns and briers that grew in the wilderness near the city, as "succoth" or "sukkah" was used by Job in Job 41:7 to mean "barbed irons."

(8) And he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.

Gideon and his army then went from Succoth to the city of Penuel, also inhabited by his Israelite brethren, and asked them for bread to feed his fatigued army, and they shockingly also refused him.

(9) And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."

Gideon spoke to the men of Penuel with the same righteous anger as he had spoken to the men of Succoth and told them that when he had returned their way in peace after conquering all his enemies, he would break down a tower in their city.

(10) Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the hosts of the children of the east, for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew sword.

The kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, were in a place called Karkor, the location of which is not known by the Biblical scholars I study.  All their armies of men were with them, about 15,000, which was all that were left of the original armies, as 120,000 of those who had fought against Israel had fallen.

(11) And Gideon went up by the way of those who dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah and struck the host, for the host was secure.

Gideon and his small army went by the way of the wilderness where the Arabians dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, which were in the tribes of Manasseh and Gad, respectively.  They were able to strike the Midianites because their guard was down as they felt secure in their location.

(12) And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

Gideon's army threw the Midianite host into a panic and the kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, fled, and Gideon pursued them and eventually took them.

(13) And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up, (14) And caught a young man of the men of Succoth and enquired of him, and he described to him the princes of Succoth and the elders, seventy-seven men.

Gideon returned from battle before sun-up.  As he came to Succoth, he caught a young man of the city and questioned him about the chiefs of the city.  The young man described to him the princes and elders of the city, a total of seventy-seven men.

(15) And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, "Behold, Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you did upbraid me, saying, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men?'" (16) And he took the elders of the city and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

Gideon then went to the elders of Succoth and told them that he now had Zebah and Zalmunna in his hand, and reminded them about how they had refused to give his weary men bread when they noted that he did not yet have the kings in his custody and insinuated that his small army never would have them (verse 6).  He then took the elders of the city and with the thorns and briers of the wilderness, taught them a lesson.  We often learn the best lessons through adversity.  Actually, the Hebrew characters for the word translated as "taught" are very similar to the characters translated as "tore," and as the latter agrees with what Gideon said he would do to the men in verse 7, it is likely that is what is meant here.

(17) And he beat down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Gideon, true to his word (verse 8), also went to Penuel and beat down its tower.  He also killed men of the city, probably only the ones who tried to stop him from tearing down the tower.

(18) Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What manner of men whom you killed at Tabor?" And they answered, "As you, so they; each one resembled the son of a king."

Gideon then asked the kings what manner of men they had killed at Mount Tabor.  That particular event was not detailed in scripture, but I imagine it took place sometime after the Israelites had been forced to hide out in dens they made in the mountains (Judges 6:2).  The kings replied that they were like Gideon himself, and that each one looked like the son of a king, probably meaning they were graceful and dignified even in the lowly state to which they were relegated.

(19) And he said, "They were my brethren, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you."

Gideon told the kings that they had been his brethren whom they had killed.  He added "the sons of my mother" to indicate he did not mean brethren in the larger sense, but these were his immediate family.  He added that had the kings saved his brethren alive, he would not have killed them, but the logical conclusion is that because they had killed his brothers, he would kill them.

(20) And he said to Jether, his firstborn, "Up, kill them!" But the youth did not draw his sword for he was afraid because he was still a youth.

Gideon called on Jether, his firstborn son, to slay the kings, perhaps to give him honor for avenging his family's blood, but he was young and afraid and did not draw his sword.

(21) Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself and fall on us, for as the man, so is his strength." And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took away the ornaments on their camels' necks.

If they must die, the kings asked that Gideon do it.  Perhaps they feared that the strength of the youth would not be enough to kill them at once and instantly put them out of their misery.  They might have died a lingering and painful death at the hands of Jether.  Gideon did indeed rise up and kill the kings, and he took the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

(22) Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, and your son's son also, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian."

The men of Israel then asked that Gideon and his son rule over them, as well as their posterity after them.  Their reasoning for wanting him to be as a king over them was because he had delivered them from the hand of the Midianites.  Indeed, God had used Gideon to deliver His people from the Midianites, but it was obviously God Himself who had done the delivering.  How else could three hundred men defeat 135,000 (verse 10)?  The Lord was their King and had always defended and protected them, but they were awed by the success of a man who was merely God's instrument.

(23) And Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you."

Gideon, in fact, did tell the people that neither he nor his son would agree to rule over them.  Only the Lord God of Israel would rule over them.

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

However, Gideon did make another request of them.  If they wanted to do something for him, they could give him the earrings of their prey.  They had golden earrings of the Ishmaelites who were spoken of here as the same as the Midianites.  The Ishmaelites were the progeny of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and the maidservant Hagar.  Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness where an angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her that Ishmael would become a great nation.  Genesis 16:12 said that Ishmael would be a wild man with his hand against every man, and he would dwell in the presence of his brethren.  The Ishmaelites at this time resided in Moab next to the Midianites, and as Arabs, they wore earrings and nose-rings.

(25) And they answered, "We will willingly give." And they spread a garment and cast in it every man the earrings of his prey.

The people told Gideon they would willingly give their golden earrings.  They spread out a garment and every man put his earrings into it.

(26) And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred gold, besides ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that had been on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains about their camels' necks.

The weight of the golden earrings gathered totaled 1700 weights of gold.  Most of the Bible translations added the word "shekels," but the original does not say what standard was used.  Even if it were measured in shekels, there is not a consensus as to exactly how much that would be. The word "shekel" itself just means "weight."  I've seen among the commentators I study estimates of 43 to 100 pounds of gold that was gathered just from the golden earrings.  The people also collected ornaments, collars, and purple raiment from the kings of Midian, as well as the chains from the camels' necks. 

(27) And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah, and all Israel went there a whoring after it, which thing became a snare to Gideon and to his house.

Gideon made a golden ephod out of all the gold.  An ephod was an apron like vestment worn on the outside of the clothing.  With it being perhaps 100 pounds in weight, Gideon did not wear it but placed it in his city of Ophrah as a monument of his victories.  The people made an idol of it, which is the meaning of "a whoring" in the Bible.  They committed adultery and worshiped a false god or idol of the golden ephod.  Thus it became a snare to Gideon and his house.  At the very least, it seems that calling for all that gold to make an ephod that would be set up as a kind of trophy, was an act of pride.  And Gideon was responsible for making that idol that the people would begin to worship.

(28) 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.

The Midianites were subdued by the Lord using the hand of Gideon and his small army, and they did not regain their strength.  Israel had peace for forty years during the days of Gideon.

(29) And Jerub-Baal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.  

After his victory, Gideon, here called by the name his father Joash had given him, Jerub-Baal (Judges 6:32), went back to his house and dwelled there.

(30) And Gideon had seventy sons begotten of his body, for he had many wives. (31) And his concubine in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

Gideon had a total of seventy sons because he had many wives.  He also had a concubine who did not live in his house in Ophrah but lived in Shechem.  She also bore him a son whom he called Abimelech.

(32) 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.

Gideon lived a long life and died at a good old age.  He was buried in his father's sepulcher in his city, Ophrah, in the family of the Abiezrites.

(33) And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after the Baals and made Baal-Berith their god.

It seems the Israelites wasted no time returning to their wicked ways after the death of Gideon.  They started worshipping the various Baals, the false gods of the Canaanites, eventually making Baal-Berith their ultimate god.

(34) And the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side. 

The children of Israel did not remember their Lord God to worship Him; they did not remember how He had delivered them from the hands of their enemies time and time again.  We might find this hard to believe that the Israelites could actually turn from their Lord after all the things He had done for them, after all His love and mercy and providence.  However, if we look honestly within ourselves, we will see how we might not pray as much or think about God as much when things are going well.  We begin to spend more time on things other than God, and those things become idols, as the very definition of "idol" is any person or thing regarded with admiration and adoration.

(35) Neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerub-Baal, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown to Israel.

It appears that the people also did not show any kindness or gratitude to the family of Gideon after all Gideon had done for them in allowing himself to be used by God to deliver his people from the Midianites.

As so often the case, we see in Gideon another flawed person who God used to do great things.  Why wouldn't this be the running theme throughout the whole Bible when we know that all humans are flawed and sinful (Ecclesiastes 7:20)?  Gideon seemed to be at the very least not very confident in himself as God's choice to deliver Israel.  He needed multiple signs from God to bolster his courage; however, that was not seen by God as a lack of faith in Him, but perhaps just in himself to discern whether or not he was truly hearing from God.  He was sometimes fearful (Judges 7:10).  It seems he became a little prideful after his victory.  Although he did refuse kingship offered by the people, he requested they give him lots of gold with which he made an elaborate golden ephod that stood as a monument to his success.  He had multiple wives and a concubine in another city, which was common in his day, but certainly can't be considered as a sign of model moral character.  Gideon was certainly not the worst of characters; he was just human with some of the human characteristics that befall us all.  However, that should give us all hope and encouragement that God can use us, and He will meet us where we are in life, and He will supply us with all things necessary to carry out His will for us.  Amen!